The melody from the music box Liam had given me wasn't loud enough to drown the sound of my parents arguing.

I lay in bed, staring at the little ballerina and soaking my pillow with tears. I'd been doing it for three days.

I regretted leaving as soon as the plane took off. The pain on Liam's face was haunting me day and night.

The only text I received from him yesterday read, The kids placed second.

I tortured myself with the video of our and their performance I'd found online and rewatched at least twenty times, pausing it on the moments I loved the most.

There was plenty of time for that. My parents were too busy accusing each other of every sin that existed to pay attention to me. It was as if they forgot making me leave everything to return home.

I couldn't stand it anymore.

Having placed the box on the nightstand carefully, I pulled on a pair of jeans and the first tee I managed to find in my still made suitcase.

Then, I grabbed my purse and made my way downstairs. Telling my parents I was leaving was useless; I opted for writing a note.

My destination was an hour away from my parents' house. The cash I had was luckily enough to buy a bus ticket.

The bus dropped me off at the station, and I had to walk the rest of the way until I found myself in a quiet neighborhood in front of a modern house with big windows. I walked up the driveway and took a lungful of air before pressing the button of the doorbell.

The door opened wide. Michael was on the other side of it. "Sky?" he asked, staring at me as if I were a ghost. Luckily, he snapped out of it fast and stepped aside to let me in.

"Sam, look who's here!"

I heard rushed footsteps, and then my aunt Sam appeared next to her fiancé.

"Oh my God, Sky! What are you doing here? I didn't know you were visiting!"

Sam hugged me tightly, and the comfort of her embrace was the catalyst for my tears that fell off my eyes and flowed down my cheeks immediately.

"Baby, what is it?" asked Sam, taking my face between her palms. "Come with me, we're not gonna do it in the hallway. We've just moved into this house, and half of our stuff is in boxes, but the living room is all set."

"I'll make some coffee," Michael said, and retreated into the adjacent open-plan kitchen, undoubtedly to give us some space.

Sam and I sat on a huge sectional that took up the center of the room. My aunt studied my tear-stained face for a moment. "Spill it, baby girl. What are you doing back, and what happened for you to cry like that?"

I accepted a tissue Sam gave me and wiped my wet cheeks dry. "You know what happened." I let out a dry laugh. "My dad's mistake happened, and my parents asked me to come back home to help them out. They can't pay for my stay in Paris anymore."

The astounded look on Sam's face didn't sit well with me. She leaned back and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "What the hell are you talking about, Sky? What mistake?"

"Mom said Dad talked to you," I uttered weakly. "He didn't?"

"I haven't spoken to my brother in more than two weeks. Now, tell me everything."

Michael brought some coffee and chocolate, but neither of us touched it until I finished speaking.

"Luke and his damn pride!" Sam groaned. "First of all, I knew nothing about any of it. What did they expect you to do? You have your life in Paris. You are almost midway through your university studies, and you have a wonderful boyfriend who loves you. Did they seriously think you would leave everything behind to rescue them?"

"I left him." I sniffled. "Liam wanted to solve the problems for me, and I left him. I cannot let him do it. He's been taking care of his brother since he was fifteen. He had his own father who drank, and Liam was forced to start working when he was a kid. I cannot let him solve this mess for me."

"He loves you, silly girl."

"And I love him. More than anything in the world. He is starting an online degree, and Tim will most likely make the soccer team next year. How can I ruin it for them? Liam was talking about taking out a loan to help my parents, and it's not fair to him. Neither it is paying for my degree. I know how it works in France; I wouldn't get a job so fast, and if I go on studying, my schedule makes it almost impossible to work."

Sam sighed. "I get that, and you are right. It's not Liam's job to fix the mess, but it's not yours, either. Your parents are two adults who made a stupid decision. On top of that, they lied to you because if I had knowledge of this, I wouldn't have let them make you sacrifice your happiness for their sake."

"I acted on impulse, like the coward I am. My therapist said I sabotaged my own happiness because I still don't believe I'm worthy of good things."

Sam stilled, and her brown eyes remained glued to me. "Have you been seeing a therapist?"

"Since November."

"It's time to tell me everything, Sky."

I nodded and started to speak, telling Sam the whole story, the whole painful, embarrassing truth without reservations.

We were both crying by the end of it.

"They know nothing, right? I mean your parents."

I shook my head. "I only told you, and Liam. And I know what I'm going to ask you for is too much, but I need you to lend me some money. I don't belong here anymore, Aunty Sam. My place is in Paris with Liam and Tim. I called my university yesterday, and they can let me pay for my studies in several installments. I only need a small amount to cover the first part and buy a ticket to fly back. Then, I'll find a photography gig or something else to pay the rest. I'll give it back to you as soon as I can, I just...I don't have anyone else to ask for help."

Sam hugged me and stroked my hair. "It's out of the question. I'll give you what you need. I can pay for the whole school year, Sky."

"No. You have your wedding, and-"

Sam laughed, squeezing me tightly. "Silly girl. I'm thirty-five years old. I've been working since I was nineteen. Do you really think I can't afford to get married? Besides, we are going to have an intimate reception for our close family and friends around Christmas, and you're invited. We'd rather spend money on a trip somewhere beautiful. Let's do it like this: we'll pay for your studies this year and get you a ticket to fly back, and it will be my gift for your twenty-first birthday. I will give you another one later, but if you think of it this way, you won't let stupid guilt prevent you from being happy."

"Thank you." I cried again, resting my head on Sam's shoulder. "I will go back in a bit more than a week. I still have to think about how to help my parents, and-"

"Ellie's mom is my best friend, and she's an excellent lawyer. If your father pulled his head out of his ass and talked to me, we would have solved it without you knowing they got themselves in trouble. It's all for the best, anyway."

I looked at Sam, who smiled, stroking a hand down my back.

"Luke has been unhappy with his job and his life for a very long time, Sky. Basketball has always been his passion, and he would make an excellent coach. Maybe this mess is a wake-up call he needed to get the job and the life he wants."

Sam squeezed me in a hug once more and got up from the couch, all businesslike. "Here's the plan. We will have lunch together, and I will drive you back. I won't talk to Luke today because I need to call Louise first, but tomorrow I'll be there kicking his ass."

I smiled through the moisture in my eyes. "Deal. I need today to talk to my parents, anyway. And I have to call Liam to tell him I'm going back."

Sam winked at me. "Do it tomorrow after we've solved the issue with your parents and bought your ticket. The stubborn boy will want to make sure you have a solution."

"What if he doesn't forgive me? He begged me to stay, and I-" I bit my lip and stared at my hands.

"True love always forgives, Sky. And no relationship is without its challenges. Whoever tells you otherwise is a liar. Obviously, it doesn't mean you won't have to grovel a bit, but a woman can do it for the right man."

We heard Michael's laughter, then, as he leaned against the doorframe.

Sam winked at him, and added, "Only once."

***

When Sam dropped me off at home, it was already dark. I strolled up the driveway as soon as my aunt drove away, halting at the sight of my dad sitting on a recliner on the porch.

"Sky," he called me. "Come here."

I sat on a chair next to him. "Hey. I went to see Aunt Sam."

Dad sighed. "I know. You left a note. I'm sorry for lying to you. I was too ashamed to let my little sister know how useless her big brother was."

"Everyone makes mistakes, Dad," I whispered. "And I made a big one listening to you and coming back. I need to talk to you and Mom. Can we do it now?"

My dad nodded, getting up, and followed me into the house. My mom was in the kitchen, looking at the tabletop as she sat at the table with a tea mug in front of her. Her head snapped up at the sound of our footsteps.

"Sky wants to talk," said Dad, sitting next to my mom.

I took a deep breath for courage, although no amount of air would ease my frazzled nerves, and began speaking.

"The boyfriend I used to have, the one I told you about, he...he raped me."

I ignored my parents' gasps, blocking out everything except my voice. "He got away with it, but then, when I moved to Paris, he tried to do it again. I went to the police and they arrested him. There was a trial in Paris.

"Now, he is behind bars here, convicted and doing time- fifteen years if they don't reconsider the sentence. He was the reason why I moved to Paris because your daughter was a doormat with her self-esteem so low she never believed she was worthy of good things.

"I rented a huge apartment for the two of us, but he had another girlfriend, and I needed someone to help me pay the rent. That was how I met Liam. He's Ellie's husband's best friend. Liam takes care of his little brother who's turning nine in August. Liam is an orphan. His parents died and he became his brother's guardian. Liam and I shared the apartment and fell in love with each other.

"I started to see a therapist to get better, but even though I was getting help, it took me almost half a year to let Liam be my boyfriend in the open and tell him I loved him. I was afraid of making the same mistakes. I was still weak and insecure, but he...he stayed with me. He loved me and cherished me and showed me I deserved to be treated right.

"He would be by my side no matter what, and he would help you solve your mess, no questions asked, just because you are my parents. I left him because of it. He sacrificed everything for his brother. I wanted him to do something for himself for once in his life, and I ran away like a pathetic loser. I hurt him with my decision. I know you want me to stay, but I can't. Men like Liam are few. And I know he's the one for me.

"Sam will lend me some money. I'm going back to Paris after I've spent a week with you. I hope it's not too late to beg Liam to forgive me, but if it is, I am the one to blame. He loves me unconditionally, and I know you would love him too."

My parents were quiet. I wiped at my wet cheeks and went to my room. Despite agreeing to do it the following day, I called Liam. My heart broke with each unanswered call.

I called him at least ten times, and each time, the call went to voicemail.

My finger lingered over the call icon for the eleventh time when a faint knock on the door broke the quiet.

Mom entered my room and sat next to me on the bed, hugging me tightly.

"We're awful parents, baby. How could we not know you were going through so much?"

"I chose not to tell you. It's not your fault."

Mom sniffled and kissed my hair. "We were desperate and pathetic, but we would never make you choose us over your happiness. We know you're not happy here. You cried in your room for three days straight and didn't eat, while all we did was argue. Dad is talking to Sam on the phone right now. She will help us find a solution. I'm sorry you had to go through all of this because of us."

"It's okay, Mom. I should have been less of a coward and told you everything much sooner."

Mom smiled at me. "So, he's a good guy."

"The best one there is."

"And he loves you."

"He loves me, and I can't imagine my life without him anymore."

"Can I see what Liam looks like?"

I smiled at Mom's mischievous grin and reached for my phone.

Mom took it and stared at the first photo I chose to show her.

"Holy...where are my twenty years?"

I laughed. "Mom!"

"Do all boys in France look like that?"

"He's half-American," I said, smiling. "And no. He's unique, in more ways than one."

"Your dad and I will have gorgeous grandbabies."

"If he forgives me and wants to be with me." I sighed.

Over the next hour, Mom and looked at the pictures I had on my phone. Dad joined us later. He looked at me with pity, but it was okay.

I was trying- trying to be a better version of myself. Hopefully, it would be enough to get the love of my life back.