Chapter 2

The smell of burnt coffee and baby powder hit Helena the moment she opened her bedroom door the next morning. She hadn't slept. The dark circles under her eyes felt permanent, a brand of her shame. She stepped into the narrow hallway, the floorboards creaking under her weight, and braced herself for the inevitable.

The living room was a pressure cooker. Tanya, her brother Caleb's wife, stood by the window, her pregnant belly pushing against the fabric of her tight maternity shirt. She was fanning herself with a magazine, a deep scowl etched on her face.

"I'm telling you, Caleb, there is no room," Tanya complained, her voice loud enough to carry through the thin walls. "The new crib won't fit in our room, and we certainly can't put it in the nursery if the nursery is full of other people's things."

Caleb sat at the kitchen table, staring into his cereal bowl like he wished he could disappear into it. He was a good man, but he was weak when it came to his wife.

Helena walked into the kitchen to get Leo a cup of milk. Tanya turned, her eyes raking over Helena's rumpled clothes.

"Speak of the devil," Tanya muttered, just loud enough for Helena to hear. "Some of us are trying to prepare for a baby, Helena. It would be nice if we had the space to actually, you know, breathe."

Deena walked out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a dish towel. She didn't even look at Helena. "Tanya is right. This house is getting too crowded. We can't have toys and clutter taking over every inch of space."

Helena poured the milk, her hand tightening around the carton. "Leo has three toys, Mom. They fit in one box."

"Even one box is too much when there's a baby on the way," Deena snapped. "You need to start thinking about other people for a change, Helena. You can't just live here indefinitely, taking advantage of your father's good nature."

From the living room, her father Walter cleared his throat. "Now, Deena, the girl just needs a little time-"

"Time to what?" Deena cut him off, her eyes flashing. "Time to find another rich man to leech off of? Time to get arrested again?"

Tanya smirked, rubbing her belly. "It's not fair to the baby. The smell of those plastic toys gives me a headache. I think I'm allergic."

Deena pointed a finger at Helena. "You heard her. Go clean up that mess. And air out the room. We don't need Tanya getting sick because of your lack of consideration."

Helena stood frozen, the carton of milk cold in her hand. She looked at her mother, the woman who was supposed to be her safety net, and saw nothing but a stranger. She looked at Tanya, who wore her pregnancy like a suit of armor, and felt a sudden, overwhelming sense of clarity.

The suffocating feeling in her chest didn't tighten. It snapped.

"No."

The word hung in the air, sharp and final.

Deena blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I said no." Helena set the milk down on the counter with a soft thud. "You don't have to worry about the toys, or the space, or the smell. Because we're leaving."

Tanya's smirk vanished, replaced by genuine shock. Deena took a step back, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"You're leaving?" Deena scoffed, trying to regain her footing. "Don't be ridiculous, Helena. Where will you go? You have no money. No job. You'll be back here begging within a week."

"Maybe," Helena said, her voice surprisingly steady. "But I won't be here. Today. Right now. Leo and I are moving out."

She didn't wait for a response. She turned on her heel and walked back to the bedroom. Her heart was hammering against her ribs, but her hands were steady. She pulled the two battered suitcases from under the bed and started throwing clothes inside. She didn't bother folding. She just grabbed essentials-Leo's clothes, her own meager wardrobe, the important documents.

Leo woke up as she was zipping the second bag, his big brown eyes blinking sleepily. "Mommy? What are you doing?"

Helena forced a smile, her chest aching. "Hey, baby. We're going on an adventure."

"An adventure?" Leo sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Are we going to the park?"

"Something like that," Helena said, her voice thick. "We're going to a new home."

She pulled out her phone and typed a message to Briana. Emergency. Can we crash for a few days?

Her phone rang almost immediately. Briana's voice was frantic. "Helena? What happened? Of course! Get over here right now. My place is your place."

"Thank you," Helena whispered, ending the call. She took a deep breath, feeling the first sliver of warmth she had felt in days.

She carried the suitcases into the living room. Deena and Tanya were standing by the window, whispering. They stopped when they saw her.

"You're really doing this," Deena said, her voice losing some of its edge. "You're going to drag that child out onto the street?"

"I'm not on the street, Mom," Helena said. "I'm just leaving."

Caleb appeared in the hallway, looking stricken. He glanced at Tanya, then back at Helena, his face a mask of guilt. He stepped forward, blocking her path to the door.

"Helena, wait," he said softly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of crumpled bills. "Here. Take this."

Helena shook her head. "Caleb, no. I can't."

"It's my secret stash," he insisted, pressing the money into her palm. "Tanya doesn't know about it. It's not much, but it's yours. You need it more than I do."

"Caleb..." Helena looked at her brother, the only person in this house who still saw her.

"Please," he said, his voice cracking. "For Leo."

Helena closed her fingers around the money, nodding. She tucked it into her purse, grabbed the handles of the suitcases, and took Leo's hand.

"Say goodbye to Grandma, Leo."

Leo waved a sleepy hand. Deena just stared, her face unreadable. Tanya looked away, suddenly very interested in her nails.

Helena didn't look back. She walked out the front door, the cool morning air hitting her face like a splash of water. She called an Uber, loading her bags into the trunk while Leo climbed into the backseat.

As the car pulled away from the curb, Helena looked in the side mirror. She watched the small, cramped house grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared around the corner.

She let out a long, shuddering breath. The fear was still there, a cold knot in her stomach. But underneath it, something else was blooming. Relief. She was out. She had no idea how she was going to survive, but she knew one thing for sure.

She was never going back.