Chapter 4: Five Minutes
I started toward him before I even realized I was moving.
Every protective instinct in me rose at once. I wanted to pull him out of that room. I wanted to stand in front of Brielle and tell her that beauty without mercy is not beauty at all.
But Mason looked at me.
His eyes were wet, but his voice was steady.
“Mom, don’t worry,” he said. “I’m okay. Really. I just need five minutes. I’ll be right back.”
Five minutes.
It was the hardest thing I had ever given him.
So I stopped.
I stood there with my hands trembling at my sides, trying to trust the son who had spent years asking me not to fight battles he wanted to survive with his own dignity intact.
Across the room, Brielle was still laughing with her friends.
Then the music stopped.
Everyone turned toward the stage.
Mason stood there, holding a microphone… Continue Reading ⬇️
