Part 3Unbinding The Valley Keeper

When I got home, Grace was still in the living room. My parents were there, too.

My mother looked up as I walked in. "Jodie, where have you been?"

"The chapel."

She stiffened. "You..."

"I was asking Cyrus about the ceremony. If I’m doing this tomorrow, I want to know the details."

My father didn't say a word. He just stared at his boots.

Grace looked up, her eyes still puffy. "Jo..."

"Grace," I said. "You were the one who promised to stay. You said you’d take the mantle so I could go to school. Those were your words, right?"

Grace’s fingers tightened in her lap. "Yes, but..."

"No 'buts'," I said. "You said it, and I remembered it. Because of that promise, I stepped aside for you. Mom and Dad gave you everything because they felt guilty you were staying. Every time I wanted something, I gave it to you."

My voice was steady, almost clinical. "I didn't study that hard because I loved the books, Grace. I did it because I felt like I was carrying your freedom on my shoulders. I didn't want to waste the chance you gave me."

The room was suffocatingly quiet.

"And now," I said, "you’re trading that promise for what? For Sawyer to carry you away?"

Grace broke down, tears streaming. "I didn't plan this! I didn't scheme against you. Sawyer and I just... we started talking..."

"Just what?"

"We just connected," she sobbed. "He... he understood how scared I was. He felt sorry for me..."

My mother reached out to wipe her own eyes. "Jodie, your sister has suffered too. She’s spent her whole life knowing she might be trapped here. Have some heart."

I looked at my mother. "And me? What about my heart?"

She flinched.

"I spent my life knowing that if it wasn't her, it would be me," I said. "I’ve been preparing for a life that was supposed to be mine. Who’s having 'heart' for me?"

No one answered.

My father finally spoke, his voice muffled. "Jodie, this is on us. It’s not your sister’s fault."

"We were the ones who called Sawyer," he admitted.

I froze. "What?"

He sighed. "Grace hasn't been well. She’s fragile. We were worried that if she stayed here, she’d... she’d wither away." He trailed off. "We called Sawyer. We begged him to come take her."

"And to get him to come, you had to give him a reason," I whispered.

"We told him how miserable she was. We told him to marry her to save her," my mother said, looking at the floor. "We knew he was a good man, but he’s loyal to you. He couldn't just leave you. So we told him you were fine. We told him you were strong, you had your education, and you could make it on your own..."

I sat down. I processed the words slowly, one by one.

Then, I laughed. It wasn't a happy sound. It was a jagged, hollow noise.

"So," I said. "The three of you. You all conspired against me."

"Jodie—"

"It wasn't a conspiracy," my mother cried. "We just didn't see another way. If Grace stayed, she’d break."

"And if I stay?"

My mother stopped.

"Mom," I said. "If I were the one breaking, would you have tried this hard to find me a way out?"

The question hung in the air like a dead weight. No one answered.

I didn't need them to. Some answers are louder when they’re unspoken.

I stood up. "I'll be at the ceremony tomorrow."

My mother jumped up. "You can't! You have your whole career ahead of you—"

"Don't worry about my career," I said. "I went to school to fulfill a deal I had with Grace. Since she’s backed out, I guess I don't need that path anymore."

"Jodie!"

I didn't say another word. I walked into my room and shut the door.

The click of the latch was soft, but it sounded final. I leaned my back against the wood and stared up at the dark ceiling. My head was a mess of years of suppressed resentment, but my heart was strangely clear.

Starting today, I could let go of them.