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Back We're All in This Together Save as PDF
Chapters (46)
  1. Cover
  2. Other Titles
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Friday
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. FOUR
  11. Saturday
  12. FIVE
  13. SIX
  14. SEVEN
  15. EIGHT
  16. NINE
  17. TEN
  18. Sunday
  19. ELEVEN
  20. TWELVE
  21. THIRTEEN
  22. FOURTEEN
  23. FIFTEEN
  24. SIXTEEN
  25. SEVENTEEN
  26. EIGHTEEN
  27. NINETEEN
  28. TWENTY
  29. TWENTY-ONE
  30. TWENTY-TWO
  31. TWENTY-THREE
  32. TWENTY-FOUR
  33. TWENTY-FIVE
  34. Monday
  35. TWENTY-SIX
  36. TWENTY-SEVEN
  37. TWENTY-EIGHT
  38. TWENTY-NINE
  39. THIRTY
  40. THIRTY-ONE
  41. THIRTY-TWO
  42. THIRTY-THREE
  43. THIRTY-FOUR
  44. THIRTY-FIVE
  45. EPILOGUE
  46. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Finn wants to wrap her arms around her sister, but something is holding her back. Instead, she reaches out and places her hand on Nicki’s shoulder. This time, Nicki doesn’t shrug her off, so Finn stands there beside her, feeling the rise and fall of Nicki’s breath and watching the boat motor away from them, out into the lake. Coming to the realization that what a few minutes ago might have seemed like the end was really only the beginning.

THIRTY-TWO

Katriina had thought it would be easier. But telling Shawn she wanted a divorce had turned out to be the easy part. She had been in the moment, full of adrenaline, inspired by her own goddamn brave and beautiful heart. But once that moment was over, the anger dissipated and she suddenly felt paralyzed. She walked out of the house and sat in her car, her breath coming in short gasps. The thought of going back in, pulling out a suitcase, packing her clothes, deciding what to take and what to leave behind, of abandoning her life, starting from scratch in an empty house, facing an unknown future – it was impossible. And what about Tommy and Petey? What would happen to them? What scars would this leave behind on her beautiful boys? It was impossible. How did people find the strength to leave, with so many reasons to stay?

And what would she even want to take with her, anyway? Everything had too much history attached to it. She thought about their bedroom, realizing she was able to remember the exact moment she had acquired everything in it. The duvet, a Christmas present from her mother five years ago. The curtains, an impulse buy during a family trip to Minneapolis. The lamp a find at a vintage store on Court Street while out for coffee with Hanna. It’s funny, now that she thinks about it. It’s as if she was convinced there was this perfect combination of things that would line up like numbers in a code unlocking a happy life. If she made all the right choices, bought all the right things, said all the right words, her family would be happy. And when they weren’t, well, it was clearly her fault. She hadn’t been good enough.