Emily's eyes water as she looks at the picture of Noah sitting on the edge of a little fishing boat. She has a pink kids fishing rod in her hand and is looking down into the water.
"It was the one thing we had that Gia never ruined. It wasn't ever about the place or what we were doing, it was about escaping. And we were doing it together, that's what made it so secure," Noah pauses for a moment. "So, I went to the lake to remind myself that she doesn't control everything. She never did and never will. But, I fell into the lake and my foot got caught on a branch. I was able to pull myself out, but it was scary. It felt like she was there pulling me down. She was trying to kill me—" She chokes on her words, feeling Emily's hands cradle her cheeks.
"But then I realized she couldn't do that anymore, so I pulled myself out," Noah cries, but pulls herself together as she reminds herself how grateful she is that she was able to save herself. "And now I feel like I can move on."
"Noah," Emily coos. "I don't know what I would've done if you wouldn't have been able to get yourself out. I'm glad you're okay, but you have to stop sneaking out."
"Sorry," Noah sighs.
"Alright, look," Emily says, changing the subject. She turns Noah around to look at herself in the mirror again, watching the teen's frown turn into a wide smile.
"It looks so good!" Noah exclaims as she runs her hand through her hair. "I didn't even know my hair could look like this."
"Now all you have to do is put on your outfit and it'll all come together," Emily murmurs. Noah realizes that her mother seems lost in thought at the sight of her.
"Okay, I'm gonna put my clothes on and then you can see it."
"Alright," The mother chimes and watches her daughter walk out of the bathroom and across the hall to her own bedroom. The door closes and Emily leans against the counter, frustrated that her daughter had to get hurt and scared before she could realize how moving on could be a good thing.
Emily walks into her bedroom and sits on the bed. She picks up her phone and goes through her messages, waiting for the teen. Once she hears Noah's door open, she glances up and smiles at the sight of her daughter.
"What do you think?" Noah asks as she does a twirl to show her mother the entire outfit.
"It's perfect!" Emily says with a chuckle as she realizes how alike the two of them are.
Noah puts her hands in her pockets as she shows off her black pantsuit. The shirt underneath her jacket has a low cut on works perfectly with the set. She decided to put on a silver necklace that has a crystal blue pendant on it that she had stolen from Emily months ago. When the mother found it, she did not say anything and let Noah keep it.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
She paired the suit with her Doc Martens, which matched more than she thought they would. Emily grins as she clutches her phone, wanting to take a million pictures.
