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the woman had done everything she could , but part of her felt frazzled and anxious about her argument with Sebastian and what happened at the house. The young woman was simply the person who stood in the way.
    “It i sn’t her fault, Mommy,” Elizabeth said as they reached the car. Serenity flung Elizabeth’s bag in the back seat and the girl scrambled into her booster seat beside them.
    She sighed. “I know, sweetie. I just hate that your trip got ruined.”
    Elizabeth shrugged. “I don’t mind. I’d rather be home with you and Sebastian.”
    Serenity started the engine and pulled the car out of the lot and onto Santa Ana Boulevard . She sighed. How hard to be a mother— to simultaneously want to keep your child close, but also want them to create an independence and a life of their own.
    She glanced over her shoulder at her daughter’s face. T hough Elizabeth smiled back, Serenity couldn’t miss the shadows beneath her bloodshot eyes and her pale skin.
    “Why don’t yo u get some sleep? We’ve got a bit of a drive.”
    “Okay , Mommy, ” she said. Instead of closing her eyes, though, she turned and stare d out of the window.
    They pulled out onto the freeway . Elizabeth was quieter than normal, her usual co nsistent chatter missing.
    “Yo u can talk to me, you know,” Serenity said, assuming the nightmares to be responsible for her daughter’s silence. “Whatever is bothering you , you can tell me.”
    “Why don’t you want to marry Daddy?”
    Seren ity glanced back at her in surprise. “What makes you think that?”
    Elizabeth pressed her lips together and arched an eyebrow in an expression that was far too old for her age.
    Serenity sighed again . She should have realized Elizabeth would already know what had happened between her and Sebastian. She could never keep anything from her daughter.
    “It’s hard to explain, sweetie.”
    “Don’t you love him anymore?”
    “Of course I still love him!”
    “Then why don’t you want to marry him? Isn’t that what grownups do? They fall in love and get married.”
    Serenity stared at the road ahead. There was no p oint in lying to Elizabeth. She would figure things out for herself sooner or later.
    “You remember Mommy was married before?”
    Elizabeth nodded. “To the bad man who hurt you.”
    “That’s right. When I was married , I was very unhappy. I wouldn’t want for your Daddy and me to end up in the same situation.”
    “But it would be different with Sebastian,” Elizabeth said, all of a child’s enthusiasm lifting the tone of her voice. “He would never hurt you.”
    Serenity thought back to the dried spatter of blood she’d spotted on Sebastian’s shirt. Some women checked for lipstick on their lover’s collar, she had to check for blood. How ironic that she’d gone from one violent relationship into a relationship with someone who needed violence to survive. Perhaps that said more about her than it did about the men in her life.
    “I know he wouldn’t, sweetie. It’s just the thought of being married again makes me ...”
    She trailed off, unsure of how exactly the thought of marriage did make her feel.
    “Scared?” Elizabeth offered.
    Serenity smiled. “Yeah, definitely scared.”
    “You don’t need to be scared, Mommy. I’d look after you.”
    Sudden tears clogged Serenity’s throat. “You’re a good girl.”
    In response, Elizabeth yawned, long and wide.
    “You need to get some rest,” said Serenity. She leaned back and hooked a jacket from the foot well of the backseat. “Here,” she said, rolling the material up into a ball. “Use this as a pillow and try to get some sleep.”
    “Okay, Mommy.” This time , she wedged the jacket between the back of the seat and the window and put her head down. She gave a long, exhausted sigh and her eyes closed.
    Serenity refocused her attention on the road, while her thoughts once again wandered. Was she being selfish in not marrying Seb astian? If Elizabeth thought