"No, not really." Jo muttered before taking a longer sip of her beer. Mothering Ilona was rewarding — taxing and stressful, but rewarding. However, Zach and she still hadn't fully worked out how they were to provide her with a decent reputation and life. Jo often times felt as though they were waiting for some great catastrophe to decide for them, and this was without their continued argument of whether or not Jo was to remain in Ilona's life or not.

None of these details were ones she felt comfortable divulging to Alfred. That he knew of Ilona's existence was already stressful enough. "It's complicated and messy. I might not be fully submerged in the sand anymore, but I'm not out of it, no." Jo often wondered if she would ever be free. Somehow, she suspected the answer was no.

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