I think they understood my efforts. They knew that I loved them and that I respected them. They knew I was merely living my own life. I wasn't being ungrateful, I wasn't doing it to spite them.
Even so, after I spent an entire evening with them, spent the night in my childhood bedroom, ate breakfast with them...after all that, the moment I told them, suddenly I was a stranger. An alien. I wasn't normal.
It was so painful. I thought that maybe, after sticking with them a few hours, showing them that I hadn't changed, I was still Gumi, their daughter, their blood, and that it had been with me the whole time, they would see. But no.
I didn't cry, at first. I had no luggage, so walking out was easy. The look on their faces was so evidently unkind that I immediately knew that my mere presence with them was an insult.
Before I was totally out of the house, they did say that they'd keep quiet. I have hope, but so little of it.
It was only when I returned to my new, real home that I started crying. I opened the door with tears in my eyes and Gakupo could only ask what had gone wrong.
He had no idea, of course. I passed it off as a terrible few days and that suddenly the cup had overflowed, but nonetheless I ran to Lily's room. I couldn't hide that.
Lily...I love her so much. She's the source of so much happiness for me. No matter the amount of pain caused by her standing next to me, she will never again be a bad thing in my eyes. I don't fear her, and I don't fear what will come from being with her. In my moment of sadness I felt strong, my love for her felt strong, because not even the most hateful comments could even instill doubt in my mind.
Were we ready to tell the world? No, we weren't, quite yet. I knew I was, but I couldn't speak for her. Now that I lost my family, I can go through hell's fire.
That doesn't stop the pain, though. I cried for days.