Now I've had time to think it over

 Liv wasn't sure she could see straight. It felt as if the wind was knocked out of her. She was not used to traveling. Although, it happened long before the trip. Honestly, her ears couldn't even listen to what Tristan was going on about. A trip to Seoul. Was he sick or something? 

"Well, somebody's got to go," He was so serious. She was afraid he would shake her, but he didn't. He looked so tired. This thing with Dale was wearing him thin. She didn't think he could love anybody like that. Possibly, the family dog, but this was different.

She couldn't be mad at him. No, seeing him so distraught. Still, she knew Dale would be all right. She'd get the surgery and everything was going to be OK. But she wouldn't tell him. No, she kind of liked seeing him suffer.

Of course, she'd had a long flight to mull this over. Yes, she'd even cried about how mean she'd been. What was wrong with her? Did everyone hate her now? She wondered if Rico hated her too. She wasn't in a rotten mood as she'd been, just a sad one. 

She'd tried to sleep, but she was nervous. She imagined someone taking her identity right there on the flight. She trusted no one. Besides, she was at a loss. It was amazing she made the flight to New York City from Omaha. Yet, a part of her felt she was walking on clouds. Still, she hated flying. She'd buried her nails practically into the palms of her hands. 

What was Tristan trying to do to her? For the first time, she wondered what her mother was doing right now. She thought of one of their last conversations about how mad she was at her. "How could you do this to Bren, keeping information like that from her about her own family!"

Her mother looked at her unsmiling, a bit sad. But Liv knew now she was making her mother sad.

The things she'd said to her, still kept her awake. She'd ranted about how no one was ever on her side about anything. Only, her mother could chew those words and spit back, "You have no idea what I went through at your age!" Of course, she wasn't going to tell her, either.

Liv did her best to smile when she got off her flight. Of course, she couldn't remember what Nic looked like. She knew Rico liked him a lot since Nic was a friend of his brother's, but she didn't remember meeting him.

Actually, everyone looked the same. Except her. It was like being shell-shocked. She was in a foreign country, and she felt herself practically shaking. And everyone was looking at her as if to ask, "What are you doing here?" Thank God, somebody was holding up her name or she might spend months searching for someone who might know her.

Her smile was open. Suddenly, she felt like a celebrity of some kind. She went to meet him. Funny, she didn't imagine he would be so tall. And when he hugged her, she knew then he would take care of her.