I pushed past her, the cool air of her hallway hitting my flushed skin. Inside, the house smelled of lemon polish and roasting chicken. Our mom was in the kitchen, humming a tune from the seventies, setting out dinner plates with precise, rhythmic clinks. She was oblivious. She was in a world where daughters came…
Brenda was lounging on the sofa, scrolling through Instagram. She was the golden child—married to a car dealership owner, mother to two loud, spoiled sons who were currently destroying the upstairs playroom, and possessor of a cruelty that she disguised as “tough love.” “You’re thirty-four, Sophia,” Brenda said, not looking up. “You’re living in a…
“Step closer to the railing, Evelyn,” he whispered, his voice a low, melodic hum that vibrated in the marrow of my bones. “You need to feel the snow properly. It’s beautiful tonight.” I moved forward, my boots crunching on the thin layer of frost. The city below was a tapestry of amber and emerald lights,…
I tried to turn my face away, to avoid the heat radiating from him, but he surged forward. His fingers, calloused and rough, clamped around my wrist with the force of a vice. With a sudden, brutal jerk, he slammed my shoulder back against the metal door. The impact sent a jar of pickles rattling…
Problems didn’t exist in Bennett’s world. They were merely inconveniences to be bought, bullied, or buried. And for twenty years, I had been his most difficult “problem.” I’d stayed through the whispered threats and the physical reminders of his ownership because he had built a fortress of legal entrapment around me. The prenuptial agreement was…
That night, the air in the ballroom of the Pierre Hotel was thick with the scent of expensive lilies and old money. It was the Vane Foundation Winter Gala. I stood beside him, a prop in a silk emerald gown, forcing the smile that I had practiced in the mirror for an hour. “Smile, Isabella,” he whispered, leaning…
“I’m up,” I gasped, the words tumbling out in a breathless rush. “Ryan, please, my back…” “I don’t care about your back,” he sneered, his face inches from mine. The smell of stale whiskey and morning breath washed over me. “You think you’re special? You think carrying a kid gives you a pass to be…
“We need to talk about money,” Veronica announced, not bothering with any greeting or acknowledgment of the baby sleeping peacefully just feet away. She pulled a folded paper from her purse and waved it in my direction, her movements jerky and manic. “I’m planning an anniversary party for myself and Travis. We’ve been married ten…
Five minutes later, the doorbell rang. It wasn’t the aggressive chime of a solicitor or the hurried tap of a delivery driver. It was two precise, melodic notes. Familiar. Measured. Professional. I opened the door to find Dr. Elaine Monroe standing on my porch. She didn’t look surprised to see me. She didn’t gasp or stumble back…
“Jake…?” I whispered. “She was outside,” he said quickly, breathless. “Near the bus stop. She fell down. I tried to help her up, but she couldn’t stand. She kept saying she couldn’t remember anything.” I stepped forward and touched the woman’s hand. It was icy—unnaturally cold. Her skin felt fragile, almost unreal. “I can’t remember,”…