Chapter 1: Thrown Into the Rain
The night Adrian threw me out, the rain came down so hard the street looked like polished black glass.
He stood in the doorway of the house I had helped pay for, one hand resting against the frame as if he owned not only the walls, but the air around them too.
“Three years,” he said coldly. “Three completely wasted years, Mara. No child. No legacy. Nothing.”
Behind him, his mother sat in the living room with a teacup in her hand, smiling like she had waited all evening for this moment.
And on the staircase, leaning against the railing as though she already belonged there, was Celeste.
Wearing my silk robe.
My robe.
I looked down at the suitcase Adrian had packed for me. Two sweaters. One pair of shoes. A few toiletries. My grandmother’s photograph, cracked straight across her face.
“That’s all?” I asked quietly. Continue Reading ⬇️
