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of the oven!" Mom's voice echo
nds. The oven heat rushed against my face, warm and suffocating, kind of like tonight's pressure. I pulled
zed into the kitchen, hair pinned, dress neat,
pping a knife into my hand like I had no choice
ight? Today's Betty's night. She's meeting her fiancé for
disappointed line she'd mastered over the years. "Maddie... you know how your s
. I know exactl
e didn't give me time to reply before walking out of the ki
bed the knife and started slicing the onions, blinking rapidly as the
sister was getting
at she had t
un Ha
is name made my
d me from a bully that year, while he was just visiting here for the holidays. I remembered crying, clutching my bleedin
ting?
-year-old me? I
y who ever looked a
ts' home. They missed us during the year, so we always spent the holiday
veryone - came here for the holidays. This house always overflowed
he Halstons firs
ly powerful Halstons...owners of half the state, pol
special. We weren't poor, but
o an "average" family. Not too powerful, not too influential - just
uess
picke
ely... they
no idea. When I eventually heard about it, I felt sic
ster. And by the time I found out, it was already too late.
. I swallowe
hat would
the
visibl
nalize everything - wedding preparations, gue
ing of age," apparentl
I didn't even know what t
The house was buzzing downstairs - footsteps, murmurs, hurried movements -
ything in here belonged to her - the clothes, the perfumes, the decorations, the gi
ink dress, petals of embroidered flowers around the waist, with long white gloves that g
e she belonged
Maddie," Betty said witho
, and began tying it neatly. Her reflection look
utiful, Beth,
asually. "Someone has to be pre
e sarcastic kind that
onfident. Blunt.
She was marrying the governor's son. Ev
Even though I already knew how painfully handsome Calhoun was - dark
Halstons own half the territories in this state. I'
mall laugh. "L
he took my hands into hers, and her eyes so
hard for you,"
"Hard for me? Why wo
smile she wore like jewelry. "
d instantly. "
om downstairs. "Come down
xcitedly and adj
t
art s
sl
stut
op
we
as h
boy who grew into a man everyone wanted. The boy
would see
addie, the g
who crushed on
would see
ter's
t harder than anyth

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