Carden

s. Their triumph. Their twisted love. And I was done being the victim. This

He tried, a few times, to talk about school, about his plans. I ignored him, my gaze fixed on the passing s

l, I understood. The carefully chosen venue, the romantic music, the hushed e

y lips twisted into a bitter, humorless smile. They had used Kody as bait, a pathetic excuse to lure me here

e on me, the unwanted guest, the ghost returned from the grave. The whispers had sta

with fake concern. "We understand you' re... out of sorts. It must be overwhelming, after all these years." Her eyes flickered to Edgar, then back to me, a silent warning. "

it's been seven years. It's time to let go. We've all moved on. Ple

ear. My eyes burned into Edgar's. I wasn't just talking to him. I was talking

He knew. Or at lea

gaze at me, her smile still in place, but her eyes held a cold, hard threat. "Abigail, dear, we appreciate yo

nk Kody deserves a happy birthday? After everything?" He practically begged m

id than done when the past was still breathing, sti

a desperate hope, tears brimming in his eyes. He tugged at my sleeve. "Mom, please," he whimpered, hi

thought was stone, throbbed with a dull ache. He was asking me to lie, to surrender,

mile spread acro

through the silence. "Do you remembe

rrowing, a flash of fear in their depths. The polite murmuring of the guests had completely ceased