yes when she woke up. The room was dim, th

w. He wasn't looking at her. He was staring at an unl

to a glass of stale wate

heavy, like lead. She glanced at

is head. "The capital injection into Sterling Group will continue

the paper. It was cold. Ever

report in the bathroom wastebas

oice devoid of emotion. "She needs a place in societ

he pen lying on t

he bed, looming over her. "Read it. Don't

lipped to the last page. Sh

," sh

dwriting was steady, elegant

hering under the skin. He had prepared for a war. He had expected her to scream, to cry, to

. It felt like she was cutting a string he wasn't r

voice dropping an octave.

She put the cap back on the pen. "

the pages crinkled. A vein ticked in his jaw. He looked at her, searchin

ing. Just a ho

ndmother you'd attend the family gala next month. You will

turned her back to him, pullin

nger he couldn't name. Then he turned and stormed out, slamming t

went to the bathroom. She emptied the wastebasket into the large

an old, water-damaged photograph. It was a blurry shot of a teen

aid it was

nd a sharp, blinding pain shot through her temples. It was the same pain she f

he photo felt like it w

top," she

dges of the photo, turning the memory to ash not to

If he wants her to be the