e dining room table, b

eyes were swollen red. Her face was devoid of color. T

ircase. She sat at the absolute furt

d eggs. She took one look at Jocelyn and frowned.

ad slightly. She pic

te. A notification banner from C

it. Her eyes wi

st cleared into her pe

000.0

was printed clea

hake. The fork clattered

a hard man, but he takes care of you. He flew back overnight ju

t like physical slap

aste of blood and dust from last night rushed back in

care. This

her, and now he was buying her si

air. The wooden legs scrape

gry," Jocely

dining room. She didn't grab a coat. She ran

s gave out. She collapsed against the trun

the bank app on her phone. The tears she ha

y. A toy he could

screen, initiating a new transfer. She typed in Elam's a

a tiny, desperate spark of vengeance flared

tood up, and walked t

study of the Turner Mansion, El

opped up. Tran

d. He had sent the money to buy her a new

ew it back

, pens, and a crystal paperweight crashed to the f

autumn wind bit through her thin sweater. She

lled strongly of turpentine and oil paint. The ot

k of charcoal. She stared at the blank canvas, desperate to

across the rough paper

tead of drawing the plaster bust at the center

nce. The trauma

sive, and violently intense ma

re that she didn't hear the clicki

advisor and art instructor, s

eyes narrowed into sharp slits. Sh