e guest bathroom. She carefully pressed a small,

her modest beige dress. She opened the door and wa

o be there. Her uncle, Dwight Spencer, and her cousin, Elroy, had arrived uninvited at the crack of dawn, using th

are that reminded her of his threats to sell her grandfather's clinic. Elroy rolled his eyes dramatically. He picked

buy that dress at a thrift store?" he sneered loudly. "It reeks o

nding near the wall ex

d. She gripped the back of the wooden chair, un

Elroy, be kind," Jamel said, his voice dripping with fake sympathy as he observed the Spencer family dr

table, slammed his coffee cup down

e heavy double doors of t

tailored navy suit, his presence inst

. Everyone at the table inst

bed the back of her chair and pulled it out

ad eyes onto Elroy. The oppressive weight of his

lton said, his voice a low, icy blade, "doe

. He snapped his mouth shut and s

t under the crushing weight of Carlton

rlton in shock. A sudden, unexpected wa

is chair and snapped his linen napkin open, actin

ane against the floor, dr

oing in the large room. "Elizbeth is Carlton's le

to his face. He raised his glass of ora

second before he masked it with a polite

ver knives and forks against china w

on her plate. Her stomach churned viol

e grabbed a glass of warm milk and slid it fi

s eyes glued to his own food, but the si

She looked at his sharp jawlin

up his black coffee and took a s

knuckles turned white as he gripped his fork, lo

wiped his mouth with his n

standing up. "Come wit