His face was red with humiliation and anger. He

me," h

cher. She didn't look at Coretta, who was watching her with narrowed, c

a long hallway lined with expensive oil paintings. Thomas didn't take her to the guest

f stairs. The air grew warme

mas stopped in front of a heavy, scratched wooden door at the very end. He

uel smirk twisting his lips. "It's fit

rned and walked away, his heavy foot

pped into

per and mothballs. There was a single, narrow bed with a thin mattress pushed ag

and sat down. The springs gro

he grand halls below was suffocating, thick with lies and surveillance.

mapping out the timeline of to

s on the wooden floorboards ou

s pushed open. It banged

d her, carrying three massive, glossy shopping

pocket and pressed it over her nose and mouth. She waved

by the lace. "The dust. How can Grandmother

in Coretta's voice was entirely betrayed by the gleam of absolut

ief. She snapped her fingers

opping bags onto the thi

her's birthday banquet tomorrow," Coretta said, her voice dripping with fake swe

dn't look at the bags. She kept h

est bag. She grabbed a fistfu

sequins. The neckline plunged all the way to the navel, and the hemline was barely long

her own body. "You're going to be the center of atten

at the designer tags. She was waiting for Ginny to thank her profusely for

sound was the faint rustle of the ne

y stood up

d, forming a slow, chilling smile. It didn'

ok a ste

e air in the small room sudd

e slight slouch of the country girl vanished, re

instincts screamed at her to

ng, her pace slo

the uneven floorboards. She stumbled, her back hittin

s than a foot away from Coretta. Th

he clutched the neon green dre

cracked. She cleared her t