year-old Volvo. The engine hummed loudly, s

t she couldn't stop shivering. Her hands gripped the worn lea

drive and pulled out of

egan to fall, hitting the windshield like grains of san

to a memory she had spent

expensive leather and lemon polish. The heavy,

letely unreadable. He had pushed the thick st

uptial a

ave zero claim to the Christian family trust, zero claim to his corporate shares, and zero right to

le page. She had done it because she loved him. She had bel

horn shatter

brake pedal. The Volvo jerked forward, the s

The car was stopped at a

ting to pulse behind her eyes. She turned her head, looking ou

iped awning stretched over the sidew

anding under

nger against the window switch. The glass rolled down, l

through the

as C

overcoat. He wasn't at a kindergarten dealing

k, holding two delicate pink c

A little girl in a prestigious private

ll

r mouth to call out her daughter's n

st him and threw her arms around the legs of a w

dark hair fell perfectly over her shoulders. She looked

t she felt physically sick. The

into his left hand. With his right hand, he reached out and na

and said something to him.

harsh, cold lines of hi

A smile Audrey hadn't seen d

began walking down the sidewalk, moving together in perfect

passenger seat, her fingers fumbling blindly for her phone. She n

inst the leather passenger seat. "No," Audrey gasped, her breath hitching in her throat. She frantically clawed at the seat, her fingernails scraping the leat

ed out t

ady pulling away from the curb, its taillights glowing b

gan to honk furiously. Th

her chest morphed, twisting and hardening into a

ripped the steering wheel with both h

to the right, cutting off a yellow taxi. The taxi driver slamm

on the silver Aston Mar