tinted window. The heater blasted warm air against her frozen legs. The c

d awkwardly to the driver. She turned and walked up the concrete pa

to the lock. Before she could turn it, the sound of Brend

pen. She stepped into t

the carpet. Her winter coats, her books, and he

round. When she saw Chloe, a wide, syn

done?" Brenda asked,

t the marriage certificate and held it up

greed in her expression

ured finger at the boxes. "I went ahead and

ened. "You could not

g a hand in the air. "Besides, Caleb needs the extra spa

a carton labeled 'fragile', terrified Brenda had thrown

way. "Don't unpack now. Y

he screen a few times and held it to her ear. Right in fron

heaved. She turned her back on her stepmother an

. The posters were gone. T

loorboards, until she felt the cold metal of an old iron cookie tin. She dragged it out. Inside was t

ckpack, zipped it shut, and st

from the street. Th

offering to carry a box. Chloe ignored her, bent down,

r, the wind biting at her cheeks, and

pulled a wad of cash from her pocke

ange," Brend

he fact that she was willing to pay for the moving truck just to

uck shut. She walked around to the pa

truck pulled away. The old suburban house shrank into the distan

river asked, chew

had given her from her pocket

ow whistle. "That is a

son was a project manager. How could he afford rent in a high-end district? She assu

ed, replaced by towering glass facades and manic

of a massive, steel-and-glass apartment buildi

sted U-Haul and immediately marched toward the dr

alms were sweating. "I am here for

t, tapped the screen, and his posture instantly shifted. He stood up

m. I will open the se

eme hospitality was jarring. She swallowed hard, guessing that Harrison must have called ahead to register her arrival

ck, looking up at the penthouse levels disappearing into the clouds. A deep sense of drea