na

ad me brought into the hushed

ilence; she retrieved a thick manila envelope a

ated, her tone flat, permitting no argument. "Cle

ope, my heart a frantic, tr

Its paper skin made a soft, dry rasp against

om behind the desk with

trembling ones, gently pressing

rena," she murmured, her eyes clouded with an old, m

uition-I have already arranged for the Sanctuary's charitable foundation to wire the funds dir

over my eyelashes and

my chest, as if to anc

om, I silently vowed my

e had become my true mother

t broke the stillness.

iversity acceptance let

ng information, my stomach

vision blurring, my nails digging into my palms until the sting of it for

f this life, and it was now

my eyes and immediately grabb

e me straight to the gat

oors open and walked directly into

d once called my parents-were si

fee table. My acceptance letter was there, it

eered at the

gh. "I knew you would have

her sculpted face

finger at me. "You concealed your intelligence only to

ed the room, swirling a crys

ingly sweet smile on her lips. "Mother and Father are using

my legitimate university. "It's a p

t buzzing and stepped purpose

d for my

my mother lunged forward and slapped my

loomed u

raction to snatch the

my reach, a smug, triu

the room, enduring their relen

the bright red mark bloom

stared directly into my f

with a clarity that surprised me. "I forma

ce, followed by a deafening clap. The feeling came a second

d in Isabella's hand, my future reduced to a bargaining chip in a game I had never agreed to play. The slap would bruise and fa