came Ivy's voice ....calm in a

ou're talking about. I moved out and left

RY PIECE OF FURNITURE! You didn't leave so mu

creamed, Ivy's voice

states it quite clearly. What I sold was the house and its physical structure. Furniture, appliances, personal property....

y struck speechless, her h

her, his voice dropping into

and file for the property tran

gh she had been exp

dge of mockery. "I've already moved out. The ho

.. deliberat

y take a li

drian's vo

ed, utterly

uldn't matter ...my doctor has already confirmed I cannot engage in strenuous activity. So the t

reamed into it. "YOU CANNOT DO THIS TO US!

onse was a fl

Beep

ad hu

ialed again... and this time,

a door in another life, unmoved by all the hy

AC

inst the floor. The scree

med, her voice unraveling. "Th

his face entirely, leaving something gray and holl

.. We were COMPL

thousand do

they have t

gue promise of a property transfer

vy held ever

elf around Maya's

AM

eaked face. Looking at the ba

erstood... truly understood

derestimated was FAR more dangerous

y first round

d alrea

hallow imaginations they never could have guessed was th

round securing their loan, Ivy had alrea

worth one million dollars, she ha

h another million

Ivy was standing on the front steps of that bank,

ights cast a soft, golden glow across her f

ho

million dollars

, for the very first time, made those m

e thought.

small fingers tightening around Ivy's ha

air, her voice soft as a fea

ot a taste of exactly

with wide, curious eyes, her lit

ally not g

ouched

ked at them, something blazed in her eyes that had never been

e silently, no one

. "We are NEVER going back. Mama promises our new home will be safer an

But children felt things tha

arms... something solid and unbreakable,

elieve

elieved the s

st

in hers and felt the full weight of thei

h

ything she wo

uld burn the worl

ilently to

somewhe

Host. Navigating to opt

her... neon signs blazing, lights glittering a

of her mout

harp. C

n empty house, stewing in the humiliation of being ou

thousand do

nothing but regret

as only th

as coming ...they would finally l

would be

r side, as every single monster who had ever hurt them was s

enge had onl