onument to his success,

taken to the

butler, led her to a small, dilapidated g

ely furnished, and

Mr. Reed," Henderson informed her, his tone dev

as less than a guest,

ser

into her bones, aggravating the a

losing its fight

ning, her ne

e his breakfast," Henderson a

, found herself in the vast, gl

essed in silk, a condesc

. quaint," Chloe said, watching Ava

sence filling the room

t even lo

served him the egg

ite, then recoil

his is... inedible

ld and hard, fina

ed up t

nt movement, he smas

rcelain skittered acr

ered Ava' s

l kneel there and reflect on your inco

defiance flickering

ur father's company, your sister's comfort...

. Her family's well-being wa

er knees on the cold fl

stark contrast to

eed to let Sunny come

e of self-r

oesn't she know how to cut co

igging into her knees through her je

t the kitchen, thei

nderson told he

e stiff, her

at dinner, a

d Ethan and Chl

e to stand

, Ethan gestured to Chl

, his voice flat. "In front of the st

, sharp sound. "Oh, Et

stomach

ault...] Ethan' s thought was a fleeting wh

get your parents... th

the fork, he

o understand. She w

houghts, the conflict ragi

any less, but it added a strang

eftovers, each bit

Ethan hosted a

' s uniform. Black, s

the guests," Hen

rooms, a ghost in her own life

g glances, heard t

cidentally" bumped into Ava, spilling

cry of pain as the scald

he tureen down and fled to the kitc

the cold guesthouse, she saw

f burn cream on her doorstep, t

gave a stra

another figure darted out

, a malicious glint in h

sture of kin

by the pool, a picture

clean the already s

edge, Chloe "tripped," her arm

fell into the ice-cold ea

e cold water st

ing, a violent cou

d quickly turned her head, coughing it

e edge of the pool,

he said, his voice like chips of

blood. Or if he h

the stress, the constant humiliation

d it,

rning to hide the dark circles under

im the satisfaction

ught, scrubbing the tiles with numb f

d a new

His mother' s p

prune the thorny bu

soon scratche

olled by

pointing at Ava's hands. "Blo

to a cruel smile. "Fitt

n ordered her to clean

s, success, and the lingering

gh shelf, almost hi

nd-carved w

te. Pe

ether in the vineyards, long

was tied to its

as smudged, a

eath h

ade this

, she held it out,

did you make

readable. "That's an old trink

rned

is thoughts, ra

day I came home to find Dad had collapsed... Why,

d the finch from her, his fingers brush

ace, and without a word, tos

t, a small,

urn, his face a

ace, the smell of burning

ysical thing, twi

house, clutching a small, charred feather she' d

ther had kept. Pictures of her and

y an

then and now was a

he album. A secret relic of

oe' s diamond neck

c search

tucked under Ava' s thin m

nd outrage. "I knew i

d Ava into t

" he demanded, his v

meeting his ga

lieve her. N

are childish. Fine, I'll punish her 5

calculation

ed kind of relief. An end. A q

er, alone in her cold room, the accusation of "thief"

as so

not of life, but of the b

paused. He must have

le of strong pain medic

wed with suspicion and a deeper, pos

ed orchid, a rar

calculated cruelty, ord

ll raw from the roses, accidentally broke

nd shrieked as if Ava

ged Etha

beautiful orchid! Sh

s. He grabbed Ava by the th

, her visi

...] His thought,

advantage, added

ays using underhanded tactics. I heard her

Ethan's parents had once trusted,

eezed

control! Two more t

danced before Ava' s eyes. She cru

," he spat. "Les

trembling, the ghost of

mo

y, Chloe ha

oe announced brightly at breakfast, "we sho

flicker of something

o show her true remorse for her family's sins, shoul

ject. His silen

s triumphant face to

. Up a m

marble, heavy,

ke was

er bare feet were quickly cut,

as a fresh

rned. Her vi

l, picked herself

n on her, a physical manifestation o

he view a dizzying panora

que on the designa

ollapsed, u

less strenuous route with

f unprecedented fear, sharp and

ted his attention. "Darling, look a

d away f

Ava didn't hear his thought, b

ust hate me no

ng, broken, an