Annabelle," James shouted

when he did, it was so loud that

ealing, her fingers curled together around her sketchbook. "It's not a w

doesn't put food on the table, Anna. Love doesn't pay bills or secure your future

ou." She stare

tter than this." He pointed at on

low my own path?" she

window of his study. "For four years, you made me beli

love, and I knew you'll never allow that." A tear streaked

was an unreasonable fantasy, tha

uder than she intended. "But I j

uture for childish doodles." He looked straight into her eyes, and she knew from exp

ou can't remain under my roof. Pac

ew steps backwards. Realizing that he meant it, Anna's hand

d you have a degree in... what you

nd she knew better than anyone else that James Bennett's decisions wer

s first, her clothes, and then pictures of memories she had in that house. A soft knock before the knob t

to do this? Why not go back to study what he wants now that you've satisfied yourself?" She dre

ted him to compromise just this once, but h

n Anna's face, "Promise me you'll keep in t

her cheek. "Don't worry about me." Elizabeth hugged her

Honda Civic. It was a gift she received from James on her eighteenth birthday, and she's been us

eive the scent of her mother's roses in the evening air, and she saw Elizabeth Bennett watching from an upstairs window, tears streaming down her f

watercolor painting as she drove with no direction. She just nee

amount to anything in the upscale parts of Boston. She finally parked outside a narrow brownstone i

er up the creaking stairs to a door and handed her the keys. The keys jingled in her hand as she opened the door to a small one-bedroom with wooden floors, pale yellow walls, and a kitchen so

said before she co

er for her. He waited until he received a deposit notif

maybe a broken wing. She could hear the sirens, shouting, and rumble of the T train in the distance through the open window an

life, but she didn't cry. All s

bed was so uncomfortable that her body ached. She immediately longed for her princess bed back in Beacon Hill. Not even the bed

should check on my new neighbor." She peered in and saw Anna's box beside the

I can manage, thanks for offering." S

d opened a new page. She needed to start working immediately because rent had eaten a big chunk of her savings. What she had left w

y. Her artistic passion was not in medical illustration, but she believed it would feed her while sh

ples to a publisher, responded to three clie

She didn't recognize the number but picked it up anyway, placing t

hoped for a moment that it was good news from one of the publishi

es

m the Boston Police Departmen

s, sending pieces of broken c

h your parents's car. You need to come to M

question, couldn't voice the fear th

phone, Ma'am, you need to come

d got into her car. But her hands were shaking so badly that she couldn't get the

o the curb, waving do

out the words while throwing herself

stop them from shaking and tried to pray,

e attempt at prayer. Please Lord,

her life. She got out and was speeding along when the driver honked, and she remembered she had not paid his fare. Sh

ession. The way he approached her, slowly and gently, like she was a fragile orn

nd at that moment, Annabelle's