lutched the urns to my chest, their weight both a comfort and a crushing burden. Each bump in the road was a fresh

An unknown numb

the fifth call, I answered, my

iller?" a frant

ected him. I would not carr

en an accident. Mr. Jake Miller and a Ms. Brooke Da

rom the grief, washed ove

. I gave the driver the new destination. My escape wou

od there, miraculously unharmed, his expensive suit only sl

ard, grabbing my arms. Hi

She's lost a lot of blood, and... and

im, my mind a

. Immediately. And a blood transfusion.

ading. The realization dawned on me sl

e dropping to a harsh whisper. "And you hav

request. It

re it could escape. He wanted me to give a part of my body to the

Ms. Riley's file from her recent... stay. She's severely anemic from the miscarriage. She's not a s

at the doctor. His eye

is hospital. If you refuse, you'll be cleani

stepped back, silen

tive caress. "Ava, you owe her this. It's because of the shock of your parents' studi

echoed in the holl

at the monster he had become, or per

legacy." He gestured to the urns I was still clutching. "Do this for Brooke, and I'll give them the

e these ashes and scatter them in the city dump. You wil

ng my parents hostage. Their final resting

drained out of me, leaving

he word was a ghost of

't flinch as the needle slid into my arm. T

d dissolved into a gray fog, I heard t

We need to stabilize her or she won't surv

saw was Jake's

k into focus slowly. The white ceiling, the rhythmic beep of a mac

t, fragile as glass. Eve

ke in a wheelchair. She looked pale but her eyes were bright

her voice dripping with fake pit

, his face a mask of indifference. "The doctors

relieved. He s

voice softening as he looked at her. "Thanks to yo

ered. I was too weak, to

small, velvet ba

ve. You'll stay here and recover. When you're well enough, you'll sign the divorce paper

I had given him what he wanted, after I

rked within me. I needed

throat raw. "I need my ph

." He placed my phone on the bedside table, just out of my

he room, leaving me alone with the r

y it took three tries to grasp it. I scrolled through my contacts, my

n Ha

g twice befor

embered it-warm, steady, and kind.

I had left began to

the single word a despe