athing shallow. The conversation continu
warned. "This is fraud, Jaydan. Real, actual f
e. "I cover my tracks. Besides, Adeline's work would never have seen the light of day
'd done something noble. He leaned ba
now what to do with that kind of succe
gile. He thought I was fragile. He had mistaken my trust
. People would cross the street to avoid me. Old friends would pretend they didn't see me. Jaydan found me sitti
elming debt. He paid for the funerals when I couldn't access a single c
I th
solating me. Every time he'd said, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it," he was tightening his co
ith my whole heart, that this project could redeem my parents' names. He read it and sai
were a team. But now I knew. Every suggestion, every critique, was a way
he past five years, crumbled to dust. There was no pain, no te
nt on the plush carpet. I didn't look back.
lien, the towering buildings like tombstones. I wasn't the same w
lock. This wasn't my home anymore. It was a cr