dn't commit. When I was finally released, my husband, Courtlan
t as a prisoner. I was to serve as a living penance f
and the staff watched with contempt. I was a ghost in m
had supposedly killed wa
y was
r, and Courtland rushed to he
htening her,
es glittering with triumphant hatred. It was the sa
al plan. They would break me c
everything. In my first life, their cruel games le
dure their torture. I would play their game. And when they least ex
pte
abilitation center ground open.
e y
g against the unfamiliar brightness of the af
ved from indifference, handed her a
ained n
gestured toward a black sedan parked by the curb. The car
the plain gray dress they had given her, c
. Each step was deliberat
r opened fro
k at her. He stared straight ahead, his hands resting on his knees. He
uccess. A man the city respecte
e car. The leather was
ing herself against the door. The space bet
ay from the curb
voice quiet but carrying the weight o
use. You will not leave the g
ontact anyone f
do as you
the silence
emory deserv
r. Her stepsister. The woman Courtland had loved. The w
ld outside was a blur of green and gray. She felt nothing. T
Her own voice sounded fore
color of a winter sky, met hers. There was
," he said softly.
Grand, imposing, and cold. It had been her
mixture of curiosity and contempt. They looked at her like she
d at the top of the grand staircase. Her
nor announced, her voice dripping with d
gaze fixed on the floor. She could feel Ele
window overlooking a walled garden. On the bed, a simpl
our attire from now on," the maid
dded. She di
ndow. The garden below was beautiful, me
ed one cage
shment. It was a performance. A long, slow,
was the sacr
miliations. The psychological torment.
knew how
ittle brot
thought was a dead thin
ast five years. The only reason she was stand
d to s
she had t
only thing