His Secret, Her Doom: A Silent Betrayal

enator Ethan Scott' s secret

f the Capitol, was my prison. My name was Mar

er, a consolidation of two dynasties. I watched it on the oversized television in the l

fficient, cold. A team of professional erasers, tas

n vogue. Then, they came for the people. His personal chef was dismissed with a generous severance. Hi

om my room, silent.

a woman with a smile that never reache

id. "We need to make sure the Senator'

it was a vitamin shot, for m

edle in my arm. I didn' t

woke up and tried to

me out. No

d, the one thing that gave me value

man named Rosa who sometimes snuck me rea

ered, wringing her hands. "Miss Chavez says

me, her eyes

the list. Why don' t you just sing for him? Sing w

her. An easy life

oke on. I couldn' t have explain

tle club in New Orleans. He' d looked at me not like a man looks at a w

the world. A ca

aid, his voice a smooth, intoxicating melo

me a new life that was entirely dependent on him. My "career" was singing folk son

idn' t know I had a pr

w he would be agitated, his demons crawling under hi

o me. He would

ait

was a storm. I had a plan. My silenc

led out a simple, dark dress.

n my room and pulled out a notep

n the country, until he went after the Scott family. Ethan, young and ruthle

eticulously compiled ledger-in his private safe.

ove for justice. He' d taught me to have a photographic memory,

that ledger memorized. B

my plan was about