His Ruin, Her New Beginning

was finally gone. The sunlight felt foreign on my skin, too bright, too warm. I stood there in the clothes they gave me, thin and worn, my body

m backdrop of the prison that it felt like a hallucination. The driver, a man

. Bennett sent m

gust? I was too tired to care. I slid into the plush leather seat, the silence

?" I asked, my voic

the Grand Astoria Hotel," he replied, his

Of course. For Chloe. The car sped away, leaving th

he grand ballroom, a sound of joy that felt alien to me. The driver led

tive brother, Ethan Bennett, stood beside her, his gaze full of adoration. And next to him was Noah Sterling, the man who once promised me a

he ghost at

Sarah Miller? The one who went to jail?" "She looks ter

ond before he replaced it with a mask of strained

his voice low. "You should have ca

did," I said,

." He glanced back at Chloe, who was now looking our way, her smile t

rote in my cell, the words I bled

like ash. "I spent three years in that he

d her, Sarah. Chloe almost died because of that accident. Your career was over anyway. Giving

ed, a raw, broken sound. "I

on't do this, Sarah. It's over. Chloe has been through so much. She has panic attacks

ere just an inconvenience to them, a footnot

five. For fifteen years, I was their daughter. Ethan was my protective older brother

, not for my connection to the wealthy Bennett family. He promised me a fut

hought had died in a hospital fire as a baby, was found alive. She had been raised in

good sister, to help Chloe adjust. I gave her my clothes, my room, my allowance. I taught he

llying her, that I was jealous. She would have "accidents," fainting spells, and panic attacks whenever I achieved something.

t a pedestrian. It was a serious accident. To save her burgeoning music ca

n pleaded. "We' ll get you the best lawyers. It will be a short se

e given you," Noah added, his voice smooth and persuasive.

th. The letters dwindled to nothing. The sentence was not short. Three years in a place where kindness was a we

I saw it all with horrifying clarity. They

e! I' m so glad you could make it. I was so worried about you." She leaned in, her voice a venomous whisper only I could hear. "Di

indness," her "forgiveness." They

turned and fled, pushing through the crowd, ignoring Ethan' s call of my name. I stumbled out into the c

nce called home. My old room, of course, had been completely redecorated for Chloe. My things-my book

only space left for me. It was cold and dusty. My few belon

A text from Chloe. It was a picture of her and Noah, kissing, w

owed two inmates dragging me into a dark corner, the sounds of their laughter mi

ace, the phone still clutched in my hand. He didn' t

uined her party. After everything we' ve done for

ed at him,

gain. From now on, you stay away from her. You stay out of sight. Is that clear?" He didn't wait f

auma. I was having a panic attack, my lungs burning, my vision blurring. I fumbled for the glass of water on the nightstand, my hand

it all was th

hone rang. An unknown number. I ignored it. It rang again. And

el

voice asked. It was deep, warm, a

is

n emotion I couldn't place. "My name is Alexander Hayes. I've been look