One: The

. Her heart slammed against her ribcage, the darkness ahead both terrifying and free

in the rearview m

Not when she

the main street into a narrow path she barely recognized fro

run. You h

ious when he found out. And Adrian Wolfe? S

shed cages than shelter. Not in that house where smiles were staged and affection was a too

red in the distance

ooking for

d ahead blurred a

-

Hours

p from her palms. Across the room, a grand family portrait loomed on the wall framed in gold. Katherine's sh

asn't

ver ha

fell to

rying him,"

ike an order, not a rev

ha

, sipping wine with lazy indifference. "You're marrying Adrian Wolfe. The cere

ead through

re jo

It's all very formal. He gets what he needs -a bride. An

it as a busine

pawn," El

naïve. This is the real world,

her eyes, but she hel

specifically

r up. Her st

ha

. He wanted you. Said something about your

like she mi

r even spo

ine gave off one of her signature chuckles. "And besides, you should be grateful he offered. You

oice trembling. "You can't just trad

r off .His tone was final. "You're lucky. Do you k

d. What about my

res about your little acting dream and besides It's securing yo

e. "It's done. We're out of options. We

ouldn't help yelling. "Someone e

r sisters are too young, too unruly. And your mo

e a light lau

se!" she shouted. "Se

ng else to sel

me anything! You can't just trade me off li

rald snapped. "Your tuition, your roof, your meals. You owe us, Elara. And this is

from the room. Katherine took another sip

o discard," she murmured. "You

r in disbelief. "I

"You were his daughter.

broke

. I never asked to be

sipped her wine

heaving, and fled the

the little she had. She didn't know where she wo

ill faintly smelling like him. She slipped it on

rushed the inside of the jacket pocket and she felt something crinkle.

d at each other-to the amusement park by the water. They rode the carousel three times

rms as he lifted her high above the crowd. She'd worn a yellow

, my star," he had w

remembered how her mother had kissed her father

ed them as something close to happ

ne ever tried to fill. No one spoke of him. Not Katherine. Not Gerald. It

t, the sky

o was

-

es

a gas station on the outskirts of the city. She didn't know wha

essa

Or they had... and just did

an W

an agrees to m

left empires in ruins. How he made deals with nothing more than a stare. Some even sai

could disap

She wiped her eyes and tur

r sput

o

o..." she

storm had gotten to i

h

ers frozen mid-swipe, the r

n, head

pa

Approa

ld her