Auctioned Daughter, Shattered Wife

She hesitated, her face a perfect picture of re

e fondness. He took her hand, placing it firmly around the base of the

o her feet and holding her left arm out, pinning it to a

orchestrating the end of her life's work, and felt nothing. The fire of her rage had

Charlotte's, and in them, Charlotte saw

down with a s

arm. A low grunt escaped her lips, but she didn'

was a mangled mess of broken bon

e dropped the now-dented trophy onto t

he dark, with the wreckag

dn't feel the pain in her hand. The only pain was a

it. A low, keening wail coming fr

urst throug

e heart monitor was flat. Julianne was go

d, clutching Charlotte. "After

came. She was hollowed out, a vessel of

all. Just the two of them. They dressed Julianne in her favorite

air, Barbara noticed her hand, now crud

Charlotte said

acking with fresh pain. "They did this

ed Charlotte's eye, tracing

ied it in a quiet cemetery, next to Charlotte's adoptive father. They place

tern-one Charlotte had mentored-came to see them. She looked nervous, her

e intern stammered. "You nee

they could tha

the powder with warm water. Charlotte too

d in the doorway, a smug,

our drink?"

lingering in the hallway,

tte asked, a new, cold dr

lynn said, her voice a triumphant purr. "I thought it

urn. An exact replica of th

esque grin. "I had her ashes switched. You buried an em