Together We Rise From Ashes

e Carpe

breathe. It was broken only by the quiet, rhythmic beep of Gloria' s heart monitor and the sterile

like toxic smoke. I wondered if Gloria had heard it through her fitful, pain-medication-ind

cracked gourd, but it was the sight of my hands that made the bile rise in my throat. They were swathed in thick white bandages, resting us

identity. My v

Her face was ashen, her freckles standing out like tiny brown specks on a marble statue. E

lat s

d over me. For her. For the nephew I would neve

weren' t we?" I whis

re dull with exhaustion and sorrow. Sh

ing my lips. "The grand weddings, the promises... 'I will always

recognition in her eyes. Kade had p

tted, the shame burning my chee

ion hardened. "W

lorence. He said... he said marrying me was the biggest mistake of his lif

as if it didn' t matter, as if my heart wasn' t a shattered mess on the floor.

said, her voice surprisingly steady, though laced with a pain that ran bone-deep. "Let

ook I hadn' t seen in a long time. The old Gloria. The one who fought for wha

n holding back since I woke up in this nightmare. I cried for my hands, for my lost music. I cried for Gloria

been so

book-handsome, powerful, charming. They had pursued us relentlessly, showering us with gift

adoring stepbrothers. Suddenly, our calls went unanswered. Date nights were canceled. Kade, who used to look at Gloria like she was the sun, barely seemed to noti

glier. We weren't their loves. We were their pawns. A way to get back at Florence' s ex-husband, a business rival they despis

s. Their hearts had always belonged to Florence. We were just living in he

ne in my gut. They hadn' t just negl

s tearing me apart. "They' re... they'

ctor said because of the damage... it' s unlikel

g scope of our losses settling upon us. We ha

en us nothing bu