No Longer A Placeholder: I Rise

nd ducked behind a row of parked cars, my heart thudding a frantic rhythm against my ribs. Keagan stood by the curb, his gaze fixed on the automatic doors o

ke a silken waterfall. She moved with an ethereal grace, a delicate porcelain doll. My breath hitched. Keagan' s face, usually a mas

nd then, he kissed her. A long, tender, passionate kiss that spoke of deep yearning and profound affection. My knees buckled.

rning to ice in my veins. My vision swam. It couldn't be. It couldn't. Alba. Alba Warren. M

ccident when I was ten. My father, consumed by guilt and grief-he' d been driving-had quickly remarried. Not out of love, but out of con

Not even at ten. I knew my mother had been the one with the money, the family connections that had built his fledgling business empire. She' d loved him fiercely,

nocent victim, always finding a way to make herself shine by dimming my light. The thought of Keagan, my Keagan, loving h

, a designer carry-on that looked impossibly light. He slung his arm around her waist, pulling her possessively close. They walked towards a waiting car, a tableau of perfect, effortless aff

Still, a morbid fascination held me captive. I followed them, a silent shadow, as they drove away. My own

tinted windows. He was constantly touching her, his hand on her knee, his head occasionally turning to whisper something

multi-car pile-up had just occurred. My taxi driver slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. We were caught in the chain reaction, a jarring impact

miraculously intact, stopped just beyond the main wreckage. He was out of

ling her as if she were made of fragile glass. His face was etched with raw concern, his eyes scanning her for injuries, his lips murmu

l. I was trapped, my door jammed, my head throbbing. I watched, helpless, as Keagan held Alba, then began

n. "Keagan," she murmured, her voice weak, "did you... did you see anyone familiar?" H

was streaked with blood, my hair disheveled, my eyes wide with terror and disbelief. For a moment,

Alba. "No, my love," he said, his voice flat, devoid of any warmth.

ellest blow yet. They hammered into my already shattered