CAROLYN'S POVThe silence in the car was suffocating. I stared out the window, watching the trees blur past like watercolor tears. My heart felt like it had been wrung out and left in the sun to dry—raw, brittle, and close to cracking. I kept replaying Emma's smug face, J.J's father's cold eyes, and that moment when they found the bracelet in my bag. How had things spiraled so far?By the time I got to the house, my stomach had tied itself into knots. The moment I stepped in through the door, I froze.There they were.My aunt and her husband sat stiffly on the couches in the sitting room. Emma was curled dramatically against her mother’s side, her face buried in her shoulder, sniffling as if she were the victim of a Shakespearean tragedy. Julius stood at the far end, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, jaw clenched, his gaze fixed on the floor.My aunt’s husband looked up first, his eyes sharp. "Carolyn. Come here."My feet didn’t want to move, but I forced them forward one by on
Last Updated : 2025-06-05 Read more