Y

hen exhaustion made its home on my face, or nights when I have cried hard e

I stare at my reflection, I see every question I have not answered sitting plainly on my face, the tension in my jaw, the way my lips keep pres

I forgot I owned until this afternoon, it's soft fabric that falls smoothly against my body without clinging too tightly and simple enough that it does not feel like a costume. My hair frames my face nea

ok f

ike I have been pulled in too many directi

y into the living room, I glance at th

een m

e Carmen has been pacing since the moment I came out of the bathroom, moving back and forth across the floor with

he sees me, her mouth falling open as

, breathless, taking a

mour even though my throat feels

y. "That is 'a you are about to walk into

st turns into a laugh, but it fade

ks, her voice lower now, and

I mu

ries to plead, her eyeb

think the worst of what might h

tion flashing across her face. "You can still say n

ghtly. "If it were just me, I would walk away. I would not hesitate. But i

r, but she still shakes her head. "Just promise me you

l you every h

"And if I do not hear from you by midnight, I am ca

pes me. "You would

turns toward the window and pulls

black car waiting at the curb, polished and silent,

squeezing hard. "Text

st as I pull her i

ells me, mumbles a

e pulling away and beginning t

ant to lock the door and pretend none of this is real. I just no

r is already waiting, tall and formal

sks politely as I

e door, and after a brief pause, I climb into the back seat, the in

ks, and the car begins p

etlights thinning out, buildings replaced by hedges and gates and stretches of quiet. It feels u

dges, and at the edge of the road, there is a set of large black gates. As we approac

ing from greenery like silent watchers, and then... the mansion appears. It's a pure whit

r steps out to open my door. As my heels touch the stone

de, Miss Hart," the driver say

s finally g