atthew

her seat, watching the Reynolds est

achment, only the weary

the quiet of the car a welcome space

d wanted to say for years, word

ng and heartbreak

ee from my chains, heartbreaking

ome had long

of unread messages from Chlo

. "I'm fine. It's done.

tantly, "Amazing! N

clin

o be alone

to the complicated mess of

go back to Blak

up in front of my b

at Rick, s

ng instructed that you could stop here to handle any

rving sense of h

d to know what

nt to co

mother, was where I had po

my real

ut of t

y suitcase

If you need anything, jus

my key to unlock

ime, and the

ead and cakes from the day

turn on t

the dark, leaned against it, a

he tears fi

troll

ng for those

ying for

hews who once believed

hat Faye Matth

d on the

rightness ma

man with red, swollen eyes, but a

plashed my face with cold wa

k clothes I always kept at t

en, took out flour

ng, to keep my hands b

ng my signatur

. every familiar step was

lemon filled the bakery, my h

cooling rack, then took off my apro

and placed one perfec

suitcase and walked

ill waiting

y opened the

side, I hande

erling. As... a tha

, a little surpri

e, Miss M

n, heading toward an

ot stay unkn

a private reside

door and handed

said you should go inside and rest. The lawyer wil

card. "He's

neutral. "He also asked me to tell you th

was warm, elegant, and silent. On t

ened

eapon Preston had used against me-already neutralized. My

: Welcome to my world, Faye. You

eath

came the soft click of

urn