E

rough my head, each more painful than the last. My heart thumped in my chest, a frantic rhythm of disbelief and

behind my ear, his fingers lingering on my cheek like I was his whole world. The late-night talks, the spontaneous flowers, the soft "I love yous" that

never got it right? I'd laughed it off, teased him about his lack of attention to detail, never once suspecting there was more beneath the surface. B

y back pressed against the cold wall. My heart screamed at me to confront them, to demand answers, but fear held

e yet," Garrett's voice cut through the tatters of my heart, sha

eak. But his words were daggers, carving into the softest parts of me. Was that how he spoke of me when I

he floor, followed from Lily. "Well, you need to hurry her up. The cl

e. My art-my soul poured onto canvases, every brushstroke a piece of me-was nothing more than a business transaction to

, but all along, I was just col

in crawl. "Tessa will get it done. All I have to do is buy her a few more fl

lit hallway I now stood in, clutching at the wall for support. Each word was like a cut, shredding the illusion I'd clung to

ures, a fragile doll he could wind up with hollow affection whenever he needed another masterpiece. My he

Lily snapped, her voice sharp and imp

it down hard on my lip, tasting the metallic tang of blood as rage mixed with heartbreak. How long h

me was a burden. "We've made a fortune from selling her paintings. If I divorce her, I'll never get anot

uilt, an identity I'd poured my soul into with every brushstroke, every sleepless night spent perfecting my craft. They didn't

cold, void of any em

had been reduced to a business arrangement between the man I loved and the sister I trusted. I mashed my fist against my m

that made my skin crawl. "No. The truth will out. But I can lock Tessa up and

op it, the sound betraying my presence. My hands flew to my mouth, trying to shove the horror back down, but it

were silent as I stumbled back, my body trembling, my mind screaming in disbelief. That's what I was to h

t stop

ned a

ough my thin pajamas within seconds, chilling me to the bone, but I didn't care. The tempest outside was nothing compared to the on

r y

me, stolen from me-not just my art, but my trust, my heart, my life. I'd been nothing more than a

n't know where I was going, only away from the house, from

m of betrayal and heartbreak. The world around me was a haze of darkness and h

blindin

t too clos

ripping through the

engine, strai

sed me by mere inches; the rush of air in its wake knocked me backward. I fell on the w

haking, soaked

still rang in my ears, loud