m so sorry! I d

tairs, her face a picture

ehind a sweet smile. Kaelyn had always looked down on Allison, seeing her as nothing m

You're so clumsy!" he snapped, g

ed so little - a few cloth

the years. She lived simply, frugally, and it was a reflecti

ldn't be for

a storage bag," Colton added dismissively, eyeing the broken s

e I stole from the kidnappers when we were running for our li

just as she had taken care of their marriage. And

hat story might fool my grandfa

as too vague, and he always doubted that A

raised his voice. "Hurry

Allison's clothes, but she deliberately ste

er always says that people are like clothes. Once a person's clothes are

kind to Kaelyn, even whe

a distant relative of

had smoothed the waters. She had negotiated a deal with Kellan, who was paralyzed, securing the critical land for the Stevens' commercial project. Back then, K

n's grandmother's favor had drifted, an

to Colton, "they're impossible to clean completely." She shrugged, a

d, shapeless things anyway. Th

d, her voice turning cold and unfamilia

ow replaced with a sharp edge. Even Kaelyn sensed the change, but she quickly donned an innocent mask, as though slipping into a role sh

ac

n's palm cracked across her left cheek with s

ed in disbelief. "H

I felt

Stevens f

n stumbling backward. Both her cheeks were now re

t the floor, her ankle twisted beneath her. She cried out

spilling over as she whimpered,

Allison was on her again, her hand gripping Kaelyn's

e suitcase and

as Allison's grip tightened,

k what never belonged to

amonds - but it wasn't the value that mattered. The engraving on the

roaked, gasping for air. In her panic, she d

cleared, and she realized with terrifying clarity that Allison wasn

the necklace chain and walked away, her steps unhurr

ing at her as she turned to Colton, pleading,

t o

oot connected with Kaelyn's side,

d, hit his nose, and his temper, a

sn't have room for some

er. When the call connected, her voice was calm, almost light. "Rebecca, I'm divorced, and I've moved

ebecca Green went from silence

idiot! Forget crashing - you're stayin

ed laughter bubbling through the phone. "If the folks at Cob