cend from the heavens

her room felt like a countdown. The Pennington estate's silence was

eyes. The lies in Slade's voice. The ease with which Boone slid

erely in a b

chanism engineered to contain

heavy. Her head, lighter than air. Disbelief, like champagne

ock made

opened witho

te employees in matching charcoal uniforms.

concern," Boone said

to anything," Sava

o a toddler. "You agreed the second you s

chrome lid clicked open to reveal vials, swab

a little sam

me," Savannah

e," Boone responded. "The less r

scream was a whisper in this place. No one co

would w

ray tumbling o

on the hardwood. Boone didn't fl

n later. She's s

p the box and

nd. "You don't need to make th

. Her breath tasted o

d closed behind, she tumbl

as sh

e

the tile. Every portrait on the wall glared from high above with aristocratic indif

il she crashed into 

here

a

n hand. Like he belonged there. As if he ha

," she w

up. "What do yo

d the

ssom. "Truth doe

loser. "Why d

ade always gets what he wants. The emp

t a pos

mirror. And we all shatte

at him with

paper out from under his

ocu

ltra

ek. Her name

the center i

he wedding," Cash said. "Before you sig

rashed against the potti

n't reac

s never about love.

with it," she said

it was the only wa

acked

ld have

never have

rned a

library. Cradle your fingers wit

k. Opened cabinets. Overlooked the stinging i

he fou

ked d

opener into the se

a blac

arked with h

open

use

ransferred to Penning

Her forged

mont

pled to the floor, folder laid

n't marr

harvest

contract into

sumed it wit

ntil the last corn

idn't

in the sitting room,

u done?" she

ned. "What h

gave you a kingdom. And

ve me c

ld still rule. All you've got to

h slapp

linked. T

irl," s

dn't sleep

her own breath. To the creaks of the

ight, the windo

sa

w next to he

a

name was in a script

open

er get out.

r shook in

zed out int

ly, she u

ked away inside the

in the lie they con