Elias, ever the showman, had arranged for a small, beat-up sedan to pick me up. It was a stark contrast to the sleek

ad drifted from the limo' s open window before it pulled away. "Too much luxury might be overwhelming after...

ot settling in my stomach. The humiliation was

ult, a symbol of my reduced status. They wanted me to feel every inch of it. I leaned my head against the grimy window, letting the world blu

g over the hill. They were probably already celebrating, toasting their cleve

thick neck and a suspicious m

ilhouette of their wealth. "Just follow the car in front," I sai

s, but I merely stared at him until he met my gaze, then quic

en we get to the house, I'll need you to hold onto this for me." I reached into my worn canvas bag, pullin

He hesitated, then shrugged, probably figuring four years in a loony bin meant I was just eccentric. "Sure, lady.

his was my lifeline, my first true connection back to the world.

want you to take that book, and deliver it to an address I will give you. Discre

oked wary.

valuable. And it needs to go to someone who cares about books." My words were laced wit

extra money outweighing his suspi

ted facade of fragility filling the space. But inside, I was already moving, alread

sine was already parked, glittering under the late afternoon sun. Elias and Kelly stood on

bill, far more than the fare. "The address for the book will be a text message

the money quickly.

abby appearance and the opulent surroundings was stark, a calculated humiliation designed to remind me of wh

the burner phone vibrate in my

port. Where

ried bun. My eyes swept over the mansion, then settled on Elias and Kelly, still obs

k reply, my fingers

ved. The sh

ter, his re

imi

n, then back at the house, a

. Tonight, they will re

institution, the one who had recognized the fire beneath the ashes. He was the one who had helped me

they had only given me time. Time to heal, time to learn, time to plan. They had given me a new life, one

a mask of weary resignation. This was my stage. And t