lie

ver, seemed to enjoy the sport of it. Every time I bid, she would immediately outbid me, her sweet smile never faltering. I stopped bidding entirely, letting a numb sile

eeled onto the stage. A small, tarnished

as Mama's locket. The one she' d lost years ago, the one I' d been searching

undred dollars." Five hundred dollars for my mother's

ddle held high. "Five hundred thousand!" My voi

son, momentarily startled, turned to

e trinkets?" She then snuggled into Carson' s side, feigning a shiver. "Carson, darling, Mrs. Jarvis looks so fierce. I'm scared." She looked back at me, her smile hardening. "Carson bought me a beautiful

mmering against my ribs. "One million dollars," I state

dismissive. He reached for my arm. "It's just an old lock

e cracked, raw with a pain I had kept buried for so long. "Please, Carson. Just let me have this. After e

ce unreadable. That cold, ca

nd. It was every cent I had left in my private accounts, money I had saved

me to Carson, then back.

of dread squeezing the air fro