amily made the decision

h-the choice had sparked a serious confrontation b

ryn completed her initial

nt of blood, several more transfusions

the hospital arranged for Kathryn t

re, her phon

e screen. A message from her friend,

ire city. He's looking for a woman, around twenty, with medi

e, Kathryn replied, "Tha

stantly. "I'm not kidding! What i

le. I've never e

n you didn't tick him off

he screen, amused and annoye

ong. It's probably just some weird coinci

t send anythi

nded without fur

unease, Kathryn opened her intern

he screen showed a single, bold line:

the informati

at the screen, her e

much se

suitcase, inserted a USB stick, and began typing comman

code vanished, replaced by a stark,

me look int

is

Kathryn replied

. Give me t

, Kathryn closed the window

ed in one of Wrille's most elite neighbor

upd

by the large b

es, his commanding presence ha

ween his fingers, its tip flic

lson kept his gaze lowere

cigarette into the ashtray before speak

erst

f his coat and produced a gold-stamped

thing else yo

lope, and a shadow of confusion

to welcome Rhett's illegitimate daughter back home, and

ed, one corner of his mouth li

ore asking, "Would you l

were usually tossed aside

rsonally insisted, Kayce wouldn't have gone to the

nvelope, his gaze dark

made quite the impression. For the Palmer family to pu

is mind. "No. Tell An

skies were clear, with sunlig

and steered her car toward

yet she drove with the confidenc

mother's resting place. No marker stood there, only a lum

she'd made over the years, ev

the ground and began pullin

rate, as though she feared dist

sted her forehead against the chilled so

er was finally close to receiving

o her feet and turned away

back at her hotel, she changed into a formal dress an

s were complete, the sky ha

Her phone screen was filled with m

ading downstairs to retrieve something, she ma

he guests waited expectantly for the myster

or remained absent. The sound of hushed v

than anyone else, wore

ate, I knew she had bad intentions. Of all days, she went and picked her mothe

r Anna's car crash, the whole city ran dry of Rh-negative blood. And just like that, she sho

ded with biti

d lowered. A vein throbbe

isturbance broke ou