Mile

sed it as theatrics. The man who once held my hand through every sniffle and sneeze now threatened to force-feed me the v

Dayton. If this is how you want to remember me." I spooned the creamy bisque into my mouth, chewing slowly, deliberately, the taste of the ocean a bitter irony on my t

fiery itch spread across my body, and my vision blurred. I tried to stand, but my legs buckled. I crashed back onto the bed, gasping

ng to her?" she shrieked, her voice laced wit

y body convulsing, my skin erupting in angry red welts. "Nurse! Get a

I faded in and out of consciousness, the world a blurry, pain-filled mess. I heard fragments of conversation:

s back, her usual smug self, though a faint tremor in her hand betrayed her previous panic. "You really are determi

y ached, but my mind was clearer, sharper than ever. I had witnessed the

inued generosity towards me. It was held in their grand dining hall, a cavernous space filled with the clinking o

ymbol of transformation, of overcoming adversity." She smiled, a cat-like smirk playing on her lips. "Some say black birds are bad omens, but I say, they represent the ability to shed old skin

puppet, forced to dance to their twisted tune. The guests exchanged knowin

mock concern. "You look a little... pale. Perhaps you should eat more. This d

of the eyes on me. This was her arena, her stage.

f me, looking disheveled, distraught, crying in public. Photos digitally altered to make it appear as if I were screaming at innocent

turned into murmurs, then into outright condemnation. "She

images got up there! My apologies, everyone. It seems someone has hacked into my private cloud account. I only kee

his family's domain, to humiliate me, to cement my image as the crazy ex. Th

with patronizing concern. He made a show of comforting Cassidy

d. I rose, slowly, deliberately, my eyes fixed on Cassidy. "You call this documentation, Cassidy?" I asked, my

at are you talking about, B

nt? After you've allowed this viper to murder my dog and lie about my baby?" My voice rose, cutting through the hushed

. "Silence, Brynn! You're making a scene!

e. I met his furious gaze, unflinching. "You wan

but I didn't fall. My eyes met his, blazing with a fury that mirrored his own. "Take her to the und

hidden door. As I was pulled away, I met Cassidy's tri

my voice echoing through the opulent

door clanged shut, plunging me into suffocating darkness. I sank to the floor, my body aching, my spirit burning. He

all slot, water rations were meager. I used the time to plan, to sharpen my r

ble, peered in, her eyes filled with sympathy. "Ms. Miles," she whispered, "his mother

who despised me. A strange, unexpected moment of grace from the most unlikely source. Bu

hing she said, a light, carefree sound that twisted my gut. He looked utterly content, completely oblivious to the pain he had caused, to the woma

ed with notifications. Gossip sites, news reports, social media threads-all ablaze with the "Brynn Miles m

egret. "Brynn, I'm so sorry. The board... they've deci

thing. But with nothing left to lose, came a terrifying freedom. A col

s. I remembered him saying he resented being tied to my family due to my parents

ded by her socialite friends, basking in the glow of her fabricated happiness. I walked straigh

eigning surprise. "Still lurking? Didn't you

retend to be a victim, while orchestrating my destruction? The one w

d. "What are you

"I heard Dayton tell his father about his 'atonement.' And you, Cassidy,

They were liabilities, Brynn. Always were. Your pathetic, wor

cended. I didn't think, I just acted. My hand shot out, not in a slap, but a punch, connecting sq

ts again," I snarled, my voice low a

h!" she shrieked, lunging at me, nails exte

a fight; it was an eruption of five years of suppressed rage, grief, and b

k, her eyes wide with a theatrical terror. She fell, dramatically, down the marble stairca

wn my cheek, my fists clenched. I knew what she was doing.