LOGINHe leans forward, his voice dropping into a conspiratorial, deeply unsettling whisper as he stares directly into my green contact lenses. "In fact... you don't have to be a maid at all, Candy. I can make all of this manual labor disappear with a single phone call. If you can just agree to be my pri
"Look, Naomi, if Dennise catches you in here, she’s going to—" The distinct, heavy sound of the deadbolt locking echoes through the quiet kitchen. My entire body goes completely rigid. My instincts scream at me, a cold shock of adrenaline instantly shooting straight to my fingertips. That isn't th
I smooth down the front of my oversized, scratchy maid uniform, my fingers tracing the small bruise on my chest from where Caroline's finger violently ripped my dress open at the cemetery yesterday. My skin still feels raw from the humiliation, my eyes are burning from crying all night over Owen, a
The striking, facial structure. Sydney is an absolute, undeniable replica of the woman in the vintage photograph—Tobias’s mother. The almost psychotic protectiveness Tobias has shown toward Sydney from the very first moment he met her. The massive financial safety nets he threw under her, the fact
Before I can even open my mouth to apologize for breaking into his house, Tobias speaks. His voice is incredibly quiet, completely devoid of its usual sharp authority, yet it carries a heavy, haunting weight that pins me right to the carpet. "For years..." he murmurs, his finger continuing its slow
I stand frozen on the gravel path, the engine of Sydney’s departing car roaring in my ears. I watch the taillights of her vehicle bounce over the cemetery threshold, disappearing completely from sight, and with every inch of distance she puts between us, my heart shatters into a million jagged, irre
"Stop lying to me!" The shout erupts from my throat before I can stop it. The calm facade cracks, and the raw pain of the last few weeks pours through. "I’m not blind anymore, Deckard! I’m not that helpless girl in the hospital bed who believed every word that came out of your mouth because she had
The morning sun filters through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Grandmother Newton’s sunroom, giving a beautiful shimmer to the floral patterns of the upholstery. I am kneeling on the plush rug at Grandmother’s feet, my fingers steady as I adjust the brim of her favorite silk hat. She is insistent
"You saw it, Deckard! You stood there and saw that... that woman strike me!" Gia screams, her voice hitting a pitch that vibrates in my teeth. She’s gripping her pashmina so hard her knuckles are white. "She’s out of control! You have to find a way to reign her in, or better yet, just leave her. Thr
Oh, the nerve! Lydia may have the nerve to say God awful things to me, but how dare SHE ruin this audition for me! This is my life...my chance to take things into my hands. To be financially independent and here she is, ruining it for me?? I'm still shaking partly from the adrenaline of the au







