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Locked inside the cramped supply room, Leah pressed her ear against the cool wood of the door. Her breath hitched in her throat. Outside, the low, steady murmur of her husband Nathan’s voice mixed with Doreen’s sharp, commanding tones. / Chapter 10 / 10

Chapter 10 - The HorizonSix months later, the ocean breeze was warm and smelled faintly of salt and blooming hibiscus.

Leah sat on the wooden deck of a bright coastal home overlooking the endless expanse of turquoise water. The sky above was clear, bright, and impossibly blue—nothing like the menacing, stormy skies of her old nightmares.

In her lap, her son laughed, kicking his little legs as he reached for a wooden mobile of clouds and stars gently spinning in the sea breeze.

Her phone buzzed on the table beside her iced tea. A news notification flashed across the screen: Federal prosecutors deny appeal for Doreen Sterling; trial set for multi-county fraud and conspiracy charges.

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The heavy mahogany door of the dressing room seemed to close in on us, trapping the suffocating tension inside. Richard’s hands were shaking as he clutched the small, tarnished silver pendant. His knuckles were bone-white.

The heavy mahogany door of the dressing room seemed to close in on us, t...

The heavy silver fork slipped from my fingers, clattering sharply against the gold-rimmed porcelain of my dinner plate.

The heavy silver fork slipped from my fingers, clattering sharply agains...

The heavy mahogany door of the Fairmont Copley suite clicked shut with a muffled, expensive thud.

The heavy mahogany door of the Fairmont Copley suite clicked shut with a...

Leah swiped the notification away without reading the details. The past no longer had any power over her. She closed her eyes, breathing in the warm air, feeling the solid, unshakable ground beneath her feet.

She had survived the river. She had outrun the dark plans of a powerful family. And looking out at the vast horizon stretching out before her, she knew her true life was only just beginning.

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