Chapter 33

I slide into the back seat of the taxi, the door closing with a soft thud. As the car pulls away from the curb, I look back at the house one last time. It looms in the distance, a monument to a life that wasn’t meant to be.

As we drive away, my thoughts swirl with memories. The laughter, the arguments, and the tender moments that made me believe in a future with Nathaniel. And then the betrayal, the pain, and the realization that I could never be enough for him. That he could never see me as more than a contract or an obligation. Why did he choose to sleep with me right after doing the same with Anna? Why did he say she meant nothing to him if he was just going to bring her to our house? Why wouldn’t he just ask me to leave instead of doing the same thing his nephew did?

The city blurs by outside the window, and I press my forehead against the cool glass, trying to calm my racing heart. So many thoughts. I think of my mother, her strength, and her resilience. She raised me alone, and