Forty.

Xara, Penny, Alianna, and Mabel stood by Mrs. Wilson's graveside, where a heart-wrenching chapter had just concluded. The woman who had been the bedrock of Xara's life, her mother, now rested six feet beneath the earth. The weight of grief and anger bore down on her. Her mother, the only true source of unconditional love in her life, had been taken from her by a drunken, abusive husband.

Xara was consumed by a burning determination to ensure that the man responsible faced the full extent of justice, to rot in prison and never see the light of day again. The profound injustice of her mother's fate had ignited a fire within her.

Penny and Alianna, understanding the need for privacy, discreetly stepped away, leaving the sisters to their shared sorrow. Silence hung in the air until Mabel spoke, breaking the heavy quietude.

"How are you holding up?" she asked, her eyes filled with concern.

Xara, her eyes bloodshot from tears and anger, stared at her sister, her voice trembling as she re