Fallon
I didn’t go back inside right away.
The sun was warm on my skin, but I still felt cold — the kind of cold that starts in your chest and spreads, making every breath feel heavy.
My father’s words echoed in my head, relentless and sharp.
Keep him happy. Or this entire family pays the price.
The sheer unfairness of it made my stomach churn. I’d given them everything. I’d married a man I barely knew for this family’s sake, played the role they needed me to play. And still — still — it wasn’t enough.
I wanted to scream.
But Prescott women didn’t scream.
We smiled through the bitterness. We kept our voices soft and steady. We held our heads high, no matter how heavy the crown got.
So I stood there until my breathing slowed and my face didn’t betray a thing.
And when I finally wa
