The taxi slowed to a stop in front of the Owen family residence, the tires crunching against the thin layer of snow covering the pavement. Hazel pushed the door open and stepped out into the cold night air. The moment the wind brushed against her face, she sneezed loudly, her shoulders jerking forward.
It was a heavy sneeze, loud enough to echo slightly in the quiet evening.
Great. She sniffed and rubbed her nose.
It seems even God is reminding her that today is a big day. A day she would not forget for the rest of her life. A day she would carve into her bones as the moment everything changed, the moment she stopped being a girl waiting for love and became someone who would never beg again.
Hazel looked up at the house, the building she had called home for years. It stood tall and imp
