The car raced through the night. Winni sat beside me and handed me a thick envelope.
"A new ID and passport, a bank card with no ties to either family, and a one-way ticket to Westbrook. From today on, you're no longer the heiress of the Sterling family. Go live the life you want."
I took the envelope. The woman in the ID photo wore a sharp, ear-length bob and met the camera with a calm, determined gaze.
"Thank you, Mrs. Ashford." I clutched the envelope to my chest and blinked back tears.
I boarded a flight to Westbrook that very night. As the plane climbed into the darkness, the city beneath me dwindled into a scattering of tiny lights.
I closed my eyes. The wound on my palm had scabbed over and still throbbed whenever I strained it, but my heart had never felt lighter.
At that sam
