Chapter Fifteen – Roots in the Dark
Even the smallest seed can split stone, if given time.
Julia woke with a quiet ache in her chest, the memory of burning pages still clinging to her dreams.
But the thought of what she had hidden—those four tiny words, buried beneath the fire pit—warmed her.
He doesn’t own me. Not yet.
They pulsed inside her like a secret heartbeat.
The morning passed without incident. Daniel left for work, his shoes clicking against the floor, his kiss brushing her cheek.
And then the house was hers again.
Julia moved through the rooms, her movements slower, more deliberate. She wasn’t just surviving now. She was observing. Testing.
She touched the locked back door, her palm flat against the cold glass.
She opened cabinets, counting what was there, what could b
