Ava’s POV
I woke to the soft sound of curtains being drawn and the pale morning light spilling across the bed.
For a moment I lay still, staring at the high ceiling, the events of the previous day settling over me again. Corren had agreed to let me return to school. He had also decided we were going shopping. The two facts sat side by side in my mind—freedom carefully measured out by the same man who still required me to call him Daddy every night.
A maid entered with a tray and the now-familiar envelope. The note was short.
Breakfast in the small dining room. Wear the cream dress. We leave at ten. — Daddy
I showered, dressed in the cream dress that had appeared in the closet, and made my way downstairs. Corren was already seated at the table, coffee in hand, reviewing something on a
