CHAPTER 42: THE ANONYMOUS GIFT
Point of View: Lorain Hart
The razor-sharp cursive on the back of the mutilated photograph burned into my eyes like a brand.
‘ASK WHY THEY STAYED.’
My pulse hammered wildly against my ribs, a dark, suffocating panic clawing its way up my throat.
The Student Council charter hanging in the main lobby down the hall had been hand-signed by the university’s founding committee twenty-two years ago. Among those ornate, high-society signatures was that of Evelyn Montgomery, Cherry’s mother. The distinct, tall, looping 'E' and razor-sharp 'y' on the back of this photograph were an exact match.
Cherry’s mother hadn't just sent me a warning. She was holding a knife directly to my family's buried past.
The office door creaked open.
I flinched violently, slamming
