Bella POV
I pressed my palm against my stomach, against the tiny life growing there. The only good thing to come from that catastrophic night.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to my unborn child. "I'm sorry your father is a monster. I'm sorry your mother was stupid enough to believe he could be anything else. I'll build us an empire," I said softly, my hand pressed to my stomach. "I'll build something so big, so powerful, that when we walk back into that city, they'll have no choice but to see us. To acknowledge us, to regret every single thing they did."
The bus hummed along the highway, carrying me toward Crestwood, toward an uncertain future, toward whatever came next. Behind me, Silverton faded into the distance like a bad dream.
The bus pulled into Crestwood at 3:47 AM, depositing me at a
