Annie stood in the center of her bedroom, staring out of the window at the vast expanse of lawn beyond. The light was fading, casting long shadows over the manicured gardens, but the chill in the air couldn’t numb the sense of helplessness that had settled deep in her chest. She had decided, in the quietest corner of her mind, that she would stay. She couldn’t keep running. Not anymore.
This house, this gilded cage, had become her world. The life she had once hoped to escape had now grown roots, twisted and tangled around her, and the more she tried to pull free, the tighter they gripped her. She had thought about leaving so many times, but every time she tried to imagine the outside world, she realized how utterly unprepared she was for it. The baby inside her had been a shock, but now,
