Chapter 32: Tear Down Everything
(Charlotte's POV)
The cottage walls felt lifeless since I returned from the pup school. My teacher's ID, which once felt like a badge of purpose, now sat tucked away, meaningless.
I hadn't told Sarah. I couldn’t bring myself to. Every word I spoke lately felt like another burden I’d lay on her already weakened shoulders.
I sat outside near the territory border, the open air both soothing and biting all at once.
The sun hung low, casting long shadows as its golden-orange glare gradually gave way to a deeper blue gloom.
My lap was filled with torn ledger pages, each scribbled with numbers that mocked me.
Not enough money. Not even close.
James Hardy’s fees for investigating my father’s case were long overdue. If I didn’t pay him, my father wou
