The rain had been falling since dawn, a relentless curtain that blurred the world outside the Steele estate into gray shadows and streaks of water. Each drop struck the windows like the steady beat of a drum, a rhythm that echoed in Sierra’s chest as she stood in her room, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
Her face was pale, her eyes shadowed with sleeplessness. She touched the glass, fingertips brushing the cold surface as though she could reach through and find a version of herself untainted by secrets, unburdened by shame. But the reflection that looked back at her wasn’t innocent anymore. It was fractured. Half the girl she once was, half the woman Damien had shaped her into.
And behind her reflection, she could almost imagine Vanessa’s eyes watching, waiting.
A knock at her
