Snow buried the road like a white graveyard, and my newborn\u2019s cries were the only thing stopping me from collapsing into it. I had Lily wrapped inside my coat against my chest, but her tiny body still shook with every savage gust of wind.\u201cJust a little farther,\u201d I whispered, even though I had no idea where farther was anymore.Behind me, my parents\u2019 mansion glowed warm and golden through the storm. Inside, my mother was probably pouring tea while my father checked the locks on the doors.An hour earlier, I had stood in their marble foyer with blood still drying beneath my hospital bracelet.\u201cDad, please,\u201d I begged. \u201cThe baby\u2019s freezing. Let me take the car.\u201dMy father\u2019s mouth twisted coldly. \u201cWhat car?\u201dThe Mercedes Grandpa bought me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My mother laughed softly, like I was foolish. \u201cSweetheart, we had to sell it. Bills don\u2019t pay themselves.\u201dBut Grandpa sends money every month.\u201dHer eyes sharpened instantly. \u201cNot enough.\u201dThen my sister Vanessa walked down the staircase wearing my cashmere coat, diamond earrings, and a smile polished sharp as glass.\u201cMaybe if you hadn\u2019t gotten pregnant by a man who disappeared, you wouldn\u2019t be such a burden,\u201d she said casually.I stared at the keys dangling from her hand. The silver Mercedes emblem swung from the ring.\u201cThat\u2019s my car.\u201dShe closed her fist around the keys. \u201cWas.\u201dMy father stepped between us. \u201cGet out, Claire. We\u2019re done cleaning up your mistakes.\u201dSo I walked away.Not because I was weak.Because my phone was dead, my stitches burned, and my daughter needed warmth more than I needed pride.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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