Elena
The drive home was silent; half of Newport was probably asleep. Streetlights flickered across the window, gliding past my reflection. I looked like someone else. Like someone caught between two lives, she couldn't hold together.
The moment on the balcony replayed again and again. His hand on my wrist. The way he had held me close, so that I could feel his breath on my face. I pressed my palms against my eyes, willing the memory to fade. It didn't.
God… I'd almost lost my defenses.
By the time I stepped into the house, it was way past midnight. The faint scent of bleach drifted from the hallway. Mrs Keller must have been deep cleaning.
I slipped out of my heels, the hem of my gown gliding over the floor as I headed to my mother's room.
She was asleep, propped against the pillows
