Shattered Heart, Rising Spirit

walk towar

" Jake said, his voice shar

of my w

re until you learn some respect. Your mothe

s favorite tactic. For years, every time I wanted to leave, every time I stood up for myself, he' d bring

taken that leverage away from

with the force of a phy

here his threats worked. "Brittany is our guest," he s

r. "I was polite for five years. I was polite when you stood me up for her. I was polite when you bought her gift

lite while my mother was dying an

he snapped, his

ched a small, leather-bound sketchbook on the console table by the door. It was filled with my preliminary sketches

hbook tumbled from the table, landing in a puddle of

ed, her hand flying to her

in her eyes before she hi

inside m

ree from Jake's grasp and slapped Brittany acro