Chapter 8

After leaving the Reyes estate, I returned home one last time.

The house felt different now – every treasured memory tainted by betrayal. The family photos on the walls, Mila’s drawings on the fridge, even Callum’s coffee mug on the counter they all seemed to belong to another woman’s life now.

I packed methodically: two outfits, important documents, my mother’s necklace. Everything else would stay behind. Seven years of memories, seven years of what I thought was love all abandoned like outdated furniture.

4

The ticket to Chicago felt like a lifeline in my wallet. A fresh start in a city where nobody knew me as Callum Reyes‘ wife or Mila’s mother.

my small suitcase toward the waiting taxi, my phone lit up with Callum’s call. They were probably still at the hospital, Sophie’s

Chapter 8

the Reyes estate, I

memory tainted by betrayal. The family photos on the walls, Mila’s drawings on the fridge, even Callum’s coffee mug on the counter they all seemed to

two outfits, important documents, my mother’s necklace. Everything else would stay behind. Seven years of memories, seven years of what I thought was love all abandoned like outdated

4

felt like a lifeline in my wallet. A fresh start in a city where nobody knew

probably still at the hospital, Sophie’s minor scratches being treated like life–threatening wounds while my daughter played the

rehearsed defense of her “Aunt Sophie.” I switched off the

airport security felt like crossing a threshold. Each step forward was a step away from the elaborate lie my life had become. On the plane, I took the window seat – something Mila

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