The Day Our Promise Breaks

Chapter 537

Wesley thought back to the diary Charles had shown him-the one Sandy had written.

She'd hidden it herself, wedged deep between the mattress and box spring.

Aiden had found it when he'd hired someone to clean out the lake house.

He gave it to Charles.

Charles read it, and then passed it on to Wesley.

Wesley could never forget how much his heart ached as he read Sandy's words.

Sandy had grown crooked.

But it was Dahlia who had twisted her.

She was just a child.

A little girl desperate for her mother's love.

From the moment she could remember, her biggest wish was for her mom to love her the way other moms loved their children.

She'd thought, if she just did everything her mother asked, if she was good and obedient, maybe one day her mom would love her.

If her mom didn't love her enough, it had to be because she wasn't good enough, because she hadn't done enough to make her mother proud.

So, when Dahlia told her to set up Charlie, she listened.

When Dahlia told her to frame Evelyn, she did it without question.

mother asked her to fake an illness and trick Charles into coming over, she

time she did it well, her mother would reward her a

only reinforced Sandy's belief that making Charlie miserable, hurting Evelyn

constant, poisonous influence, Sandy's sense of right and wrong had

Dahlia who

had driven her to her

thought about it, the colder

diary: Mom, I love

heartless witch," Wesley spat, voice trembling with rage. "I wish I could cut your

Dahlia's

sliced through

could feel, with terrifying clarity, the knife splitting her

crashed over her, cold

face drained of

through the silence.

terrified that the slightest movement would send Wesley's blade plunging straight into

swear, I know I was wrong... Please, just

me this once, please?"

Wesley didn't even blink.

was

deliberately,

above

gushed out, soaking her

button-down shirt in crime

cut was over, Dahlia's hair and shirt

cold sweat.

for breath,

thought it was over, that the pain had ended-but it had only