Chapter 56

• Alexis
• Gripping the steering wheel, I sped down the road toward my parents’ house. My foot pressed harder on the gas pedal as if the speed itself could help release the storm building inside me. The tires roared over the asphalt, and I barely noticed the scenery passing by – just flashes of trees and the road stretching endlessly before me.
• My mother’s betrayal hit me harder with every second, like a rusty knife twisting deeper each time I thought about it. It wasn’t just one lie or one slip-up—she’d built a whole damn house of manipulation and handed me the keys, expecting me to walk through the doors blindfolded.