Chapter 3:

The Breaking Point

The water felt like silk against my bare skin, cool and defiant under the midnight moon. Mom had been gone four days now, her London trip stretching longer than expected with “emergency client meetings.” I’d spent those nights in the new studio Marcus built for me, painting until my hands cramped, trying not to think about the way the house felt different without her charged, watchful. Tonight, rebellion won. I stripped everything off by the pool’s edge, dove in naked, and let the water claim me. No one around. No rules. Just the soft lap of waves and the thrill of doing something stupid and...