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Sleep had been elusive, and Adalynn finally pulled herself

out of bed early. She grabbed something from the fridge and

headed up to her editing studio before Cassia was awake. She

locked herself in, barricading herself physically like she was

mentally. Except that her mental barricades needed major

work. In short, they were faulty, full of holes, and failing fast.

All morning, like the previous night, she’d seen snippets of

Cassia behind her eyes, as real and alive as if she was standing

right in front of her.

After several hours of fruitless editing, Adalynn let out a

sigh and slumped over at her desk in front of her computer.

She pushed the keyboard out of the way so she had space to

flatten out her cheek. She knew she was in an impossible

situation, and she’d made it that way for herself. She’d gone to

Vegas and brought Cassia there. Had she really thought she

could just keep her distance and send Cassia on her way at the

end of the month? Yes, yes, she had. Even though she’d

known how hard it would be.

Cassia was like a whirlwind. She was a storm battering

against closed shutters, against walls that weren’t as firm and

sturdy as they’d once been. Walls that were ready to cave in

and fall, even if it meant disaster. Adalynn knew she was ready

to break. Ready to shatter. She’d been ready for a long time.

She’d lived ten years of her life in another world, and the

past was the past. She was exhausted trying to justify it to

herself and everyone else. She was exhausted being the person

the world thought they knew. Did she even know who she

was?

She’d been so carried away in keeping Pierre’s work and

legacy safe that she’d made living for someone who had