Sallie's POV
I stayed calm as I plucked glass shards from my palm, then wrapped the wound with a strip of fabric. My steady hands revealed this wasn't my first time patching myself up.
Each day at the Noah house felt more suffocating, but Levi demanded I stay put, and my empty wallet gave me no alternatives. Leaving now meant sleeping rough on the streets.
My strategy crystallized with icy resolve—I'd break free from the Noah family and master self-sufficiency, starting with the pressing need to find work.
My first eighteen years had overflowed with the Noahs' affection. Then Jill came home, triggering two years of desperate attempts to win back their love, followed by two brutal years at St. Chaim Reform Academy.
Art was my sole marketable talent. I'd loved painting since I was small, even spending time at art school, though I never finished my degree.
Those artistic abilities would have to become my lifeline now.
