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Prologue

Nora

I sit at the dining roo at the plate of breakfast Sasha thren in front of me It’s been five minutes and I still have my hands folded in my lap

“Are you going to eat?” she snaps at s and bacon to her

She stares at me with that same sour face she’s had from the moment she met me The wo nice, but it never works Now I do e, but everything about being here puts e From the moment I crossed the threshold into this home it’s been that way

Her hands rest on her triht blue eyes stare hard atto her, but I’ve barely said a handful of words to the woman, and those were only in attempt to be nice I try and stay out of her way, but I swear she seekswith her I don’t understand how she can be so pretty on the outside butoff in short skirts and her hair and ht h from the sounds I’ve heard when the two of them are alone, I don’t think she’s just his assistant He keeps that behind closed doors so that no one knows she’s his dirty secret I don’t understand any of it

“I’m supposed to wait,” I remind her, but she already knows it

I have to wait for my uncle to come to the table, but like always he’s late This isn’t surprising He’s my father’s brother after all, and they’re ht they would be I would swear they were twins if I didn’t know better They’re both the same except my father never made me feel uneasy around him The same could not be said about my Uncle Harry

I never saw my uncle before my father died because they didn’t much care for each other Both were competitive—so much so that my Uncle Harry moved across the country so that he and my father would never come face to face in a courtroom

Sasha makes an annoyed sound at my response “He doesn’t have ti He’s a busy ain

I don’t want to have breakfast with hi with dinner, too On rare lucky occasions I get out of dinners, but I think it’s because he has a date or is working late I don’t knohy he’s so set on eating together My father barely sharedalone I used to hate that but noish I could go back to it

I don’t respond to her and go back to staring at my plate When I hear her heels click across the floor I let out a happy sigh that she’s gone I’ She can be extra nasty when h if I had to choose, I’d rather her be here when he is He’s not as handsy when she’s nearby

I’h I swear that woet here already so we can eat and get this over with It’s not like I have anything to get to, but I know he’ll leave and I’ll have the place to o to do things around the house, I’m left alone I’m trapped in a home I’m not allowed to leave unless o where ever it is he wants ht out with him at one of his events Especially after the last one I touch my arm where I can still feel the bruise

I quickly dropdown the long hallway I sit up straighter and my whole body stills when he reaches me He coainst htens

“Morning, Nora,” he says against ainst my skin as his hand comes down on my shoulder in a hard hold It feels like a re to him and he holds all the power in my life