Chapter 5 - The Emergency Exit
Mara didn't wait for another second to waste inside the suffocating, glittering halls of the Ashford mansion.
She grabbed June’s hand with an iron grip, rushing past the astonished tables toward the grand double doors of the ballroom.
"Mom, where are we going? I didn't get to finish my dessert!" June protested, struggling to keep up with Mara's rapid pace.
"We are going home, June," Mara said, her voice shaking as they burst out into the cool Texas night air.
Valet attendants rushed forward, but Mara waved them off, practically running across the gravel parking lot toward their beat-up sedan.
Her hands trembled so violently she dropped the car keys twice before managing to unlock the driver’s door.
She shoved June into the back seat, slamming the door shut and locking every single portal before throwing the gear into reverse.
As they sped down the long, oak-lined driveway toward the highway, Mara glanced in the rearview mirror.
Standing beneath the mansion's grand portico, watching their car disappear into the dark, was Grant Ashford.
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He wasn't smiling anymore.
He was holding his phone to his ear, making a call that would change their lives forever.
