Chapter 1

On our eighteenth birthday, my grandmother gave my cousin and me each a key.

She called it our coming-of-age gift, but there was a catch: we wouldn't get to see the houses or receive the deeds until our wedding days.

All the relatives gushed about how generous she was, and my cousin and I spent years dreaming about the futures she was handing us.

Last month, my cousin got married.

In front of all the wedding guests, my grandmother presented her with the deed to a sprawling three-bedroom apartment right in the heart of downtown.

My cousin grabbed my hand, squealing, "Oh my god, can you believe her? I'm set for life!"

I was thrilled for her, but a bigger part of me buzzed with anticipation for my own turn.

After all, I was the golden grandchild, the one with the perfect grades and the better career. My grandmother always said her most accomplished granddaughter deserved the best house of all.

Then comes my wedding day. My grandmother beams, pressing a red folder into my hands.

I open it, and the blood in my veins turns to ice.

It isn't a property deed. It is the title to a cemetery plot.

She claps her hands together, a grin stretching every wrinkle on her face. "You're such a go-getter, sweetie!" she chirps. "You don't need help from family to get by in life.

"So I took care of what really matters, your afterlife! See how much I adore you? Now you won't have to worry about a thing, not even when you're dead!"

*****

The roar of the wedding reception faded into a dull hum, as if I were encased in a soundproof bubble.

My fingers, wrapped around the red folder containing the property deed, were bone-white from the pressure.

My grandmother, Lea Brooks, was still laughing. That smug cackle grated against my eardrums like a dull knife.

Whispers rippled through the surrounding guests. In their eyes, you could see a mixture of pity, malicious glee, and the raw desire to just watch the drama unfold.

My new husband, James Rivers, took a step forward, subtly shielding me from the prying eyes.

He enclosed my icy hand in his warm palm.

"Lea, this joke has gone too far," he said. His voice was calm, but it held a quiet authority that left no room for argument.

Her smile faltered for a fraction of a second before spreading again a moment later.

"Oh, James, I'm not joking at all. Zoe is so capable that she can make her own fortune. But our dear Melissa is so naive. If I don't look out for her, she'll be taken advantage of."

She pulled Melissa Brooks, who had been standing nearby with a flicker of triumph in her eyes, closer to her side.

"Zoe, you're not going to hold this against your sister, are you? You've always been the sensible one, always so generous with Melissa."

The familiar weight of her emotional blackmail settled over me, suffocating me.

Melissa wrung her hands, feigning concern. "Oh, Zoe, I had no idea Grandma was going to do this. She just means well, you know. And look on the bright side. It's a beautiful cemetery plot! Everyone says the location is amazing."

Her words were like a needle dipped in honeyed poison, sinking deep into my heart.

I looked from her to my grandmother, then to the sea of faces watching the drama unfold.

A chill shot up my spine, leaving me numb.

I yanked my hand back and slammed the red folder onto the floor.

"I can't accept this 'blessing,'" I said.

I turned on my heel, the train of my wedding dress carving a defiant arc across the polished floor.

James was right behind me, his hand closing firmly around my arm.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know," I choked out, my voice trembling. "Anywhere but here."

Behind me, Lea's voice erupted in a furious shriek. "How dare you, Zoe Brooks! How dare you walk out on me!"

The air filled with the clamor of relatives trying to intervene, a chaotic mess of overlapping shouts and pleas.

I didn't look back.

James said nothing. He simply shrugged off his tuxedo jacket, draped it over my trembling shoulders, and wrapped his arm around me, guiding me out of the circus my wedding had become.

Once we were in the car, he handed me a bottle of water.

"It's okay," he said softly. "I've got you."

Staring out the window at the blurred city lights, I finally let the tears fall.