Chapter 3

Karen watched the show as if it were the best thing on television, muttering under her breath. "That's right! What's the point of a woman who can't even have kids? Just another mouth to feed."

Lisa spotted me and rolled her eyes so hard they almost got stuck. "Well, well, look who's actually leaving.

"I thought you'd come to your senses last night and go crying to your parents for money."

I walked past her without a word and headed for the door.

Karen turned to look at me. "Got everything packed?"

I nodded.

"Keys? Lisa's bringing her boyfriend by this afternoon to see the place. Don't screw this up."

I pulled the keys out of my pocket.

Lisa practically lunged for them, snatching them out of my hand. She tossed them in the air and caught them, grinning as if she'd won the lottery herself.

"Finally," she said, practically skipping to the door to try them out.

Karen gave me a look dripping with contempt. "Don't say I'm not fair, Emma.

"If you want someone to blame, look in the mirror. Three years married and nothing to show for it. Not even a kid. Not a peep.

"And let's be honest, you're some small-town girl. You were never good enough for David anyway. This is better for everyone."

I looked at Karen's pinched, bitter face and felt nothing but a strange, quiet calm.

Back then, every time she laid into me like this, I'd curl up inside and wish the floor would swallow me whole.

Now? I felt sorry for her. She was a frog at the bottom of a well, convinced that the little circle of sky was the whole world.

"Is that all?" I asked, my voice calm.

Karen froze for a second.

"Then I'm gone." I opened the door and rolled my suitcase out.

The sunlight hit me hard. I squinted, feeling lighter than I had in years, as if I'd shrugged off a weight I'd been carrying forever.

I didn't look back. The second I stepped through that door, the Browns were behind me. Nothing tied me to them anymore.

I grabbed a cab to the hotel and checked in.

The receptionist took my ID with a polished smile. "Ms. Grant, your suite is ready. Twenty-eighth floor."

I took the keycard and stepped into the elevator.

In the mirrored walls, I caught my reflection, plain, a little worn around the edges. But my eyes. My eyes were bright, burning with something I hadn't felt in a long time.

The suite was huge. Separate living room, bedroom, floor-to-ceiling windows showing off the whole city.

I dropped my suitcase and flopped onto the bed, sinking into the soft pillows.

I was free.

I rolled back and forth on the bed like a kid, then jumped up.

I took a long, hot shower, the kind that washes more than dirt off your skin. Three years of bad energy, gone down the drain.

Then I changed into the only nice dress I had, the one I'd bought after graduation. It still fit.

I looked in the mirror. Still tired around the edges, but the shadows in my eyes had lifted.

I put on a little makeup. Nothing fancy. Just enough to look alive.

Then I pulled the lottery ticket from the drawer and tucked it safely into my bag.

It was about time. After taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the hotel.

Lottery center, here I come.

*****

The place wasn't crowded. I grabbed a number and sat in the waiting area, my palms sweaty.

It was quiet, with only the sound of the clerks behind the counter tapping on keyboards and stamping documents.

I stared at the thin slip of paper in my hand. This was the thing that had turned my whole life upside down.

"Number A03, Ms. Grant, please proceed to Window 2."

I took a breath, stood up, and walked toward the window that would change everything. My heart hammered against my ribs.

The woman at the counter was middle-aged, kind-faced, with glasses perched on her nose.

She smiled. "Hi there. Can I see your ticket and ID?"

I handed them over.

She scanned the ticket and checked the numbers twice.

"Ms. Grant, congratulations. You've won first prize, 1.5 million dollars."

Her voice was calm, like she was reading the weather. My heart, though, was going crazy.

It was real. It was all real.

"Thank you," I managed to say, my voice trembling.

"According to the rules, you'll need to pay a 20% personal income tax, which comes to 300 thousand dollars.

"After tax, you'll actually receive 1.2 million dollars. Would you like a check or a direct transfer?"

"Transfer." I'd already opened a new account for this.

I handed her the card. Then came the paperwork, signatures, forms, numbers.

When I saw my name next to 1.5 million dollars, it felt like a dream.

When it was done, the woman smiled again. "Ms. Grant, we've partnered with the local TV station for a charity campaign.

"If you're willing, you could say a few words, share your plans for the money. We'll donate in your name.

"And of course, we can protect your privacy, mask, voice disguise, whatever you prefer."