Chapter 28 Her Stand

• The storm had passed, but its echo lingered inside the Blackwood mansion. The chandeliers still trembled from the wind’s fury, and the air carried the faint scent of rain and something heavier than betrayal, or the aftermath of it.
• Elena sat alone in the grand parlor, her eyes swollen from crying. The divorce papers lay on the table before her, untouched, accusing. She had spent the night staring at them, as if by sheer will she could erase the words written there.
• When dawn finally crept through the curtains, it found her still there;shoulders straight, face pale but resolute. Her heart was fractured, yes, but not defeated.