Chapter 63

• ERIN'S POV
• FLASHBACK
• As I strode out of the living room, I gazed at the bunch of keys in my hand, a symbol of Mr. Clinton's kindness in offering me a place to stay. Yet, despite his generosity, I couldn't shake off the suffocating feeling of defeat. It was an all-too-familiar sensation, one that had haunted me since childhood. Defeat was annoying, painful, and heart-wrenching, tearing apart every shred of hope and shattering the fragile happiness my mother had worked tirelessly to provide.