Chapter 112

The clerk looked up as Sloane gathered her paperwork, and for a moment, the woman just stared. It wasn’t Sloane’s clothes or makeup, it was the glow on her face, the kind people only get when a weight finally slides off their shoulders. “I probably shouldn’t say this,” the clerk murmured, almost laughing at herself, “but… whatever you’re leaving behind? It seems like you’re better off.” Sloane’s smile widened, warm and certain. “Yeah,” she said. “I really am.” When she stepped outside the courthouse, it felt like the whole world had shifted. The sky looked clearer. The breeze smelled sweeter. She practically floated down the steps, light on her feet like she’d grown wings. To celebrate, because freedom deserved something shiny, she wandered through a nearby mall, treating herself to a couple of new outfits and a thin gold bracelet. A private little symbol: Today is mine. Maybe the joy made her careless. Maybe she was just too relieved to notice anything else. Because when she left the