They arrived at the mansion. Kate grabbed a suitcase and packed her most basic clothes—jeans and sneakers. She copied all her work onto a flash drive and handed the plans and sketches to the girls so they could continue the project. Then she went to Bastien’s room, left her phone, laptop, and the necklace with the KyB initials. Everything he had given her, she left behind. She only took clothes for a few days and her work. She walked down the stairs like a ghost, went to the kitchen, and hugged Shadow, crying. The puppy simply licked her tears—he could feel his mommy was in pain.

—I'm sorry, Shadow… I can’t take you with me. I’ll miss you, my little troublemaker.

She stood up and left. Everyone was gathered in the living room. Kate’s tears wouldn’t stop; she was a living corpse. Bastien had destroyed her to the deepest part of her soul. The three girls hugged her as she collapsed to her knees, screaming in pain. It was as if someone were killing her—ripping out her soul. The girls cri