AUTHOR
In the drugged, hazy space between sleep and waking, Payton's mind was a prison. A single, horrifying loop played over and over, each time carving the truth deeper into her soul.
It started with Paige. She saw her sister, standing tall and defiant in their father's study, her voice clear and sharp as broken glass. "I will not marry him." Shunsuke's face, cold and unmovable. In the memory, Payton remembered feeling a thrill. Good, she had thought. Let her be the difficult one. Let her be the disappointment. Paige was cast out, and overnight, she became the villain of the family story. The ungrateful daughter. The one who threw it all away.
Then the scene shifted. She saw her father's face, but this time it was turned to her. His eyes were warm with approval.
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You are the perfect one, Payton. My true heir. You are irreplaceable." She had basked in that warmth, believing every word. She was the golden child. The chosen one.
