Vanessa started to speak, but Daniel stopped her with a raised hand. I kissed both children, then got into the sedan. As it pulled away, Daniel stood on the porch, looking stunned — not simply because I was leaving, but because Harold Bennett had come to take me.

Daniel understood influence. He understood wealth. For the first time, he’d been forced to see that my life extended beyond the cramped room he’d assigned me.

Chapter 7 — The Penthouse

Harold lived in a penthouse over Lake Michigan. The private elevator opened onto pale stone floors, soft lighting, and windows stretching across the skyline.

Thin sheets of snow moved over the lake below. A housekeeper named Rosa welcomed me and carried one suitcase toward the guest suite. Harold carried the other.

“You’ll stay as long as you want,” he said.

“I don’t want to become dependent on someone else.”