Chapter 2Don’t Let Me Fade Away

The icy wind bit into my cheeks, and suddenly, I was back on that snowy night.

Standing before me was Vivian. Her lips were pale, her cheeks flushed red from the biting cold, her hands shaking violently as she struggled to lock the front door.

"Vivian! Open this damn door!"

"Do you hear me? Selene is dying in that hospital bed! How can you just stand there and let her die?"

Arthur's muffled screams rattled the heavy wooden door, followed by the dull, heavy thuds of his body throwing itself against the frame.

I saw Vivian hesitate, her key trembling halfway out of the lock. Without a word, I stepped forward, reached over her shoulder, and turned the key the rest of the way, clicking it shut.

Startled by my sudden presence, she gasped, her fragile frame pressing hard against the locked door. "Who... who are you?"

I reached into my coat and pulled out a thick envelope packed with cash. "My name is Dawn. I’m here to give you this."

With only a thin sheet of wood separating us from the raging man inside, I held my breath and looked into my mother's eyes.

The suspicion in her gaze slowly softened into confusion.

I grabbed her cold hand and pressed the envelope into her palm, my voice cracking with a desperate plea.

"I only have one condition."

"Divorce him."

"You don't have to decide right now. Just promise me you'll think about it. You have seven days."