George
I pull the car up to the villa, staring at the front gates as they slide shut behind me. The engine dies beneath my hands, and for a moment, I just sit there, gripping the wheel, feeling the weight of the day press down on my chest.
"One day at a time, George," I whisper, but the words sound hollow, even to me. It's not the long days at work that exhaust me, it's coming home. Home isn't a place of peace anymore—it's become a battlefield, and I'm not sure I want to fight.
I step out of the car, shut the door, and walk up to the front door. As soon as I enter the villa, I can hear it—the sharp edge of Grandma's voice cutting through the air like a knife.
"I know you're lying, Charlotte!" Grandma's words hang heavy in the air. "You've been lying from the start, and I'm not going to let you get away with it. Faking that Ella pushed you? In all my years on this earth, I've never seen anyone as vile as you. Who do you think you are?"