Chapter 24

Lauren's POV

I stood there and watched as Elena’s school bus slowly drove away, the sound of its engine fading down the street until it turned a corner and disappeared from sight. A small ache pressed against my chest, as though each mile it traveled was stretching an invisible thread that tied her to me.

Earlier that morning, I’d had to call the school principal and explain that Elena would be taking the school bus from now on. His voice had carried a note of surprise that stung more than I’d like to admit. I suppose it wasn’t every day that the daughter of Ethan Black, the wealthy businessman, suddenly stopped arriving in a luxury car.

Still, the principal had been polite, though he gently reminded me that I’d have to pay the bus fee when I settled her next tuition payment. Another expense. Another reminder that even though it had barely been twenty-four hours since I left Ethan’s house, the bills and responsibilities were already finding me, pil