Chapter 3

Cassie' s assistant, a young woman with overly bright lipstick and nervous eyes, came to collect the Magnolia Locket.

Aurora handed it over, the antique silver cool against her palm for the last time.

Alistair was hosting a major donor retreat at their Virginia estate, a celebration of his "legacy."

Cassie was there, with her sons. Aurora saw pictures online, Cassie subtly positioned as the gracious hostess.

Alistair' s office had called Aurora. "The Senator suggests you remain in D.C., Mrs. Thorne. A sudden, mild illness. Best not to travel."

Isolation. Clear and cold.

Aurora sat alone in the silent D.C. mansion and drafted a confidential separation agreement. Her hands trembled.

That night, the doorbell rang.

It was Cassie, alone, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips.

She held a framed document. "A little piece of history, Aurora. Alistair found it. Turns out, my family has a distant connection to your precious lineage. Imagine that."

Aurora knew it was a lie, a forgery Alistair must have procured.

"What do you want, Cassie?" Aurora' s voice was tired.

"Just to chat. About the future. Alistair' s future. Our children' s future."

Cassie sauntered into the music room, trailing her fingers over the grand piano.

"This gift of yours," Cassie said, her eyes glittering. "It' s a shame for it to be wasted on someone who doesn' t appreciate what it can do for a man like Alistair."

Anger, cold and sharp, pierced through Aurora' s numbness. "Get out."

"Not yet." Cassie' s smile widened.

The argument escalated. Cassie moved closer to the piano, almost as if by design.

A scuffle. A clumsy, desperate push from Aurora.

Cassie stumbled, then with a sudden, vicious movement, slammed the heavy piano lid down.

Aurora screamed as unimaginable pain shot through her hands.

In the same chaotic moment, as Aurora recoiled, she struck her throat hard against the sharp, raised edge of the piano.

She crumpled, choking, the world dissolving into agony.

Her hands were a ruin. Her voice, a strangled gasp.

The Heartnote Harmony, her soul' s song, was gone.