Chapter 1 - The Cold Rain
The heavy mahogany doors of the dining room slammed shut behind her, but the echo of her husband’s cold command still rang in her ears. Don't make a scene. She clutched her four-year-old daughter, Lily, tighter against her chest. The little girl was still holding the crusty piece of bread, her small hands trembling against her mother’s silk green dress. Without looking back, she practically ran down the marble hallway, grabbing a trench coat and her purse from the foyer. Outside, the night air was freezing, and a sudden downpour had begun to wash over the sprawling estate. She threw the coat over Lily and rushed down the driveway, the gravel crunching beneath her heels. She didn't have a plan, only the desperate need to get her child away from the monsters sitting at that dinner table. She managed to flag down a passing taxi at the edge of the estate. As she buckled Lily into the backseat and told the driver to just go, she glanced out the back window. The massive iron gates were closing, but standing in the pouring rain, staring directly at the departing cab, was her husband's head of security, pulling out a two-way radio.
