The Flower That Grew from Ashes novel Chapter 19

Half an hour later, the car rolled through the massive iron gates of the Lehman Estate.

The estate was a sprawling, modern manor situated halfway up a private mountain, surrounded by manicured gardens and sweeping terraces. In a city where real estate was worth its weight in gold, it stood entirely isolated like a secluded island fortress.

The car pulled smoothly up to the front of the main house.

Before Annelise even stepped out, she spotted her mother-in-law, Lizzie, standing at the top of the grand entrance steps.

Lizzie wore an elegant, deep purple designer dress draped with an expensive cashmere shawl. Her hair was styled to perfection, and her face wore the standard, practiced look of concern expected of a high-society matriarch.

"Annelise, you're finally back. Hurry, get inside. It's too windy out here."

While her words feigned maternal warmth, her eyes scanned Annelise's pale face with the cold precision of an X-ray machine.

It wasn't a look of sympathy. It was an appraisal. She was looking at her like she was a piece of damaged merchandise, trying to calculate how much residual value was left to extract.

Leaning heavily on Harriet's arm, Annelise stepped out of the car and forced a weak, exhausted smile. "It's good to see you."

"I'm glad you're home. Truly glad." Lizzie patted her hand, her perfectly manicured fingers icy to the touch. "You've been through so much. I already had the kitchen prepare a special restorative broth for you. Go up to your room and rest. You can have it later."

And just like that, Annelise's new reality at the Lehman Estate officially began.

She was escorted to a large guest suite on the east wing of the second floor. The room was incredibly spacious and luxuriously furnished, but at the end of the day, it was still just a guest room. It wasn't the master suite on the third floor with the massive balcony she and Hackett used to share.

While Harriet was unpacking her bags, she made sure the hallway was clear before leaning in to whisper. "Ma'am, I overheard some of the staff talking earlier. They're doing renovations up on the third floor. Knocking down walls and everything. They said... they're preparing a brand-new master suite for Clarissa."

Annelise's hands froze on the buttons of her coat.

Preparing a new room for Clarissa? On the third floor?

The third floor was exclusively reserved for the heads of the family. Aside from Barnum and Lizzie, the only other people who had ever lived up there were Annelise and Hackett, and... Elias, Hackett's late older brother.

Moving a "grieving widow" into a primary suite on the third floor completely defied the estate's strict hierarchy.

Unless, of course, she wasn't going to be a "grieving widow" for much longer.

...

That night, entirely as expected, Annelise couldn't sleep.

The surgical incision on her abdomen throbbed relentlessly. The unfamiliar room, the foreign bed, and the crushing weight of everything she had uncovered kept her wide awake.

By 2:00 AM, her throat was painfully dry, so she slipped out of bed to head down to the main kitchen for some water.

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