Tina Macy dragged herself up from the dusty floorboards beside the central tent pole, clutching the crumpled newspaper against her chest with her raw hands. Her vision blurred with tears as she stumbled away from the reception desk, her boots shaking beneath her trembling knees. Every step across t

"Count every single coin on that wooden bench, Evelyn," Donald Macy ordered in a frantic whisper, his bony fingers trembling against his knees. "We cannot afford to lose even one penny if we are going to look respectable for our boy Ethan." Evelyn Macy leaned over the low bench in the corner of the

"You will walk if you have to crawl, Evelyn!" Donald snapped. "Do you want to die in a concrete crawlspace beneath the train tracks, or do you want to sleep on velvet sheets in a luxury penthouse?" "I want to go home, Donald. I just want our warm life back," Evelyn cried, shrinking against the bric

He wore a tailored charcoal wool coat over a dark three-piece suit. He stood straight beneath the winter sun as his eyes moved across the thousands of people gathered before him. Angela Miretti stepped out beside him. She wore an emerald-green overcoat that fell to her calves, with her dark hair pi

Tina ignored them. Her hazel eyes remained fixed on Ethan. She dragged herself another foot across the pavement on her bleeding knees until she was four feet away from him. "You cannot be this cruel to me, Ethan!" Tina cried. "I know your heart better than anyone in this entire city! I know the ge