ULTIMATUMS

The ornate doors of the Scooper estate swung open with a resounding crack, spilling Amelia onto the front steps. She stumbled forward gracelessly, clutching a worn leather suitcase to her heaving bosom. Behind her, Mrs. Scooper sneered down from the towering doorway.

"Remember this, girl - you are no daughter of mine," the matriarch spat venomously. With a flick of her wrist, the heavy doors slammed shut with finality, the echo ricocheting off ancient stone.

Amelia collapsed into a quivering heap, tears streaming relentlessly down porcelain cheeks. All at once, the threads holding together her meticulously crafted existence had begun unraveling with terrifying swiftness. She was adrift, unmoored, with nowhere left to turn.

As the sun dipped below the horizon and darkness descended, a lone figure approached through the gloom. Ethan halted a respectful distance away, gazing down at his former wife with an amalgamation of pity and disdain.

"It's done, then," he said softly, almost a qu