Chapter 3

"Money. That' s what this is about, isn't it?" Ethan' s voice dripped with disdain. "You think you can scare us into a payout."

I shook my head. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind.

All I felt was a vast weariness, and underneath it, a flicker of something new, something like release.

"It' s not about money, Ethan," I said, my voice clearer now, surprising even myself.

"If you do this, if you make me sign these papers, Miller's Markets will be facing ruin before sunrise."

He threw his head back and laughed, a harsh, barking sound.

"Ruin? By sunrise? Oh, that' s rich! The little hillbilly witch doctor is making prophecies now!"

His friends joined in the laughter.

"I want to talk to Dad," I said, my gaze unwavering.

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Fine. Let him hear your crazy threats."

He pulled out his phone, dialed, and put it on speaker.

"Dad? Sadie's here, throwing a tantrum. She says if we disown her, the company' s finished by morning."

Richard Miller' s voice, tinny and impatient, came through the phone.

"Sarah, don't be ridiculous. Ethan is doing what' s necessary. We' ve indulged your... presence... long enough. Sign the papers and be done with it."

No concern, no hesitation. Just dismissal.

"You're making a mistake, Dad," I said, the words coming out quiet but firm. "You're throwing away more than you know."

"The only mistake was keeping you connected to this family for so long," Richard snapped. "Sign them, Ethan." He hung up.

Ethan' s smirk was triumphant. He shoved the pen and papers towards me on a nearby table.

"Your stagecoach back to the hollar awaits, princess."

I picked up the pen. The weight of it felt significant.

A strange sense of peace, of detachment, washed over me.

The ties were already broken, really. This was just the paperwork.

My hand was steady as I signed "Sarah Miller" for the last time on anything connected to them.

The ink was black against the white paper. Final.