Lisey Sweet Pure Taboo __exclusive__ -

She should have run. She should have screamed. Instead, she stepped forward, barefoot onto cool moss, and felt for the first time in her life what it meant to be truly seen—and truly wanted.

Her heart stuttered. No one knew that but her mother, and her mother had been gone three years.

“Someone who remembers when you used to leave milk and cookies by the furnace for the ‘house mouse.’ You were six. You wore a nightgown with ducks on it.” lisey sweet pure taboo

Upstairs, the porcelain figurines wept tiny, silent tears.

“Uncle said—”

“Your uncle lies.” A pause. “Open the door, Lisey. Just a crack. I only want to see if you’ve kept your promise.”

She pressed her ear to the wood. The tapping stopped. Then a voice—low, honey-smooth, patient—said, “You’re awake.” She should have run

Curiosity was a sin she hadn’t yet learned to confess.