After gathering the scattered dollar bills, Celine walked with a heavy, listless gait toward the small wooden wardrobe in the corner of the room. She pulled out a worn wallet, its surface peeling with age. As she tried to tuck the money inside, the wallet groaned under the strain, it was full. It could no longer hold the stack of bills Celine had just received from Leo.
Celine brushed away the remaining tears on her cheeks with a rough motion. She took a deep breath, trying to dispel the tightness still nesting in her chest. A spark of resolve began to ignite behind her swollen eyes; she refused to stay broken. She had to rebuild her life, piece by piece.
"I need to get all of this into the bank immediately," Celine murmured to the silence of the room.
Her voice sounded steadier now. To Celine, this money was no longer just paper. It was her ticket out of the hell Leo had created. She had to amass a fortune and escape with her mother to a place where Leo could never find them.
