1. The Fall
The autumn sun spilled gold across Blackwood Cliff, its light catching on the jagged rocks below like shards of glass. The air smelled of pine and danger.
Tyler’s Italian loafers crunched against gravel as he wheeled his mother toward the edge. The wind lifted her shawl — a fragile wisp of fabric against the cold, sharp world. Margaret looked up at her son, her eyes clouded with both love and suspicion.
He smiled, too calm. “I just thought you’d like the view, Mother.”
His tone was soft, almost affectionate — the kind of tone that hides a storm beneath.
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