Julia never imagined a single afternoon could change everything. Abandoned by her husband on a deserted roadside, with her daughters asleep in the backseat, the world she knew crumbled instantly. Panic clawed at her, fear rooted her to the spot—but then she saw her.
An elderly woman on a distant bench, calm, commanding, wearing a cream coat and dark sunglasses, radiated authority. “Stop crying,” she said, blunt yet steady. “Tears don’t fix anything.”
Before Julia could respond, the woman whispered, “Do you want him to regret leaving you? Today?”
A sleek black Mercedes glided into view. Julia’s heart pounded as the woman introduced her as a granddaughter to a man in a sharp suit, and suddenly, Julia found herself stepping into a world she had never known.
The car wound through affluent neighborhoods, past manicured lawns and towering trees, finally stopping at a mansion that looked like it belonged in a magazine. Inside, crystal chandeliers reflected sunlight, the air smelled of flowers and polished wood, and Julia realized she was far from the despair of the roadside.
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