Chapter 20 · Three Days to Pay

"You think you can just walk away?" Mara's voice came through the mirror, but the face staring back was mine. Same dark eyes. Same scar above the left eyebrow. "Your mother did. Look how that turned out."

I grabbed the edge of the sink. The porcelain was cold enough to burn.

"Leah." Nathaniel's hand closed around my wrist, pulling me back. "Don't answer her."

"Why not?" I twisted free. "She's already in my head. She's wearing my face."

"Because the moment you acknowledge her claim, you accept the terms." He moved between me and the mirror. "That's how it works. That's how your mother got caught."

The reflection smiled. Not my smile. Mara's.

"Three days," she said. "That's all you have left. The house gave your mother three days to find a witness. She found two. Ran before the third. Now it's your turn."

"What witness?" My voice came out steadier than I felt. "What are you talking about?"

Nathaniel turned to me. His face was gray in the kitchen light. "A contract needs three witnesses to close. Your mother signed. She brought two witnesses—people who saw what she agreed to, who heard her speak the terms.