Olivia sat motionless on the high stone wall, staring out at the valley in front of her. Tears slipped out of the corners of her eyes, spilling down her cheeks. She watched as the caravan inched away from the manor into the forest, and her gaze kept catching on the single white horse and its rider.

“Olivia, what are you doing?” The accusing voice of her twin, Mark, broke the silence. “You’re the one who made Daniel go. He wanted to marry you.”

Olivia sighed brokenly. “I know.”

“You could have been a princess, gotten out of this place!” Mark gestured to the manor, as if he could push it all away.

Olivia whipped around angrily. “You think I don’t know that, Matt? You think I that I want to stay here, and deal with our lousy stepfather day after day after day?!” The fire drained from her voice. She trailed off into a forlorn whisper. “I loved Daniel, Mark, but he didn’t love me. He only saw me as a way to boost his own self-importance. I gave him this last chance. But I was stupid to think he could change.”