"Who needs an umbrella in the rain?" she said, and stepped into the car.
We continued to stand there as the car slowly pulled away and drove down the Mansion's drive, past the gate, and into the street. Mrs. Sterling didn't look back. Perhaps if she did, she would never have been able to leave.
I felt sad, for Alexander and for me.
Tears welled in my eyes, and I couldn't help but frown.
"Why are you crying? I thought you'd be happy," Alexander said, wiping a tear from my face.
"I thought I'd be, too," I said. "I didn't want youto move, Alexander. But I didn't want them to either."
Alexander gave me a soft kiss in the rain. As the car disappeared, he put his arm around me and led me back inside my second home-theSterlingMansion on Benson Hill.