Her Voice, Their Sacrifice

I lived a quiet life on the Texas frontier, raised by my kind adoptive parents, Jed and Elara.

My childhood sweetheart, Ethan, left for the city with a promise: he' d become a lawyer, make a fortune, and come back for me.

He even sealed it with a small, simple ring.

I wore it close to my heart, dreaming of our future.

Then came the letter.

Not from Ethan, but a cold, typewritten announcement of his engagement to Miss Seraphina Thorne, formally dismissing me as a simple frontier girl.

That same day, I found Jed and Elara in the smokehouse.

Not whole.

Brutally, impossibly changed.