Lina's POV
A dowry has always been a woman's foundation—her safety net, her power. Winter had clutched that idea like a lifeline when she came to me in tears, and it took nearly an hour to calm her down before she finally left, still sniffling.
The moment I closed the door, my phone lit up. Chloe.
We'd barely spoken since she'd come to Burndale—she didn't want to disturb my pregnancy rest, and I'd been "busy": navigating family politics, my half-sister's drama, and the pieces of my heart Adrian had left shattered. I answered immediately, smiling for the first time all day.
"Lina!" Chloe's voice burst out before her face even focused. "He called me *cousin*! In front of everyone—just casually dropped it like it was nothing!"
She was sprawled across her window seat in cartoo
