
The Council of Embers
by Katie Mc

After escaping an coercive relationship, Maude Eveleigh retreats into solitude, seeking peace rather than revenge. Haunted by her past and torn between isolation and the pull of human connection, she rebuilds her life through therapy, art, and discovery of a new man. Maude learns that healing is not found in disappearance but in daring to rejoin the world. Yet beneath her quiet renewal lingers a shadow and Maude’s calm may conceal more than sorrow.