Chapter 1

That year, we had nowhere else to turn. My sister, Elena Lane, and I were kept by the Pierce brothers. We each had a child with them.

Elena, who couldn't stop crying because of her condition, was taken away by the psychopathic older brother, Jonathan Pierce.

I went with Ryan Pierce, the illegitimate son. I was mute. He once had a mute girlfriend who died, and she stayed in his heart forever.

Five years passed. We were just existing. Then, Elena said she wanted to leave.

Jonathan had killed her kitten. He threw it to the ground because he loved watching her cry. Their son, Matthew Pierce, clapped for him.

She told me to behave and said I should stay with Ryan and take care of my child. She promised to visit me often once she settled down.

I grabbed her suitcase and signed to her. "But I don't love him. And I don't love that child either. I only came to this family to be with you."

Elena sighed softly, "Then, let's leave together."

*****

I put in the last piece of clothing and closed the suitcase. It wasn't big, but it was still half empty.

Elena lifted it for me and asked softly, "Is that you have?"

I nodded, then pointed to the small silver-gray suitcase in the corner. That one was Elena's.

She was just like me. After five years in the Pierce household, we didn't have much that was truly ours.

We each carried a suitcase. Elena took my hand, and we went downstairs together.

In the living room, my son Alex Pierce and Elena's son Matthew were playing video games with their controllers in hand.

Elena led me over to them.

Alex, annoyed that his view was blocked, screamed right away, "Move! A mute and a crybaby. So annoying."

I stood still. Behind me, the TV made the game-over sound.

Alex got angry. He reached out and knocked my suitcase over. He dropped the controller, jumped up, and glared at me. "You're already mute. Are you deaf too?"

Matthew sat nearby and said nothing. But disgust was plain on his face. He took after Jonathan. He was a few years older than Alex and better at hiding what he felt.

Elena crouched down and picked up the suitcase for me. She stood up and looked calmly at Matthew. "When your dad and Uncle Ryan get back, tell them Hailey and I are leaving."

Matthew said nothing. Elena didn't say more. She took my hand and led me out.

We were almost through the front door when Matthew's voice suddenly came from behind. "You're not coming back?"

Elena held my hand and froze for a second. She stopped at the doorway. After a long pause, she still didn't turn around. She just said quietly, "No. We're not coming back."

Behind us, Alex cheered. "Great! The two pests are finally gone."

Matthew didn't say a word.

It was the middle of summer, scorching hot, with rain pouring down outside. As we left, Elena held an umbrella and tilted it toward me as much as she could.

A few days earlier, Ryan had gotten yelled at home and dragged me to the racetrack to blow off steam. He almost wrecked my leg when he rammed into me.

My wound was just starting to scab over. Elena was worried it would get wet.

I looked at her soaked shoulder. She smiled and said softly, "It's fine. I'm tough."

We got into a taxi. She changed the bandage on my leg. When she looked up again, her eyes were red. Her voice shook a little. "It hurts, doesn't it? From now on, never again."

I shook my head and signed, "It doesn't hurt."

We got out of the taxi and got on the bullet train. The long tracks carried us back to our seaside hometown, a place we hadn't been back in years.

Halfway there, Jonathan actually called Elena. I was sitting close enough to hear his voice, tight with displeasure. "Where are you?"

Outside, the scenery rushed past. Elena pressed one hand against the window. Her fingers curled slightly, nervous.

But her voice was as calm and gentle as always. "I cleared out all my things. If there's anything left, please throw it away for me."

Jonathan's voice grew heavy, impatience creeping in. "I asked you, where are you?"

Elena had been used to going along with whatever people wanted from her all those years. Back when Dad was still around, she always did whatever he asked.

After Dad died, she ended up with Jonathan and went along with whatever he wanted from then on.

So, when she spoke again, her voice sounded a bit stiff, like she was forcing herself to say it. "You don't need to know. From now on, we're done."

Jonathan was probably taken aback by her tone. He was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, anger creeping in, "Did I say you could leave?"

Elena's voice got softer. "You have no reason to say no." She knew. All these years, he had always had someone else in his heart.

Jonathan laughed in disbelief, his fury barely contained. "All over some stupid cat?"

This time, Elena fell silent for a long time. So long that I started to wonder if he had already hung up. Then, I finally heard her speak again, "Yeah. Let's just say that's it."

A cold laugh came from the other end. "Just so happens Sharon can't find a place to stay, so she's going to be crashing at my place for a few days. So you and your precious sister can stay out there forever."

Then, the line went dead with a sharp beep. Elena put her phone down and pulled me into her arms.

She could never hold back her tears, always worried I'd feel sad if I saw her crying. But I felt it anyway. Her tears fell onto my shoulder silently.

I let her hold me, feeling her body shaking. After a long time, I gently pulled away. I reached into my pocket, pulled out a bank card, and slipped it into her hand.

I signed to her, "I saved up a lot of money. I'll stick by you from now on. We'll be fine."

It didn't matter. Men were nothing special. We didn't need to depend on anyone. From the day I was born, Elena and I only ever had each other.

She wiped her eyes, forced a smile, and nodded.

The train raced on. Riverside City, the place we had lived for five years, faded into the distance.