Chapter 3

Cold sweat beaded on my forehead, and my hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold on.

In the end, I still took the box with me as I walked into the apartment complex.

This was the first time I'd ever taken anything from Lucas.

I had no other choice, and honestly, I was so ashamed I wished I could disappear.

If I sold it, at least my dad and I could eat tonight instead of going hungry.

The box in my hand felt like a hot potato.

I barely managed to keep myself from tossing it away.

As soon as I stepped through the gate, out of nowhere, someone slapped me hard, right across the face.

The streetlights in the run-down apartment complex were dim and flickering.

Completely blindsided, I almost lost my balance and nearly hit the ground.

Everything went dark for a second, and it took a while before I could see who was in front of me.

It was my dad. His face was twisted with rage, and he was leaning on his cane.

He must've seen me meeting with Lucas and noticed the phone in my hand.

I opened my mouth, and the explanation was ready to spill out.

But then I remembered that by now, there was really no use explaining anymore.

My silence probably seemed like I was admitting it.

I heard my dad's voice come out through gritted teeth. "Isabelle, do you ever have nightmares at night?

"Don't you ever see your mom and brother in your dreams, drenched in blood?"

His voice caught, struggling for a long moment before he finally managed to speak, "Even when your brother was dying, he was still crying out for you.

"Do you have a heart, Isabelle?"

His eyes were rimmed with tears, burning with rage and heartbreak.

I dropped my head, feeling utterly defeated.

Then, out of nowhere, a girl's voice I didn't recognize rang out. "Dad, please calm down. You've only started to get better."

I jerked my head up.

That was when I finally noticed a girl, around fifteen, holding onto my dad.

She was wearing my old school dress, and in the dim light, her features looked like mine.

A bad feeling settled in my chest.

Instinctively, I reached out, trying to yank my dad's hand back from her grip.

I asked, "Who the hell are you? Why are you wearing my clothes? Get away from him."

The girl flinched and took a step back, looking scared and lost.

When I couldn't pull my dad's hand away, I angrily shoved the girl aside. "Let go. Who are you, some kind of con artist or what?"

Before I could finish, my dad shoved me away hard.

My head spun, that iron taste of blood flooded my mouth, and I could hear my heart pounding wildly.

This time, I couldn't stay on my feet. I stumbled and hit the ground hard.

I coughed up blood, yet in the darkness, no one noticed that.

Above me, my dad's voice was cold as ice. "Sophie is my adopted daughter. I'm going to sell the house to raise her.

"From now on, you're not my daughter anymore. A person who killed her own family isn't worthy of being my daughter."

My vision was fading fast.

I could barely make out the sound of footsteps drifting away, leaving nothing but the endless, suffocating silence of the night.

A sharp pain stabbed at my chest, and I couldn't stop coughing.

I fumbled in my coat pocket for the pills and swallowed them.

Maybe I took too many, or maybe they were the wrong kind, but the pain in my chest only got worse.

A cold chill crept over me, and my mind started to drift away.

My body went limp, and I collapsed to the ground, slipping into unconsciousness.

Once again, in my dream, I found myself back in those days from years ago.