Chapter 2

Mom went on, "And Stella... well, she's a highly sensitive girl. She bombed her finals and got stuck in a really dark place. Your brother was terrified she might do something drastic.

"If something happened to your sister, what would I do? Please, just have a little mercy on me and let this go. Okay?

"I swear to you, we will make Aaron fix this before August so you can go to your proper school. Deal?"

She stared at me with desperate, pleading eyes. The implication was crystal clear.

If I didn't nod and agree right then and there, I was a heartless, ungrateful daughter tearing the family apart.

Right on cue, Stella shrank against Mom's side.

She looked up with wide, tear-soaked eyes and mumbled. "I'm so sorry, Hannah. It's all my fault. Please don't be mad at Aaron anymore.

"I'll... I'll just quit painting entirely. I'll give all my opportunities back to you. I'm just an adopted orphan anyway. Everything in this house is yours. I don't deserve any of it."

Fat tears cascaded down her cheeks. She looked so fragile she might shatter.

Aaron immediately pulled her into a protective hug, his face twisted with sympathy.

When he looked back at me, any lingering guilt in his eyes was dead. Only ice-cold conviction remained. "Did you hear that?

"Stella already admitted she was wrong! Can't you just let this go? Do you seriously have to make things this ugly?"

Logan let out a heavy sigh, stood up, and grabbed my wrist. "Hannah, enough drama.

"Just apologize to your parents and Aaron, and we can put this whole thing behind us. Stop throwing a childish tantrum."

I gently but firmly twisted my wrist out of Logan's grasp.

"Apologize?" I finally spoke, my voice completely flat. "Apologize to Stella? For what exactly?

"Because my college enrollment was secretly sabotaged? Because I wanted a single honest answer?

"Or maybe... because I didn't quietly swallow the abuse and smile at Stella while telling her it was completely fine?"

Mom gasped. "Excuse me?!"

I didn't even wait for her to finish. I bent down and picked up the crumpled admission letter for Southbridge State University lying by my feet.

"You're absolutely right." I placed the wrinkled paper flat on the coffee table, smoothing it out perfectly straight so it faced every single one of them. "I'm not 'understanding' enough. I'm ruining the precious 'harmony' of this household."

I stood back up, my spine completely straight, and let my gaze sweep over each of them one last time.

"So, if surviving in this family means playing the good, obedient victim..." I paused, making sure every syllable landed crystal clear. "I'm done being in it."

Without waiting to see their reactions, I turned on my heel and marched straight toward the front door.

Behind me, my mother's voice cracked in a sudden, high-pitched shriek. "Hannah! Where are you going?! Get back here right now!"

And beneath it, my dad's furious, low-pitched roar. "Let her walk! If she leaves, she can stay gone forever!"

*****

Stella. The name was a cold splinter buried deep in my mind, bringing a dull ache with every breath I took.

It happened ten years ago. I was eight, and she was seven.

She was our former housekeeper's orphaned daughter, taken into our hilltop estate out of some murky sense of obligation.

Just like that, she became the Hayes family's new adopted daughter.

When my parents brought her home, her eyes were red and swollen as she timidly hid behind their legs.

"Hannah, this is your new little sister, Stella," my mom said gently, stroking my hair. "She's family now, so you need to take good care of her, okay?"

But the look my mom gave Stella was absolutely brimming with pity.

My dad crouched down to her eye level. "Stella, this is your home now. And this is your big sister, Hannah. You girls play nice, alright?"

At first, I was thrilled. I finally had a little sister to share my toys, my secrets, and my parents' love with. Or so I thought.

Things changed fast.

My favorite dolls would mysteriously break, their hair chopped off or their dresses ruined with markers.

Whenever I found them and ran crying to Mom, Stella's eyes would well up with tears. "I'm so sorry, Hannah. I didn't mean to. I just wanted to help brush her hair."

Mom would pull her into a hug, soothing her softly before turning to me. "Hannah, she's still little and doesn't know any better.

"You're the older sister, so you need to be the bigger person. It's just a doll. I'll buy you a new one."

My homework assignments would also vanish into thin air right before I had to turn them in.

When I confronted her, Stella would bite her lip, tears streaming down her face. "I didn't do it on purpose, Hannah. I thought it was scrap paper. I'm sorry, please don't be mad."

Every single time, my parents would pacify me instead. "Hannah, Stella just got here and she doesn't feel secure yet.

"She probably just wants your attention. You're older and need to be more understanding. Just redo the assignment."

Gradually, it escalated. From dolls and homework, it moved to birthday presents from friends, and even the rewards I earned for getting straight A's.