Chapter 2

I didn't say anything. The person on the other end kept saying hello a few more times before hanging up.

My fingers trembled as I stared at the collar, my mind drifting.

Nohelia Funeral Home was where my sister was cremated.

Why was the number on Chubby's collar for Nohelia Funeral Home instead of Lucy?

While I was lost in thought, Wyatt came out. The moment Chubby saw him, he jumped up and did a little bow with his paws, like it was second nature.

Wyatt walked over and nudged him playfully with his foot, the whole thing looking really affectionate.

I was still sitting on the couch, my mind stuck on what had just happened, when Wyatt put the steaming steak in front of Chubby.

I found myself staring at him, a bit spaced out, because I remembered Wyatt never really liked animals, let alone being so affectionate with one.

Had they been secretly hanging out a lot?

I was feeling pretty tired, so after a glass of milk, I went to bed early.

But I just couldn't get any real rest.

First, I dreamed that Chubby turned into a dog with a human face and tried to eat me. Then, my sister Ellie Sterling showed up in my dream.

We grew up loaded, and everyone for miles around said my dad was a stand-up guy, famous all over for being so generous.

He was always doing good deeds, donating to orphanages and animal shelters, even starting a charity under our name so kids way out in the mountains could actually go to school.

But as far as I remembered, Dad wasn't much of a good guy at all. Whenever he got drunk, he'd either hit me and Mom or scream at us for no reason.

Things only changed when Mom got pregnant again. Suddenly, he stopped with the beatings and spent every day rubbing her belly, going on and on about finally having a son.

But he was let down. Mom had another girl.

He called the three of us worthless daughters and started staying out all night. Even when he did come home, he'd show up with a parade of women caked in makeup and take them upstairs.

Mom would often cry when she thought no one could see her, because Dad had started hitting me and Ellie again.

I used to think about taking Ellie and just ending our lives together; if we were gone, at least we wouldn't have to get hit anymore.

But Mom always told us we had to survive, and that one day we'd escape this place.

It wasn't until Ellie and I went off to college that Dad couldn't hurt us anymore.

I started dating someone, and Ellie finally got to pursue her childhood dream of learning the violin.

After graduation, I moved abroad for work, while Ellie stayed in the country to teach violin.

Everything seemed to be falling into place.

One night, Mom called me from back home, her voice trembling as she told me Ellie was gone.

How could Ellie be dead? I jumped on the next plane back, my heart pounding with panic.

But by the time I made it home, Ellie had already been cremated.

Mom said Ellie died in a car accident. It was like she'd aged a decade in a single night.

I quit my job overseas and devoted myself to staying home with her.

Mom started acting strange, like she was coming down with something. One day, I came home, and she was nowhere to be found.

Right when I was about to call the police, I found her and Dad together in the bedroom.

Mom was trembling, gripping a knife, and Dad was sprawled out in a pool of blood, already gone.

The cops hauled Mom off, and everyone said she'd snapped and murdered Dad.

From that moment on, I was truly alone. My family was gone for good.

I became Dad's only heir, and just like that, I was a millionaire before I even hit my twenties.

I met my boyfriend Wyatt at a party. He had been amazing to me, and we were about to tie the knot.

But the saddest part was, Ellie, the little sister who always tagged along behind me, wouldn't get to see me walk down the aisle.

It was such a shame.

When I woke up, tears were streaming down my face. God, I missed Ellie so much.