Chapter 1  Sadie Douglas’s six older brothers had taken in an orphan girl named Lorena Houston.  “Lorena’s not in good health. It’s no big deal if you give her a…

9 Chapter 9.  9 Chapter 9  Victoria used her pregnancy to get out on medical leave, with a police guard at her  door.  When the detective told me Emily had…

8 Chapter 8  My mother had cried so much that she was now completely blind.  Behind her, my parents and Daniel approached, their steps slow and heavy.  The three of…

7 Chapter 7  A smile played on Sarah’s lips, but I saw a tear slide from the corner of her eye. “A cheating fiancé and a pair of cruel, heartless…

6 Chapter 6  Victoria’s desperate pleas were cut short when my mother rushed forward and slapped her so hard she fell to the ground.  They were all intimate pictures of…

5 Chapter 5  5 Chapter 5  “Emily, don’t scare me, it’s all my fault, please wake up!”  The cold morgue filled with the heart–wrenching cries of my parents. They finally…

Chapter 4: Chapter 4 Daniel smiled and nodded, promising to do just that. To keep Victoria happy, no one at the Thanksgiving table mentioned my disappearance. Suddenly, a loud, insistent…

Chapter 3: Chapter 3 Daniel knew how much my parents favored my sister. He knew how much I had suffered my whole life, and he knew how desperately I needed…

Chapter 2: Chapter 2 “Daniel, do you think Emily will hate me? She still hasn’t returned any of my calls…” Victoria asked, leaning against Daniel’s chest like a fragile flower….

Chapter 1: Chapter 1 The night before my engagement party, my sister Victoria appears at my door, tears streaming down her face. “I have leukemia, Emily. Six months to live.”…