Chapter 2

I went back to my room and closed the door, the click of the latch sounding final. I pulled my suitcase from the top of the closet and began to pack. I moved with a methodical calmness, folding clothes I had worn a thousand times in this house, placing them neatly inside. I was leaving, and this time, no one was going to stop me.

As I reached for the photo album on my nightstand, my fingers brushed against its torn cover. I opened it. The pictures of my mother and me, taken before she died, were slashed through with a black marker. Vicious lines crossed out her smiling face, my childhood innocence. My hands started to shake. It was Chloe's work, I knew it. She had been in my room yesterday while I was in class. And Liam had let her.

A wave of nausea hit me, but it wasn't just disgust. It was a cold, hard realization. I had spent my entire youth revolving around a man who saw me as nothing more than a convenience, a placeholder, a tool to be used and discarded. He let this happen. He let Chloe vandalize the only pictures I had of my own mother. The blind dependency I had felt for him for so long finally curdled into something else, something sharp and clear. I had to get away from him, from this house that had become a prison of his making.

I picked up my phone and dialed my father's number again.

"Dad," I said, my voice hushed. "I'm coming home. Tonight."

There was a pause on the other end. "Tonight? Ava, what happened? Did Liam..."

"I'll explain when I get there. Can you book a flight for me? The last one out of Oceanville. Please, don't tell anyone."

"Of course, sweetie. Of course." I could hear the worry in his voice, but also a note of long-suppressed hope. "I'll send the ticket to your email. I always knew he wasn't good for you."

"He used to be," I whispered, more to myself than to him. "He used to protect me."

It was true. My father reminded me of a time years ago when he had tried to have me move in with him. I was fifteen, and Liam had found out. The memory was seared into my mind. He had locked me in my room, his face pale with a rage I had never seen before or since. He had stood outside the door all night, not letting anyone near, not even his own father. "She's not leaving," he had yelled through the wood. "She's mine to protect. She stays with me." At the time, I had mistaken his terrifying possessiveness for love. I had felt safe, chosen. Now, I saw it for what it was: control. He didn't want to protect me, he wanted to own me.

As I was zipping my suitcase, my phone buzzed with a notification. It was a new post from Liam. My blood ran cold as I read it. He had posted a picture of him and Chloe, smiling radiantly, with a caption that was a direct attack on me.

"So happy to have the love of my life back. Finally getting rid of the leeches and social climbers who try to get in our way. Some people just don't know when to take a hint."

The comments flooded in immediately, his friends and followers praising him, calling Chloe beautiful, and adding their own veiled insults about the unnamed "leech." It was a public shaming, a clear message to everyone in our social circle that I was the villain, the pathetic stepsister who couldn't let go.

My phone buzzed again. A message from Chloe.

"Saw you packing. Running away? Don't worry, I'll take good care of Liam for you. You were never good enough for him anyway."

Attached was a picture of her wearing my favorite necklace, a delicate silver locket my mother had given me. It had been on my dresser this morning. She had stolen it.

Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I would not give them the satisfaction. I took a deep breath, wiped my screen, and made a decision. I wouldn't tell them I was leaving for good. I would let them think I was just going to the guest room for a few days, just like they wanted. My real departure would be a secret.

The next morning, the atmosphere at the breakfast table was thick with tension. I sat silently, pushing food around my plate, while Liam and Chloe acted like a perfect couple, feeding each other bites of toast and whispering in each other's ears. They ignored me completely, their happiness a weapon aimed directly at my heart.

Liam's phone rang, breaking the silence. "Hey, Mark. Yeah? The annual charity gala is tonight? I almost forgot." He glanced at Chloe, his eyes softening. "Of course, I'll be there. And I'll be bringing the most beautiful date."

Chloe giggled, preening under his attention. "Oh, Liam. I don't have anything to wear."

Liam's eyes flickered to me for the first time all morning, and a cold dread washed over me. I knew what was coming next.

"Don't worry," he said, his voice smooth as silk. "Ava will take you shopping."