Chapter 2

2

When I woke up, the sunset was washing over half the city.

As I packed my bags, my eyes landed on a handmade stuffed tiger on my nightstand.

The stitching was uneven and the fabric had faded to a pale yellow, but I had kept it in perfect condition.

It was the gift Caleb made for me on my eighth birthday.

I bit my lip, debating whether or not to pack it.

Suddenly, my bedroom door was kicked open with a violent thud.

Caleb stood there, his face contorted with rage. He started screaming at me the second he saw me.

"Jojo already agreed to take the assignment! Why did you have to hire people to ruin her reputation?"

"My parents must have known how vicious and calculated you were. That's why they died and left you behind."

"You deserve to be unwanted!"

I felt like I had been struck by lightning. I froze where I stood.

My entire body began to shake violently. My voice came out sharp and shrill.

"Caleb! Do you even know what you're saying?"

Tears raced out of my eyes, dragging me back into the memories I had tried to lock away.

My parents were just like Caleb and me―a miserable, toxic couple.

During one final, massive argument, my mother turned on the gas. she dragged my father into the flames with her.

I was standing outside the building at that exact moment. I was holding a family portrait I had made for a school project.

From that day on, everyone who saw me would sigh and pity me.

They would whisper about the "poor, unwanted child."

Until I got into college, being "unwanted" was the thorn embedded in my heart.

Then, Caleb had appeared.

He had taken my hand, his voice a gentle hum.

"You aren't unwanted. From now on, you're my sister."

"If anyone says that to you again, I'll fight them for you."

That old comfort had now become the jagged knife he used to stab me in my most vulnerable spot.

Caleb seemed to realize what he had said. A flicker of regret crossed his eyes.

"But you hired those men to hurt Jojo. You have to pay for that!"

"Come with me right now and apologize to her. Then, agree to go on the mission in her place. If you do that, I'll pretend this never happened!"

I closed my eyes tightly.

"I didn't do anything. Why would I apologize?"

"In three days, she won't be a part of our lives anymore anyway."

Caleb was too worried about Jocelyn to actually hear what I was saying.

He spit out the words "heartless bitch" and rushed back to the hospital to care for her.

I looked at the stuffed tiger on the table. My heart turned to lead as I tossed it into the trash can.

Caleb, in this life, you're finally getting exactly what you wanted.