Chapter 1

Leah Walker's POV

The hotel didn't want any trouble, so they didn't call the police. Three days passed before the police discovered Mom, not breathing and her face drained of color.

One of the women who found us clapped a hand over her mouth and screamed. The others reacted a beat too late, scrambling to cover my eyes while someone fumbled for their phone to call an ambulance.

"Who could do something this cruel? This kid's practically blue from the cold—this has to have happened a while ago."

"Come on, help me out. Move, move! We've got to get her to the hospital!"

Everyone looked grim. The policewoman's hand shook as she patted my back, trying to comfort me.

I trailed after them as they rushed Mom to the hospital. I waited a full day and night, but Mom never came back out of that tiny operating room.

A police officer finally scooped me up to take me home. I looked up at him. "Isn't Mom coming home with me?"

He swiped at the corner of his eye and forced a smile. "Kiddo, your mom's gone. You've gotta be strong now, okay?"

My mind went blank, and I just let him carry me into the car. Gone meant dead, and dead meant I was never going to see Mom again.

Outside the car window, fireworks were exploding in the sky, spraying color across the glass and washing over my face. I turned to look, and glowing letters lit up against the night. "Happy birthday to Yvonne Carlton, my one and only love."

A swarm of drones drifted by, towing a banner printed with a glossy photo of Dad and Yvonne Carlton beaming at the camera.

So, that was why Dad hadn't come to pick Mom and me up. He was busy celebrating Ms. Carlton's birthday.

When I got home, I called Dad. It took several tries before he finally picked up.

"Leah?" It was loud wherever he was, and now and then I heard Ms. Carlton's voice in the background. He raised his voice over the noise. "Didn't I tell you to sit and think about what you did? Is your mom making you call to check up on me again?"

The second he mentioned Mom, the tears I'd been holding back started spilling over. "Mom died. The doctors said they couldn't save her…"

The line went quiet for a moment. Then, Dad exploded. "What the hell is wrong with you, Leah? How many times are you gonna use the same stupid lie? She was fine when I left this morning. How could she suddenly be dead?

"Is this another one of her tricks to drag me back there? God, it's not like she's a kid anymore. Tell her to knock it off."

He let out a long, fed-up sigh, his voice thick with annoyance. "Yvie's due to have your baby brother in a week. I have to stay with her and take care of her. Once this week is over, I'll make it up to you and your mom, okay? Tell her to stop causing trouble for me."

I opened my mouth to say more, but he'd already hung up.

I never got the chance to tell him the doctor said someone had given Mom antibiotics before she drank, and that she'd been assaulted before she died.

My eyes burned from crying so hard, but that pain was nothing compared to the hole her death tore through me.

I climbed into Mom's closet to call Grandpa. At least her scent still lingered there.

He sounded choked up. "Leah, sweetheart, don't be scared. Your dad's a bastard—I'm not letting him off the hook for this. Put him on the phone, will you? I'll talk to him."

I rubbed my eyes. "Dad's not home. He's out celebrating Ms. Carlton's birthday."

There was a loud crash on the other end, like something had been hurled to the floor. When Grandpa spoke again, he was barely holding his anger in. "That monster. His wife is gone, and he's out there partying with his mistress after abandoning his kid.

"Leah, our whole family owes you and your mom an apology. Don't go anywhere, you hear me? Stay right there. I'm coming to get you."

What I didn't expect was that Dad would send a car to take me away first.