CHAPTER ONE

The chilled Los Angeles morning crept in quietly, broken only by the shrill sound of my alarm and the soft chirping of birds outside the window.

"Turn off the fucking alarm!" my sister shouted, shoving a pillow over her ears.

Of course we shared the same room. I hated it,every single day.

I rolled my eyes, silenced the alarm, and slipped out of bed. Thanksgiving had arrived, and that meant chaos. Family members would be trooping in soon, and my mom would insist on doing everything herself unless I stepped in.

I went straight to the living room, where she greeted me with a warm smile that never quite reached her eyes. Together, we began putting things in order, straightening cushions, wiping surfaces, arranging the room as if perfection could somehow hold everything together.

Then I saw it.

My parents wedding photo sat proudly on the shelf, frozen in a moment that no longer existed. The sight of it made something twist painfully in my chest.

"Ma," I said softly, unable to hold it in, "you don't have to do this. You're only hurting yourself."

She paused but didn't turn around.

"He's moved on," I continued. "He divorced you, and barely a month later he posted pictures of his new wife,with a daughter almost my age. Please... stop doing this to yourself."

She finally faced me, her eyes glassy but stubborn. "He's going to come back," she said. "And besides, he still takes full responsibility for your sister's education."

"That's his responsibility," I muttered bitterly. If I had a job, none of this would matter. If he hadn't forced me to drop out, maybe things would be different.

Anger burned in my chest ,anger at my father, at his new wife, that witch, and her daughter, Aurora. The thought of sitting at the same table with them tonight made my stomach churn.

Footsteps echoed on the stairs. Emily finally came downstairs, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Diane, can you grab me some water?" she asked sweetly.

I shot her a glare.

She laughed. "Relax. I'm kidding."

I laughed too, shaking my head. "Get out, idiot. Your father and his witches are already on their way. Try to behave,especially since I'll be starting my internship at his company soon."

I turned back toward our mother. "So now I'm the one who spoils things for people?"

The words hung in the air, half joking, half resentful.

Laughing softly to myself, I headed back to my room to freshen up, bracing for a Thanksgiving that promised anything but peace.

We all sat in the sitting room, chatting as we waited. When the doorbell rang, Emily sprang to her feet and ran to the door.

"Daddy!" she shouted.

Emily and Shine wore the fakest smiles I had ever seen, and irritation surged through me instantly. The moment my mom saw them, she hurried to the dining area and began setting the table. If she weren't my mother, I would have called her a pick me for how quickly she bent over backward for them.

They all walked in. I greeted them politely. Shine and her mother finally looked up at me, shock flickering across her face. Her mother answered my greeting, but the tension in the room was impossible to ignore.

They settled down, and then my father spoke.

"Diane, I hope you've learned your lesson. You don't fight battles that are not yours."

I nodded and forced a smile, bitterness filling my mouth.

Before the moment between my father and me could deepen, Shine interrupted.

"Father, you have to invite Aunty Clara and her daughter too. They're family."

My father looked up proudly. "Shine is getting married." Her engagement is in five days

My mom reached out to Shine, her face lighting up with hope. "Oh"

Shine shoved her hand away.

My mom didn't stop smiling. "We will definitely be there," she said calmly.

"Congratulations," Emily added.

"Hmmm," Shine replied in a mocking tone. Then she turned to me. "Big sis, you'll come with your partner, right?"

My stepmother leaned closer and whispered, her voice sharp and cruel, "Who dates a liability these days?"

The room fell silent. Every eye the witches,my father's even my mother turned toward me, waiting for my reply.

I lifted my head, met their stares, and smiled.

"Sure."