Chapter 4

I'd always been clingy, but Mom and Dad had never stayed with me at night.

When I was little, I saved my allowance for months to buy a hamster. With that tiny, warm body curled up in my hands, I finally stopped lying awake at night.

Then Mom and Dad told me they were allergic to animals and made me give it away. I cried until I could barely breathe, but I thought keeping it could make them sick, so I gave it up anyway.

I never got over it, and now Julia was telling me they had lied about the whole thing. Tears spilled down my cheeks.

Just then, Mom and Dad came back, petting Teddy like they'd never been allergic to animals at all. They barely seemed to notice me before handing Julia the leash.

"Julia, your dog is adorable. He's so friendly, even with strangers."

All the anger I'd buried for years came rushing back. I snatched the leash from them. "Mom, Dad, why did you lie to me? You made me give away my hamster!"

Only then did they seem to notice me, and they already looked annoyed. "What are you talking about? We don't remember that."

Their answer crushed the last bit of hope I had left. They'd forgotten about it years ago. I was the only one still trapped in the helplessness I'd felt as a child.

I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed Teddy, rushed into the bedroom, and slammed the door behind me.

All I could hear from the other side of the door was Mom and Dad scolding me. "Just ignore her. Let's eat. You must be Ruth's boyfriend, right? She's always been difficult."

I crouched on the floor with Teddy in my arms. He seemed to sense I was falling apart, nuzzling my cheek and licking away my tears.

A little while later, Julia opened the door and walked in. "Ruth, come eat."

She closed the door behind her, leaned down, and whispered in my ear. "Ruth, you really think Dylan's taking you to Harborwyn? Face it. Mom and Dad never gave you any affection, and now you can't even keep Dylan."

Then, without warning, she shoved me to the floor and dug her fingers into Teddy. Teddy instantly went on guard and scratched her leg, trying to protect me.

The second everyone outside heard Teddy yelp in pain, they rushed into the room. All they saw was Julia clutching her bleeding leg, looking frightened and hurt.

"Ruth, why did you make Teddy attack me? I know Mom and Dad always loved me more. I was wrong. Please, just stop hurting me."

Mom and Dad immediately pulled Julia behind them. Then Dylan grabbed the baseball bat nearby and swung at Teddy without a second thought.

"No!"

I lunged at Dylan to stop him, but he shoved me away, and my back slammed into the table.

"Ruth, I never thought you could be this cruel. You actually sicced your dog on your own sister."

I choked out, "I didn't! She pushed me down first, and she dug her fingers into Teddy!"

Before I could say another word, Mom slapped me across the face. "You're still lying! Julia would never do something like that. You've been tormenting her since you were kids.

"You burned her badly enough to leave scars, stole her allowance, and tore up her exam admission ticket. You could spend the rest of your life trying to make it up to her, and it still wouldn't be enough!"

Teddy was barely conscious, but when he saw me get hit, he still tried to push himself up on his weak legs and get between them and me.

When Dylan raised the bat again, I panicked and begged him to stop. "Dylan, please! Don't hurt him! You're the one who gave him to me! I never bullied Julia.

"She started every fight between us and twisted everything around to make me look like the one at fault. I told you all of this."

Dylan didn't soften at all. He just looked at me coldly. "Ruth, stop acting like you're always the victim. We've been together for six years, and all I ever hear is how terrible Julia is and how your parents always take her side.

"If I didn't know Julia myself, I might actually believe you. But have you ever stopped to think that maybe you're the problem? No wonder no one loves you."

Then he bent down, picked Julia up, and rushed her to the hospital. Mom and Dad followed right behind him, still yelling at me as they left.

The house went dead quiet, leaving just me and Teddy. I rushed him to the emergency vet, but his injuries were too severe, and they couldn't save him.

The next day, Dylan came back alone to pack.

He said coldly, "Your parents want the dog gone after what happened to Julia, and I agree. We're leaving for Harborwyn tomorrow anyway, and taking him with us would be a hassle.

"Get rid of him, then come to the airport tomorrow and apologize to Julia. If you can't do that, don't bother getting on the plane."

He slammed the door on his way out.

I stayed on the couch, holding Teddy's ashes, and never once looked up.

The following day, Dylan, Julia, Mom, and Dad waited at the airport, keeping an eye on the entrance. They expected me to show up like I always did and admit I was wrong.

But I never came. A courier showed up instead, carrying a briefcase.

"Where's Ruth?" Mom asked.

The courier shook his head. "Ms. Farwell only asked me to deliver this briefcase to Dylan Ladner."