Chapters (97)
- Cover
- Back Cover Text
- Praise
- Booklist
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Eighty-Six
- Eighty-Seven
- Eighty-Eight
- Eighty-Nine
- Acknowledgments & A Personal Note
- Excerpt
She hasn’t changed. I knew she’d come. I need her to make this work and one way or another, it’s going to work. When this is over, I promise you, sister, things will be better. I won’t need you anymore. I’ll be so done with you. You won’t have to clean another toilet for as long as you live. You’ll get what you got coming to you.
Fifty-Seven
Cielo Valle, Orange County, California
Present day
Kayla was grabbing some green seedless grapes from the bowl in the fridge when her father appeared before her.
“Geez, Dad.”
“Come with me for a little ride.”
“Why? Where?” She closed the fridge door.
“To the plaza to get my mail from my PO box. I want to talk.”
Ben snatched his keys from the peg and headed out with Kayla, who popped a grape into her mouth.
What’s this about? Did Emma tell him I was looking in her closet?
Ben was a smooth driver. Guiding the SUV through the streets of their neighborhood, he glanced at her.
“Put your phone away. I want to talk.”
Like most teens practiced in the handling of parents, Kayla knew her father’s many tones. This was not his stern voice. No, it was softer, more like his there’s-something-I-want-to-know voice. And that made her wary.
Sighing, she lowered her phone.
“Thank you,” he said. “Look, it’s just that I’m leaving in a few days and I wanted to be sure you and Emma will be okay.”
Is he fishing? What if she told him she thinks I’m snooping and he’s giving me the chance to fess up?
“It’ll be the first time you two will be alone together. It could be a chance for you to get closer to each other, you know?”
Kayla said nothing and Ben turned, blinking as he looked out the driver’s window. Kayla couldn’t read his expression. Was he sad or disappointed that she didn’t own up to violating Emma’s privacy?
I haven’t heard back from Emma’s college. I don’t have all the information yet. Still, should I just come out with it and tell him what I know?
“What is it, Kayla?” Ben asked.
“Dad, don’t you think Emma’s been acting a little weird lately? Like how she was the other night at dinner about your book. It’s like she knows something and she’s not telling us, you know?”
Ben took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Kayla, how would you feel about talking to Doctor Hirsch?”
“What?”
“I called her, updated her on your situation with Emma, and at school…”
“What? You talked to her about me, my personal stuff?”