Chapter 2
The girl turned and bolted before I could react.
“WAIT!” I screamed.
I ran after her, shoving past tables and knocking over a chair.
People shouted.
Glass clattered.
I didn’t care.
That little girl was my only link to Anna.
She darted through the hotel lobby, her small legs pumping as fast as they could.
I gained on her—then something hit my shoulder hard.
Richard.
He’d caught up and grabbed my arm, yanking me backward.
“LET ME GO!” I screamed, fighting him.
“Charlotte, stop!” he hissed into my ear. “You’re making a scene!”
“I DON’T CARE!” I tried to twist free. “That’s Anna’s daughter! She’s my niece!”
“Charlotte, listen to me—”
“NO! YOU LISTEN!” I shoved him in the chest with both hands. “She looked at you and said her mother told her to RUN! What did you do to Anna, Richard? WHAT DID YOU DO?”
His face went pale.
The entire lobby was staring at us now.
The concierge was walking toward us, looking concerned.
Richard lowered his voice.
“Not here. Please. Let’s go somewhere private and I’ll explain everything.”
“Explain what? That you know why Anna vanished eight years ago and never said a word?”
“Charlotte—”
“TELL ME RIGHT NOW OR I SCREAM SO LOUD EVERY POLICE OFFICER IN BEVERLY HILLS SHOWS UP.”
Richard’s jaw tightened.
He glanced around at the watching crowd.
Then he leaned in so close I could feel his breath on my face.
“Anna’s alive,” he whispered.
My knees almost gave out.
“What?”
“I said she’s alive. I’ve known for three years.”
The world tilted.
“THREE YEARS?” I grabbed the front of his expensive suit jacket. “You knew our sister was alive for THREE YEARS and you never told me? Never told Mom and Dad?”
“I couldn’t.”
“COULDN’T? OR WOULDN’T?” I was shaking so hard I could barely speak. “Why? Why would you keep that from us?”
“Because she begged me to.”
That stopped me.
“What?”
“Anna made me promise, Charlotte. She swore if I told anyone where she was, she’d disappear again. Permanently. Said I’d never see her or the girl—Lily—ever again.”
Lily.
So that was her name.
“Where is she?” I demanded.
“Charlotte—”
“WHERE IS MY SISTER, RICHARD? GIVE ME HER ADDRESS OR I SWEAR TO GOD—”
“I can’t just give you her address. She’s been through hell. If you show up out of nowhere, she’ll panic. She’ll run again. She’s done it before.”
“I don’t care! I’ve spent eight years grieving her! Eight years thinking she was dead in a ditch somewhere! Do you have any idea what that was like? What Mom went through? What Dad died never knowing?”
Richard’s eyes glistened.
“I know. God, Charlotte, I know. Every day I hated keeping it from you. But I had to protect her.”
“Protect her from what? From YOU? Because Lily certainly seemed terrified of you.”
He flinched like I’d slapped him.
“I know how it looks. But you have to believe me—I’m not the enemy here.”
“Then who is?”
He didn’t answer.
“Richard.” I released his jacket but kept my eyes locked on his. “I’m going to find her. With or without your help. If you don’t tell me where she is right now, I’ll hire every private investigator in California. I’ll put Lily’s face on every billboard from here to San Diego. I’ll blow this up so big Anna won’t be able to hide anywhere. Do you understand me?”
For a long moment, we stared at each other.
I could see the war in his eyes.
Finally, he exhaled.
“Follow me.”
He walked toward the exit.
I hesitated for half a second—wondering if this was another trick—then followed.
We got into his black Tesla.
He didn’t speak as he pulled into traffic.
“Where are we going?” I asked after five minutes of silence.
“To Anna.”
My breath caught.
“Really?”
“Really. But Charlotte—you have to promise me something first.”
“What?”
“When you see her… don’t yell. Don’t demand answers. Don’t tell her I betrayed her trust. Just… be her sister. Like you used to be. She’s not the same girl who left Boston. She’s broken. And Lily… Lily’s the only thing holding her together.”
I stared at the side of his face.
“What happened to her, Richard? Really?”
He gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.
“Eight years ago, the night she disappeared… she didn’t just run away. Something happened. Something terrible. And she believed if she came home, it would follow her. That it would hurt all of us.”
“What was it?”
“I’m not going to tell you. That’s her story to tell. All I’ll say is this—for eight years, she’s been running from a monster. And if that monster finds out she’s still alive… finds out about Lily… he’ll kill them both.”
A cold chill ran down my spine.
“Monster? Who?”
“I can’t say more. Not until Anna decides you’re ready to know.”
We drove for another twenty minutes, leaving Beverly Hills behind.
The neighborhoods got progressively poorer.
We ended up in a run-down part of East LA, on a street lined with weathered apartment buildings and barred windows.
Richard parked in front of a faded yellow building with a cracked stoop.
“Third floor,” he said, not looking at me. “Apartment 3B. But I’m not going up with you.”
“Why not?”
“Because if Anna sees me, she’ll grab Lily and vanish before you even knock. She trusts you—at least she used to. She doesn’t trust me anymore. Not since… well, that’s also her story.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small key.
“Here. She gave me a spare, for emergencies. I think this qualifies.”
I took the key.
It was cold and heavy in my palm.
“Richard… if you’re lying to me—if this is some kind of trap—”
“I’m not. I swear on Dad’s grave. She’s up there. And Charlotte?”
“Yeah?”
“Be gentle. Whatever you think happened… it was worse.”
I got out of the car.
My legs were trembling as I walked toward the building.
The stairwell smelled like urine and old cigarettes.
I climbed three flights, my heart hammering louder with every step.
Third floor.
3B.
The door was scuffed and had three different locks.
I raised my hand to knock—then remembered the key.
My fingers shook as I inserted it into the deadbolt.
It turned with a heavy CLICK.
I turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.
The apartment was dark.
The air smelled like burnt toast and lavender air freshener.
“Hello?” I called softly.
No answer.
I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.
The living room was small, with a worn couch and a TV that looked older than Lily.
A stack of children’s books sat on the coffee table.
A half-eaten peanut butter sandwich was on a plate.
Then I heard it.
Soft crying.
Coming from the back bedroom.
I walked toward the sound, my shoes silent on the thin carpet.
The bedroom door was slightly ajar.
I pushed it open.
And there she was.
Anna.
My little sister.
Eight years older, thinner, with dark circles under her eyes and a scar slicing through her left eyebrow—but still her.
She was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Lily in her arms.
Both of them were crying.
Lily saw me first.
She buried her face in Anna’s neck.
Anna looked up.
Our eyes met.
She froze.
For a long moment, neither of us breathed.
May you like
Then Anna whispered my name.
“Charlotte?”
