Chapter 2

I grabbed Jack by the collar, unleashing a furious barrage of punches, nearly beating him to death right there.

It took the older relatives to finally pull me off.

With Sarah and Lily present, I couldn't explain everything publicly, so I just smashed his phone into the fireplace.

My parents were furious, raging at me for a long time, not bothering to hear my side of the story. I was beyond arguing. I grabbed Sarah and Lily, and we drove away from the old house late that night, heading for a motel thirty miles away.

All the way, Lily slept soundly in the back seat, worn out.

The pent-up fury and a bone-deep chill spread through me. I told Sarah everything.

Her face went stark white as she listened.

"We have to go now!" Her voice was sharp and furious. "Leave this state, and never come back!"

I sighed. I wanted to be as far away from this family as possible.

But the reality was, transportation in this small Midwestern town was nowhere near as convenient as in New York.

The nearest Greyhound bus station wouldn't open until tomorrow morning, and the airport for flights back to New York was in Columbus, a hundred and twenty miles away.

It was snowing heavily, the roads were icy, and visibility was terrible-driving that far in this weather would be suicidal.

"Tomorrow," I said, squeezing her cold hand. "Tonight, we'll rest at the motel. We'll leave at first light."

Sarah looked out at the pitch-black, snowy night, then back at our sleeping daughter, and finally nodded, defeated.

Snowflakes hammered densely against the windshield.

I gripped the steering wheel tightly, keeping the speed low.

But in my mind, Jack's glare as we left flashed repeatedly.

He stared at us, his eyes cold and vicious.