Chapter 1

Cassandra

I woke up to my mother dragging me out of bed by my hair. I thrashed and fought, but it was no use. I didn't even know what I'd done — all I felt were her blows raining down while she yelled at my brother to help drag me outside and down the stairs because she couldn't manage it alone.

I didn't have time to react. She'd caught me completely off guard, and I still had no idea what was happening.

I was wearing a thin pair of shorts and a tank top — my usual sleepwear. We were in the dead of a brutal winter. She threw me onto the porch in thirty-seven-degree weather, barely dressed. I always slept under heavy blankets and liked wearing light pajamas to bed, but I bitterly regretted that choice the second the wind hit my exposed skin. Goosebumps crawled across every inch of me, and the cold sank so deep into my muscles that even trembling hurt.

I pounded on the door, my whole body seizing up, the cold claiming me piece by piece until I could barely move.

"What did I do, Mom?" I cried.

"You little wretch," Beth spat. "Because of you, your brother's tuition is late and he's about to get expelled. How could you not pay it, Cassandra? You have a job. You always have money. What did you spend it on? Tell me — what was more important than your brother's education?"

I hated my name. Even more when she said it, in that shrill voice that turned my stomach. I preferred Cass — the nickname my dad used to call me. Soft and sweet, just like he was with me.

"The money didn't stretch far enough," I said. "You guys spent more than planned this month."

"Oh, so now it's our fault, Cassandra?"

"You're the one who's incompetent. A worthless bum who can't even bring enough money home."

"I need more than just the bare minimum to survive, and you know that," Jhosh chimed in.

I cried in desperation, freezing on that porch. If they didn't let me back inside, I was going to die right there.

"Please let me in so I can get dressed," I begged. "I need to go to work."

"Just so you can't say I'm a monster, I'll give you one more chance," Beth said. "But let me be clear — this is the last time I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. Hurry up, get inside, get dressed, and go to work. But no breakfast. That'll teach you that there are priorities in life and that you haven't been trying hard enough for us — your family."

"Or have you already forgotten your father's words?"

I decided to ignore everything she said and walked inside, but I hit the floor the second I crossed the threshold. My brother had stuck his foot out to trip me.

I pretended it didn't hurt. That was what I did best in life — pretend everything was fine. That nothing hurt, nothing stung, that I was unbreakable. Meanwhile, inside, I was gluing myself back together shard by shard, day after day.

I picked myself up and headed for the stairs to get ready for work. I was still shaking from the cold, but at least the chill indoors was bearable compared to what I'd just endured outside.

"And today you need to go see your fiance," Beth called after me. "It's been days since you've gone out with him. You think he's going to wait around forever? It's way past time to set a wedding date, Cassandra. Maybe then you'll stop falling behind on the bills and learn to do more for your family."

I kept quiet, though the answer was right on the tip of my tongue.

I just spun on my heels and started up the stairs to the second floor.

I got to my room, got dressed, and came back down heading straight for the door without stopping to talk to anyone. It was the only way to have any peace in that place.

Last week I'd had a routine checkup at work, and the doctor told me I was underweight — that I needed to eat better. But how was I supposed to eat better in a place like this?

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