e still lingered in the air. I hadn't eaten anything at the "celebration," my stomac

with foil. My hand reached for it, but anoth

doing?" my father's voice

gry," I

moving to stand between me and

e," I pleaded. "I j

e stunt you pulled tonight, you're lucky to be u

nd backhanded me across the face. The force of it sent me stumbling backward. My head hit the edg

the back of my head. Through a dizzying haze, I saw my father

, before turning his back on me

at me on the floor, then at the pie on the counter. She didn't move to help me. She didn't say a word. She j

osed in, and I

d matted my hair. I pushed myself up, my body aching, my head throbbing. It w

r my cousin. The idea of "family," of their "love," was a lie I had been telling myself for years. The blind hope that i

ect. A tool.

ept down the hallway toward their bedroom. The door was slightly ajar.

g. "She made a scene. He said the price mig

y. "Kevin's wedding is next month. His fiancée's family is expectin

k wants to marry her. He's willing to pay a fifty-thousand-dollar 'dowry.' That's enough

a night. They were selling my entire life to a disgusting old ma

of cold calculation. "She's a good girl, deep down. She just needs t

fying it as my responsibility. In that moment, listening to their quiet, monstrous plotting, a new feeling took root in my heart, replacing th