Chapter 1
My stepmother pushed a plate of chicken bones toward me while keeping the biggest piece of fried chicken on her own plate.
“That's yours, Maya. Stop staring at my food.”
I was nine years old, and I had learned that arguing with Vanessa only made things worse.
So I lowered my eyes and tried to swallow my tears.
The dining room smelled like crispy fried chicken, buttery vegetables, and warm bread. A huge platter sat in the middle of the wooden table, piled with enough food to feed an entire family.
But my plate held nothing except picked-clean bones.
Vanessa cut into a golden piece of chicken and smiled at me.
“You should be grateful I'm even letting you sit here.”
I pressed my trembling hands into my lap.
My father, Ryan, had left for a business meeting that afternoon. He was supposed to return late, and Vanessa had been different ever since his car disappeared down our driveway.
When Dad was home, she called me sweetheart.
When he left, she called me a burden.
I stared at the bones, wishing I could make myself invisible.
“Please,” I whispered. “I'm still hungry.”
Vanessa's fork stopped halfway to her mouth.
“What did you say?”
I immediately shook my head.
“Nothing.”
“That's what I thought.”
She pushed the plate closer.
“Eat what's there.”
I tried to hold back my sobs, but one escaped.
Vanessa slammed her fork onto the table.
“Are you trying to make me look like a monster? Your father works all day to provide for you, and this is how you behave?”
I shook my head desperately.
“I didn't mean to.”
“Then stop crying.”
I bit my lip until it hurt.
That was when the front door opened.
Footsteps crossed the hallway.
Vanessa's face changed instantly. Her shoulders relaxed, and she reached for a napkin as if she had been waiting patiently for a family dinner.
Then my father appeared in the dining room.
Ryan was still wearing his dark-olive T-shirt from the drive home. His short brown hair was slightly messy, and his tired eyes moved from Vanessa's full plate to mine.
He stopped walking.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then he saw the bones.
“Why,” he asked slowly, “is my daughter eating scraps?”
Vanessa blinked.
“Ryan! You're home early.”
He ignored her and walked straight to me.
He picked up my plate.
The bones rattled against the ceramic.
His jaw tightened.
“Explain this.”
Vanessa stood, smoothing her brown dress.
“She already ate. She's just being dramatic because she wants more.”
Dad crouched beside my chair.
His expression softened when he looked at me.
“Maya, sweetheart. Is that true?”
I wanted to say yes.
I wanted to protect myself from whatever Vanessa might do after he left again.
But Dad's eyes were different.
He wasn't looking at me with disappointment.
He was waiting for me to tell him the truth.
I shook my head.
“No, Daddy.”
His face changed.
“How long have you been hungry?”
I stared at my hands.
“All day.”
Dad slowly stood.
He took a fresh plate, filled it with fried chicken and vegetables, and placed it in front of me.
“Eat, baby. You're safe.”
I reached for his arm before he could turn away.
“Daddy?”
He immediately knelt beside me again.
“What is it?”
My voice was barely audible.
“She does this whenever you leave.”
The room went silent.
Dad's hand tightened around the back of my chair.
He turned toward Vanessa.
She had gone pale.
“What did you just say?” he asked.
Vanessa forced a laugh.
“She is exaggerating. You know how sensitive children can be.”
I clutched Dad's arm harder.
“Please don't leave me with her tonight.”
His expression broke.
Then something cold settled across his face.
He stood between Vanessa and me.
“You'd better start explaining.”
Vanessa opened her mouth.
But before she could speak, Dad's phone vibrated on the table.
He glanced at the screen.
A message from an unknown number appeared.
Ryan, if you want to know what happens to Maya when you're gone, check the locked cabinet in your wife's bedroom.
Dad slowly lifted his eyes toward Vanessa.
She stared at the phone.
May you like
Then she whispered something that made my father go completely still.
“You weren't supposed to find that.”
