Chapter 2 - The Heartbreaking Discovery
Lucy tried to stand, but her legs buckled. Brianna came outside in a new dress holding a wine glass.
"Hurry up. We still need the dinner plates."
"I feel dizzy," Lucy whispered. "I haven't eaten since yesterday."
Brianna laughed. "With everything you stole, you should be able to buy yourself a feast."
Every part of me wanted to charge through that door.
But years around failing machines had taught me something: when something starts breaking down, listen before you touch it. The noise tells you where the failure began.
So I listened.
Lucy begged to call me. Theresa came into the backyard wearing the gold hummingbird necklace I'd given Lucy for our fifth anniversary.
"He has the right to know I'm sick," Lucy said.
"You're not going to worry him," Theresa answered. "He's working to get us ahead, not carry the burden of your drama."
Lucy said the doctor wanted her to continue treatment.
Theresa dismissed the doctors, then said the sentence that made my stomach turn.
"My son sends the money to my account. That means I decide how it gets used."
Lucy pointed out the new SUV, Brianna's nail salon, and the remodeled house. Then she said she had been sleeping in the storage shed.
May you like
"I just want to finish my treatment," she whispered.
Theresa crossed her arms. "You should have thought about that before getting sick."
