My stepmother called and told me, “You’re banned from the family beach house. I changed every lock.” She sounded almost delighted. I simply replied, “Thanks for the update.” What she didn’t know was that my mom had placed the house in a private trust under my name before she passed away.

family anyway.

I stared at the words until they blurred slightly. Madeline had been a shy, narrow-shouldered girl with wide brown eyes when Diana first brought her into our lives, and for one brief year I had thought maybe we could become something like sisters. I had helped her with homework, braided her hair before school, taught her how to make hot continue reading …