When Kiara woke, the first thing she saw wasn't her brother.
It was her mother's furious face.
"You useless child!" Jennifer screamed, striking her with a belt. "I told you to watch him!"
The leather cracked against Kiara's skin, leaving a stinging sensation that seemed to spread like wildfire. Kiara's cries caught in her throat as blow after blow rained down, each one landing with precision and force. She felt her skin bruising, her muscles screaming in protest. Thomas tried to hold his wife back, and Maria begged for mercy, but Jennifer's rage was unstoppable.
Only when Kiara collapsed again did Jennifer leave her alone.
Kiara lay there, her vision blurry, her body aching in places she didn't know existed. But nothing hurt more than the silver locket in her hand. The picture of her and Kyle smiled up at her mockingly, their happy faces a cruel contrast to her current torment. Her brother was gone and it was her fault. The weight of that realisation crushed her, making it hard to breathe. She felt like she was drowning in her own guilt and grief, unable to escape the pain that threatened to consume her. Her brother was gone. And it was her fault.