My dad remarried last year, to Lorena. He’s a wealthy businessman, always traveling, and since Lorena came into our lives, she’s taken charge in ways that feel... off. She’s beautiful, always perfectly put together, but there’s something unsettling about her, especially when Dad isn’t around. She’s overly protective and jealous, as if she has something to prove.

Today, she came to pick me up from school. I wasn’t expecting her, but when I see her sleek white car pull up, I know something’s up. I get in, and before I can even settle, she glances at me.

"Who was that you were talking to?" Her voice is tight, barely hiding the jealousy underneath.

"Just a friend," I say, hoping to brush it off, but her gaze sharpens, fingers gripping the wheel harder.

"A friend..." she repeats slowly, like she doesn’t believe me. With Dad gone for the week, I can already feel her possessiveness growing, the way it always does when she has me all to herself.