42
Chloe
“It all started when I drove home after my college graduation,” I say, trying—and failing—to keep my voice steady. “I was supposed to arrive in time for dinner, but the traffic was unusually heavy and I was almost an hour late. As soon as I found a parking spot in front of our building, I ran to the apartment, leaving my suitcase in the car. I figured I’d come back for it after we ate.
“I had my keys, so I came in and went directly to the kitchen, where I thought Mom was warming up some of the food. But when I got there—” I stop to swallow the lump threatening to overtake my throat.
“She was dead,” Nikolai guesses grimly, and I nod, hot tears stinging the back of my eyes.
“She was lying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor, her wrists slit. I couldn’t feel a pulse, so I ra
