When the person you love most becomes the one who hates you most, the truth is often more brutal than you could ever imagine.**

Three months ago, Kane called her his "little princess" and swore to protect her with his life. Three months later, he hurled her lunch tray into the trash and sneered, "Thieves don't deserve to eat with us."

Libby can't understand why her stepbrother suddenly became so cold and cruel. Why do the same gentle hands that once comforted her now push her into darkness? The systematic bullying at school, the public humiliation in the cafeteria, the lonely despair in the basement... what caused all of this?

Was it a misunderstanding that created this tragedy, or are some wounds too deep to ever forgive?

Abandoned by My Stepbrother

Libby's POV
The ICU at University of Michigan Hospital reeked of sharp disinfectant, various life-monitoring machines beeping monotonously.
Kane and I walked silently down the long corridor, the tension from our earlier fight still lingering.
*Kane really thought Dad was abusing Mary? But how cou...

Chapter 8