I DIDN’T CRY. I PACKED, DROVE TO MY OWN HOUSE ON A HILLSIDE, AND OPENED A CEDAR BOX — BECAUSE THE HOUSE THEY’D JUST THROWN ME OUT OF WAS LEGALLY MINE.
PART 1
« Either give your bedroom to your younger sister, or pack your things and get out! » my stepmother shouted at me during a family dinner.
I didn’t cry. I quietly packed my bags and left. Then I drove to my own house on a hillside.
My name is Paige, and the second my stepmother gave me twenty-four hours to hand over my bedroom or leave for good, everyone around that dinner table expected me to put up a fight.
Instead, I smiled, said two words, and went upstairs to pack.
Because there was one thing Gwendolyn didn’t know.
« Either give your master bedroom to your sister by tomorrow morning, or pack your bags and leave this house forever. »
