Viola was silent in the car as Daphne drove her to the mall. I don’t know what to say. I had been completely ignorant of her suffering. “I’m sorry,” doesn’t feel like it will cut it.

  “Do you still like to paint?” Daphne asked, trying to ease the silence, and the pit in her stomach.

  Viola nodded emphatically. Despite the speed with which she nodded, her face was still sullen.

  “I heard recently that you might even be entering national competitions soon.”

  Viola just shrugged, barely noticeably, since Daphne’s eyes were primarily on the road in front of them.

  Did Maggie tell me that Viola was mute? Daphne searched through her memory. When she said Viola’s mental health had deteriorated, I didn’t expect it to be this bad.

  Daphne took a deep breath as she pulled into the parking lot. “I’m sorry for all that’s happened, and how I haven’t been a good older sister…”

  Viola touched Daphne’s shoulder, as she parked. Daphne turned and saw Viola shaking her head. “…not your fault…” Viola murmured, nearly inaudibly.

  Daphne’s heart squeezed. “But I could have done more…!”

  Viola gently shook Daphne’s shoulder, still shaking her head at Daphne. “No,” Viola whispered. A tear had slipped out of one of Daphne’s eyes, and Viola wiped it away.

  “I always thought you’d forever be Mom’s favorite,” Daphne admitted. “I’m sorry.”

  Viola patted Daphne’s shoulder, as if to say it was okay. “We can start over,” she muttered softly.

  Daphne nodded, and Viola opened the car door, letting herself out into the cold air. Daphne sniffled before taking a deep breath. She looked out the window and saw Viola running up to Maggie with her arms open. Maggie hugged Viola, pulling her in tightly, and touched Viola’s face as if she was Maggie’s own child.

  She’s right. Maggie and Viola hardly grew up together but look how close they’ve become. Just because I wrote Viola off in the past doesn’t mean I have to in the future. I have the blessing of this second chance, and it’s up to me to use it to the best of my abilities.

  Daphne tightened her hands into fists and nodded sharply. Okay. Let’s try to have fun.

  Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out to see a text message from Asher.

  What are you up to today?

  I’m at the mall with my sisters. What’s up?

  Do you mind if I stop by?

  Daphne raised her eyebrows. Is it too soon to have him meet my sisters? She chewed on her lower lip. I also really want to hang out with them today…

  It will be quick, Asher wrote. I just have something I want to give you.

  Daphne pursed her lips together, holding back a grin. He just wants to stop by for something that small? She giggled a little.

  As long as it’s quick, she replied.

  Alright, I’ll let you know when I’m there.

  Sounds good.

  Daphne got out of the car and jogged over to Maggie and Viola. “Everything okay?” Maggie asked with her eyebrows raised as Daphne walked up to them.

  Daphne nodded. “Yes, sorry. My boyfriend just texted me,” she replied with a small smile.

  Maggie’s eyebrows shot up even further. “Boyfriend?” she asked.

  Daphne let out a little giggle. “I guess I haven’t told you yet…”

  “It’s not that asshole—”

  Daphne cut her sister off. “No, it’s definitely not,” she replied.

  Viola gave Daphne a bright smile and a thumbs up. Daphne gave her one back.

  Viola turned back to Maggie and continued talking in a soft tone. “Mother has been horrible to me since you said you’d adopt me,” she murmured.

  So, she can talk. I wonder why she can more easily talk to Maggie and not me…surely, she doesn’t think that I’m one of Mother’s agents since I brought her here…?

  Maggie pulled Viola in for another hug, gently patting her thick, ink colored hair. “I’m sorry…” Maggie said. “I probably shouldn’t have told her the way I did…”

  Daphne saw Viola shaking her head. “…grateful…” Daphne just barely heard the girl say.

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  Daphne’s heart ached. I figured Viola would escape the fate we all suffered, but I was wrong. So wrong.

  Maggie freed Viola from her arms and the girl continued. “Now I’m making my own food at home, because mother refuses to prep anything for both of us. It was nearly impossible to convince Mom to drop me off at the coffee shop so that Daphne could pick me up.”

  Maggie sighed. She picked at the ends of Viola’s hair. “When was the last time Mother took you to get your hair cut?” she asked.

  Viola shrugged. “I dunno,” she answered.

  Daphne pushed her lips together in a fine line. “There’s a hair salon right over there,” she said, pointing out Holly’s sister’s place.

  “Ah, perfect!” Maggie exclaimed. “Thanks, Daphne,” she said with a smile on her face.

  Will this really work out the way Maggie wants it to? Daphne followed behind her two sisters towards the salon. I can’t help but feel Maggie has a hard road ahead of her if this is all Viola has to complain about…

  “I should try to get my license,” Viola murmured. “So, I can go where I need to go without having to rely on Mother.”

  Daphne shook her head. Sure, Mother is neglecting her. But that may not be enough for Maggie to earn custody of Viola. She’ll be turning eighteen this spring anyway…Everything she’s listed off she’s capable of doing without parental supervision…Still, though, I understand Viola’s frustration with Mother.

  Daphne thought of her high school experience. She had to drop out of the after school activity she had been in during middle school because of her mother. During the last two years of high school, she could drive, but she was suddenly in charge of picking Oliver and Viola up from school and taking them home or to see their friends, simply because their mother refused to bring any of them around. Daphne had been resentful for a long time after. Rather than having the opportunity to just be a normal teenager, she had been taking care of her younger siblings instead. By that point, it wasn’t as though her mother wasn’t winning gardening contests left and right, spring through the fall. Kimberly had been busy, but it wasn’t as though she wasn’t capable of taking care of her children. She just chose not to.

  Viola doesn’t even have younger siblings to look after. She should be focusing on getting good grades and having a chance to be a kid before she has to join the adult world. Instead, living with mother means that she’s having to do chores and take care of herself, just as if she had been living on her own throughout her high school years. Mother truly has not changed at all…she’s still too wrapped up in whatever she’s doing to give two shits about her formerly beloved daughter.

  “I’m sorry,” Daphne heard Maggie say to Viola again with a heavy sigh. “I wish I wouldn’t have had to declare war on Mother. I’ll do what I can to help you.” Maggie shook her head. “I just feel as though trying to take custody of you is the right move to protect you now, and into the future.”

  Viola nodded. “I know, I know,” she said.

  “Kimberly has been blocking me from doing anything to help you. I don’t even know if I’m supposed to pick you up from school anymore or not but I’m going to guess probably not.”

  “She told me,” Viola murmured. “Lily is going to be taking me to and from school.”

  Lily? Seriously? Daphne had to roll her eyes. Lily might as well be a part of the family at this point. Mother is using the house maid to run errands for her now? What does Mother think Lily is? A servant?

  Maggie let out a heavy sigh as she stopped in front of the hair salon, turning to face Viola once more. “Do you know if Lily will be able to keep taking you to therapy?”

  Viola shook her head. “Lily already told me that she won’t be able to.”

  Maggie’s frown deepened; her face disappointed. Maybe I should have tried to play a double agent and tried to help Maggie from within Mother’s fold. Daphne shook her head, frowning. That’s not a bad idea, but Mother would have known to test my alliances before she let me get in too deep. I would have ended up having to sabotage Maggie in some way to help her by playing both sides. It probably wouldn’t have been worth it in the end.

  Over Maggie’s shoulder, Daphne saw a familiar face walking towards them, a smile donning Asher’s face. Oh, I must have missed his text.

  Maggie also noticed him and was watching Asher warily as he approached. “Hi,” he said, sticking his hand out for her to shake. “My name is Asher Hawthorne, and I’m Daphne’s boyfriend.”

  Daphne’s heart skipped a beat. Boyfriend.

  He looked over at Viola as Maggie took his hand. His eyes widened, and his smile slipped a little bit before he regained his composure and returned to smiling and looking at Maggie.

  “Maggie Stevens,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “It’s nice to meet you as well,” he said. Their hands released, and he turned to look at Viola again. “And you must be…”

  “Viola,” Maggie said, grabbing Viola’s shoulders tightly.

  “It’s a pleasure,” Asher said with a tight smile.

  What’s going on? I’ve never seen him act this way.

  “The three of us were going to get Viola’s hair cut,” Maggie said, gesturing towards the salon.

  “Sure, no worries,” Asher said with a sharp nod. “I just need a few minutes of Daphne’s time if that’s alright.”

  Maggie smiled. “Of course!” She turned and looked at Daphne, giving her a wink and a thumbs up. Daphne’s cheeks heated up.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I’ll be just a minute.”

  “Sure, sure,” Maggie said. “Take your time.”

  “Make sure you ask for Ellie and tell her that you’re my sister,” Daphne said as Viola and Maggie entered the salon. Maggie smiled and gave Daphne a thumbs up through the glass.

  “Both of them are your sisters?” Asher asked, his eyebrows raised.

  Daphne’s heart sunk in her chest. Surely, he’s not interested in Viola, is he?

  She cleared her throat, trying to purge the thought from her mind. “Yes,” she replied.

  “You said it was your littlest sister who has a different father than the rest of you, right?” he asked, finally looking over at Daphne. She noticed that his face was as white as a sheet.

  Her eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up into her dark hair. What’s this?

  “Yes,” she confirmed. “Why?”

  Asher shook his head, closing his eyes. “I can’t believe what I’m about to say out loud,” he said. “But Viola looks so much like Rose did when she was younger.”

  Daphne’s heart dropped into her stomach and started swirling around in it. “What…?” she breathed, barely audibly. “Do you mean…?”

  “I wonder if my father is Viola’s father,” he murmured, looking away from Daphne.

  Daphne shook her head, nausea swirling around in her stomach. “The timing makes sense…” she muttered. “Viola would have been conceived the first year we met at the merry-go-round.”

  “And my father would have been there with my mother,” Asher confirmed.

  Daphne’s blood ran cold. “Vivian Hawthorne stole everything from me,” Kimberly’s voice, her eyes fierce, replayed in Daphne’s mind. “So, I stole it all back.”

  Oh my God. My mother even went so far as to have her husband’s child. And if Asher’s dad is my mother’s affair partner…Daphne felt pools of ice growing in her stomach. That means the woman who killed me is probably Rose Hawthorne…Asher’s twin sister.

  She studied his face carefully. What if they’re working together? She chewed on her lower lip. But why would he go back to the past after investigating my death if that’s true.

  “Are you alright?” Asher asked her, his eyebrows raised, and his eyes concerned.

  Do I dare tell him?