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“Mikayla, this isn’t okay! None of this is okay. Tell me, Mikayla. Who hurt you?” I persist, my heart hammering in my chest as I imagine the worst possible scenarios.
“Stop it,” she hisses, her chin trembling with the effort to keep her composure. “It’s none of your business.”
“None of my business? You’re my sister! If someone is hurting you, then it’s absolutely my business.” My hands shake with barely suppressed fury, my protective instincts flaring to life. “It’s that new boyfriend of yours, isn’t it?”
She’s been secretive about her new boyfriend ever since the two started dating. I’ve been trying not to think the worst of him, but…what else could it be?
Mikayla whirls around, her voice sharp as a knife. “Shut up, Annalise. He loves me, okay?”
My heart clenches at her words, a familiar ache settling in my chest. I know all too well the danger of confusing love with something much darker. My brows furrow, and I force myself to remain calm, steady but firm. “Mikayla, remember what Mom went through? You would think you’d be able to separate love from abuse.”
She hesitates, her jaw clenching as if she’s holding back a storm of emotions. But her stubbornness wins out, and she shakes her head. “It’s not like that,” she insists, her voice quivering. “So how about you stop talking about something you don’t know anything about.”
As my sister turns away from me, locking a final barrier between us, I can feel the darkness closing in. It wraps around my heart like a cold embrace.
Mikayla reaches for the car keys in her pocket, trying to escape, but I won’t let her.
“Please,” I beg, stepping closer to her. My voice quivers with genuine concern, but I try to keep it steady. “Don’t go, Mikayla. I’m scared for you. He could kill you!”
“Get off me, Annalise!” Mikayla snaps, shrugging away from my touch. She clutches the keys so tight her knuckles turn white. “I know what I’m doing!”
“Is this really the life you want?” I ask, my heart pounding frantically.
“Stop trying to control me!” she yells, her voice cracking with emotion. She looks away, unable to meet my gaze, and mumbles, “I don’t need you hovering over me like some guardian angel.”
“Guardian angel?” I scoff. “Mikayla, I’m your sister. It’s my job to protect you, even from yourself.”
“I know what I’m doing, Annalise,” she says through gritted teeth. “I’m fine.”
Her words are laced with denial and determination, but I can’t shake the image of her bruised cheek. My heart sinks as I realize the gravity of the situation—I could lose my sister to a man who would hurt her.
“Please,” I plead, taking a step closer. “You don’t have to go back to him.”
“God, you just don’t get it!” Mikayla snaps, her voice strained. “I can handle this. I don’t need your help!”
My eyes well up with tears, but I refuse to let them fall. Instead, I reach out and pull Mikayla into a tight hug, determined to make her feel the love and concern pouring from me. Her body stiffens in my embrace, but I don’t let go.
“Promise me you’ll be careful, Mikayla,” I whisper, my voice choked with emotion. “Whatever it takes, please keep yourself safe.”
She stays silent for a moment, and I can feel her heartbeat pounding against my chest. Then, slowly, she relaxes into the hug, her body trembling ever so slightly.
“Okay, Anna,” she murmurs, her voice softening. “I promise.”
I search her eyes, desperately hoping for a glimmer of reassurance. But all I find is a stubborn determination that both impresses and frightens me.
I never saw my sister again after that moment.
Ten days later, she was proclaimed missing.
Two months after that, her body was found.
I told detectives all I knew, but without a name…they couldn’t do anything.
I always regretted that day. I should have fought harder to get her to stay.
And now she’s dead.
I hastily exit the office building, eager to get to my sister’s grave.
