ra stood at the doorway, rolling her eyes at the scene in front of her. "Why are you crying? You''re about to turn twenty-can''t you be a little more grown-up?"


    Ryan looked relieved yet a bit shaken, wiping his eyes vigorously. "I swear, I''ll never set foot in this ce again. ra, I promise you."


    His words sounded like a solemn vow, and ra just smiled, watching him enthusiastically load up a stack of books into the car. Driving him to the vi meant they''d inevitably bump into Sarah.


    When Sarah saw him, her face lit up with excitement. "Ryan, you''re back! That''s amazing. Let''s just live here forever, okay?"


    Ryan''s smile faded slightly when he saw her. He quietly set the books on the coffee table and headed toward the door. Sarah quickly grabbed his sleeve. "Where are you going? It''s almost the holidays, and I want to go shopping with you."


    Ryan gently pulled away. "I haven''t had one-on-one time with ra in a while. You stay here; I''ll be back soon."


    Sarah''s face fell, and she slowly clenched her hand at her side before suddenly clutching her stomach. "Ryan, my stomach hurts. Can you take me to the hospital?"


    Her acting was spot-on; sweat beaded on her forehead, and she looked like she might faint. Ryan instinctively caught her, his voice tinged with worry. "What''s happening?"


    "My stomach, it hurts. Maybe the baby needs you with us."


    He nced at ra, torn about what to do. It was only then that ra realized Sarah''s acting was top-notch, as convincing as any pro. Fed up, ra turned to leave, tossing back a quickment. "You stay and take care of her. I already put up the holiday decorations around your ce—the little rednterns and wreaths are my doing."


    As ra walked away, Ryan was about to follow her when Sarah''s pained cry stopped him in his tracks. Sarah was kneeling, clutching her belly, looking pale. "Ryan, I miss you too."


    Ryan didn''t respond, just sat back on the couch, indicating he''d stay. ra got back to her car, feeling a knot of frustration she couldn''t shake. Her brother''s choices weighed on her mind.


    Sitting in the car, she hesitated to start the engine when her phone buzzed. It was Megan calling. "ra, I made some holiday sausages. Want me to drop them by? Are you at home?"


    "I''m at Ryan''s. Are you on holiday break?"


    Megan sounded cheerful. "Yeah, I''m off for the week. If you want to go anywhere, I''m game."


    ra had been so buried in work she hadn''t thought about taking a break. She was about to answer when the sudden sound of tapping caught her attention, followed by the crash of her car window shattering. Masked figures with metal rods smashed the ss, shards flying everywhere, one jagged piece aimed right at her neck. ra jerked back, narrowly dodging it, but then found herself doused in gasoline.