Chapter 1

When the hurricane hit, my family kicked me out of our home.

I was left stranded in the storm, freezing and soaked, until the raging floodwaters swept me away. My body was never found.

Meanwhile, my parents and sister sat comfortably around the dining table, enjoying the food I had painstakingly stockpiled for them.

But perhaps the heavens pitied me, because I woke up three days before the hurricane made landfall.

This time, when faced with their ridicule, I was too tired to care.

This time, I decided to save myself.

The hurricane arrived earlier than expected.

Worried about my family’s safety, I rushed home from a class reunion. My clothes were drenched, and my feet were freezing, but I didn’t stop.

When I reached the door, I found it locked. My key wouldn’t work—it had been bolted shut from the inside.

I banged on the door and shouted, “Mom? Dad? Emily? Are you there?”

There was no answer.

I pressed my ear to the door and heard faint sounds inside. Fearing something had happened, I was about to force the door open when my mom’s voice erupted from the other side.

“You little tramp! Always running around in those short skirts, trying to seduce men. Don’t you dare come back here! Get out and go live with your boyfriends!”

“This house doesn’t welcome you!”