Chapter 3

My mom stayed in the room with my grandma. Three years ago, after my grandpa passed away, my grandma fell ill soon after.

Krestine, my dad's sister who lived abroad, suggested hiring a caregiver if it came to that.

Joanna, however, had other ideas. She offered to care for my grandma herself, saying family would be more reliable, as long as each household pitched in two thousand bucks a month.

Krestine, far away, and my another uncle had no objections, so I ended up sending two thousand to Joanna's account every month.

It gave my mom a break, since looking after a bedridden patient wore her out.

But my mom lived close by and visited my grandma whenever she had time.

She always brought supplements, though Joanna complained they weren't as practical as cash.

That wasn't the worst of it. Whenever my mom visited, Joanna never prepared lunch or dinner, forcing her to buy food elsewhere.

I didn't know what to say about Reece's family.

Selfish people just acted that way, I supposed.

At night, my mom stayed by my grandma's side to care for her. My brother Mikkel slept on the living room floor downstairs, while Karson and I rested in my mom's old room.

In the middle of the night, I slept soundly until loud knocking jolted me awake.

"Sonya!"

Karson stirred, groggy, and checked his phone out of habit.

It was just past two in the morning.

I stumbled barefoot to the door and found Mikkel, his face full of panic. "Sonya, something happened to Reece."

My mind snapped awake. "Tell me everything."

"Reece got in a car accident. He's in the hospital, in critical condition. Joanna and Lexi are there now. They say it's bad, and he might not make it."

"Did they say which hospital?"

"No." Mikkel shook his head. "Mom's downstairs on the phone."

"Alright, I'll go check."

Karson, now dressed, stepped out of the room and handed Mikkel a jacket and shoes. "Give these to your Sonya. I'll get the car ready downstairs."

Mikkel held the items, looking sheepish. "Sorry, Karson. It's the holidays, and here you are running around."

Karson patted his shoulder. "We're family. This is what I do."

He'd overheard most of it from the room and knew we needed to get to the scene to figure out what happened and who was at fault.

My mom stood at my grandma's doorway, tears streaming down her face.

I rushed over to comfort her.

"Sonya, your uncle's gone!" She sobbed into my chest, stifling her cries to keep my grandma from worrying.

"Mom, don't panic yet. I'll head to the hospital to see what's going on." I spoke calmly.

"Okay."

Blood ties ran deep. I couldn't help but worry.