ent I stepped off the private

hill, felt like a world away from the sprawling Sterl

man I'd never seen before, built like a small truck wi

to take you to the hou

e's M

longer

main house was

whinny of horses – all subdued. Even the sprawling

ostentatious furniture replaced Mom's c

ad?" I c

le

suite, all gold leaf and velvet. No sign of my sister

s the back of the house, towards the spra

eps s

gnolia, was a large, crude dog run. Th

ily loved, peeked from inside a filthy,

eath

atch on the pen's ga

the door to

i

traw and old newspapers. She was rail-thin, her hair ma

he side of the dog house,

t are you doing in here? Come out, baby. I bro

further into the shadows. She

ies are for good people

ey met mine, were

l, look wh

yrupy and smug, c

un a

her swollen belly, at least eight months along. The other ha

ng family emblem, split between us by Mom, symbolizi

a bit sooner than

o her?" I choked out,

adores her little den. Says school was too much pressure.

gain, not lookin

er all," she patted her stomach, "the doctor confirmed it's a boy. A true Sterl

e of his failed oil ventures years ago, a fact Mom had kept quiet to protect his fragile