A sad smile touched my lips. It had been eight years since my father looked at me. Since his favorite daughter died, he had treated me like an outcast.
“I am sorry... I got you a gift.”
A small, quiet voice spoke behind me. I turned to see Marc standing there with an innocent smile. He was holding a small wooden box tied with a string.
I felt a spark of hope. “Oh, Marc... you didn't have to.”
He giggled, a sound that seemed too sweet for this night. “I wanted to. Please, open it.”
I took the box and pulled the string. As the lid opened, a terrible smell hit me. Inside the box lay the small, lifeless body of my pet cat. It had been pierced by a hunter’s arrow.
“That will be you soon,” Marc whispered, his smile never fading, “if you don't leave me and my father alone.”
Rhea’s POV
I was mortified staring at my only pet that I had been allowed to bring to the mansion. Same way I have taken care of Marc.
“Don’t mess with me and don't get my father upset with me!” Marc snapped.
I watched as he stomped off while I stared at the arrow in my cat’s body.