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
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