“Watch your tongue, girl,” Father warned, his hand tightening on his phone.

“Or what?” Chloe challenged, her chin tilted up.

“Are you going to lock me away too?” she asked.

“Are you going to tell the neighbors I had an accident?”

Mother covered her mouth with both hands, her shoulders shaking as she wept.

I stood back, near the edge of the patio table, watching my sister.

I had never seen Chloe like this.

She had always been the golden child, the one who smoothed things over.

Now, she looked like she wanted to tear the whole house down with her bare hands.

“I hate you,” Chloe whispered, looking from Father to Mother.

“I hate everything you have ever given me,” she said.

She reached up to her neck and grabbed the gold chain Mother had given her this morning.

With a hard yank, she snapped the clasp and threw the necklace into the pool.

It made a tiny splash and sank quickly to the bottom, glittering against the blue tiles.

“Chloe, stop this madness,” Father said, stepping forward to grab her arm.