1.1 The golden boy they adopted said I stole his precious necklace. My sister, my own flesh and blood, went ballistic. She didn't just drag me to court; she hired the best lawyer to make sure he won. I got three years. Branded a thief. Before they took me away, her lawyer tried to reason with her. "Just scare him a little, that's enough," he'd said. "A real prison sentence will ruin your brother's life!" My sister’s face was a mask of stone. "Stealing isn't a small thing. He needs to learn a hard lesson." "As for his future?" she added, her voice unwavering. "I'll be his safety net." Three years later, I walked out of those gates. She was waiting, her eyes bloodshot as she reached for me. "You see your mistake now, don't you?" she asked. "Come on. Let's go home." But I just took a quiet step back, letting her hand fall through empty air. I had a new sister now. I met her on the inside. She told me she believed me. … My sister, Pathy, froze, a flicker of disbelief in her eyes as I dodged her touch. But she didn't pull her hand back. Instead, it shot out again, faster this time, her fingers wrapping around my wrist with a grip of iron. "Patrick, why are you avoiding me? Did someone hurt you in there?" Her voice was thick, like it was being pushed through cotton. I tried to pull my hand away, once, twice, but her grip was too tight. I gave up. "No," I said, my voice flat.