My uncle got out of prison, and the whole family shut the door on him—except for my mom, who hugged him as if someone else were to blame.

I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, dread curling in my stomach.

He covered my mouth, his eyes wide with fear. “The same man who killed your grandfather, stole the factory from your mother, and framed me just so he could keep you.”

Footsteps echoed in the hall, slow and heavy, reverberating with a sense of doom, and then, I heard my dad’s voice continue reading …