Chapter 1

Chloe' s name was on every news channel.

"Eighteen-Year-Old Chloe Sterling Wins National Science Medal."

The picture they used was from the ceremony, a candid shot. She was looking down at the heavy gold medal around her neck, a small, shy smile on her face. She looked so young, so brilliant, so full of promise.

I stood in the grand foyer of the Sterling estate, my heart swelling with a pride that was sharp and overwhelming. My daughter. My brilliant daughter.

The front door opened, and Victoria, my wife, swept in. She didn't look at the TV. She didn't look at me. Her eyes, cold and hard as polished stone, were fixed on the staircase, where Chloe was just coming down.

Chloe' s face was lit with a nervous excitement. "Mom, did you see?"

Victoria didn't answer. She walked straight to the large screen on the wall, her movements stiff with fury. With a single, vicious jab of her finger, she shut it off.

The room went silent.

"What do you think you're doing?" Victoria' s voice was low, a dangerous hum.

Chloe froze, her smile vanishing. "I... I just won. I thought you'd be happy."

"Happy?" Victoria laughed, a sound with no warmth, no joy. "You think this makes me happy? Leo is upstairs, in his room, and he won't even come out. His life is ruined. His future is gone because of that cheating scandal. And you choose today, of all days, to flaunt this... this thing in his face."

She pointed a trembling finger at the medal still hanging around Chloe' s neck.

I stepped forward. "Vicky, that's not fair. This is Chloe's moment. She earned this. She got a full ride to Harvard."

Victoria whirled on me. "You stay out of this, Ethan. You have no idea what it means to protect this family. To protect my sister's legacy."

Her eyes went back to Chloe, burning with a terrifying resentment. "You did this on purpose. You wanted to hurt him. You wanted to make him feel worthless."

"No, Mom, I didn't!" Chloe' s voice broke, tears welling in her eyes. "I love Leo. I would never..."

"Don't lie to me," Victoria snapped. She grabbed Chloe by the arm, her grip like iron. "You need to learn a lesson about family loyalty. You need to understand what real suffering feels like."

She started dragging Chloe toward the basement door.

"Victoria, no! Stop it!" I yelled, rushing after them.

She ignored me. She shoved Chloe down the basement stairs, the sound of our daughter' s terrified sob echoing in the dark. I heard the heavy, metallic clang of the wine cellar door.

The lock clicked.

"What are you doing?" I screamed, grabbing Victoria's arm. "You can't leave her in there! You know about her claustrophobia!"

Victoria wrenched her arm free, her face a mask of pure contempt. "She can stay in there and think about what she's done. She can think about Leo."

She pulled out her phone, her thumb tapping on a screen. A low hum started from the basement.

"And I'm turning the temperature down," she said, her voice chillingly calm. "A little cold will help her clear her head."