Chapter 9

The only time Nadia had ever seen a swing in her life was the day she watched her father, David Thorne, playing with her younger brother, Jeffrey Thorne, at the park. Just as Nadia was excitedly approaching to give it a try after Jeffrey lost interest and climbed down, David promptly kicked her down without a second thought. David shouted, "Even if Jeffrey's done playing, that doesn't mean you get to take what's his!" Witnessing her fall and blood dribbling from her head, Jeffrey grabbed a rock and hurled it at her. He laughed and clapped. "Maids belong on the ground." He had picked it up from television, but in that household, Nadia was treated no better than a maid. Her relocation to the city was merely to facilitate her role in caring for him. Every time she sat on a swing, that memory came rushing back. To Nadia, it was painfully clear that every bit of happiness she now had belonged to Mia. So she clenched her teeth and kept up the false, polished facade. Stanley was entir