Chapter one

Carter walks into the room with a painful expression.

"Hi, Sadie." I don't care for the uneasiness in Carter's tone.

Why is he here? Does he need to take my statement?

"Sadie, it's about your brother."

My heart rate picks up.

"What about him? Did you find him?" I sit up straighter in the bed.

"Sadie…I'm so sorry to tell you this, but Josiah…Josiah…was found dead this morning."

I stop breathing.

This can't be happening.

"No, no, no." I shake my head violently.

Jo's fine. He's fine.

"Baby," Donnie tries reaching for me.

"You're lying!" I snatch my hands away from Donnie. "I'll prove it to you. Seb! Give me your phone." I hold out my shaky hands, fingers itching to snatch his phone from him.

"Sade—"

"Don't. Only Josiah calls me that," I whisper, closing my eyes, hoping I didn't hear him right, this isn't really the worst nightmare from hell coming true.

"Please give me your phone, Seb," I plead, opening my eyes and meeting Seb's gaze.

"Ok, Reina." Seb pulls his phone from his pocket and hands it to me.

I snatch his phone from his hand and dial Jo's number.

"Hey, this is Jo. Leave me a message, and I'll hit you back."

I redial.

"Hey, this is Jo. Leave me a message and I'll hit you back."

I frantically redial the number over and over, but the message never changes.

"No, no. He wouldn't leave me." I look up at Seb, tears falling down my face. "He promised not to leave me. Seb, he's okay, right?" I beg him to tell me it's a cruel joke and that Jo is alive.

But that's not what I see when I glance around the room—painful expressions covering their faces and tears flooding their eyes. Then I meet Donnie's blue orbs, once shining bright as the sky, now clouded with sadness.

I turn away, not able to stomach the heartbreak on his face. Donnie is like a sponge—he absorbs every emotion pouring out of me. Even as a child, he tried to take on every tear I shed, erase every bruise on my body, and fill the void in my heart.

A burst of pain shoots through me.

"Oh, my God! No! He can't be gone!" I scream and start pulling at my hair, ignoring the ache scorching up my arm.

I lay my head back and bury my head in the pillow as I cry out my grief.