---- eighteen. Back then, he told me, "No matter who you end up with, this house will always be yours. With this house, you'll never want for respect." But now, he was living in that house with another woman. And they had a child. By the time Dennis stepped outside, I had already pulled myself together. He walked toward me through the snow, one slow step at a time, his eyes full of something that looked like worry. When he reached me, he pulled me into his arms. His breath was warm against my ear. "Anna, it's been three years. You've lost weight." Ascent of peaches clung to him, sweet and unfamiliar. He smelled different now. He used to carry a faint trace of tea. ---- I recoiled at his touch, pushing him away. His pupils contracted for a second. Then he smiled. "Our little Anna's all grown up. Knows the difference between men and women now. But I'm still your future husband. Don't treat me like a stranger, okay?" Once, I thought he was a light in my world. Back when I first came to the McMillan family, I was quiet and withdrawn. I got bullied at school all the time. One day after class, a group cornered me in an alley. Then Dennis appeared, driving a black Maybach. He pulled up and trapped those boys in the corner with his car. Then he got out and stood in front of me. I'll never forget the coldness in his voice as he said, "Anna is my sister. Anyone who dares lay a hand on her again won't walk away from it."