Sure enough, as soon as Gianna brought up the past, Mom completely panicked. She picked up a nearby fruit knife and pressed it against her throat, tears streaming down her face as she looked at me.

“Amara, if you don’t go and take the blame for Gia, I’ll kill myself!”

To prove her desperation, she pressed the sharp blade harder into her skin, a trickle of blood slowly seeping out. Just a little more pressure, and it would gush forth.

My mother, who had once been my closest ally, was now willing to threaten her own daughter’s life for the sake of an outsider. My heart twisted painfully, and tears...