I was sitting in my living room, engrossed in my favorite book when the doorbell suddenly rang. I hesitated for a moment, wondering who could be at my door at this hour. When I opened the door, I was surprised to see my father and stepmother standing on my doorstep.

"Hey, Nova! Surprise!" my father exclaimed, a wide grin on his face.

I was taken aback, as I hadn't seen my father in several months. My stepmother, Freya, stood behind him, smiling, but I knew better. She only pretended to be nice when my father was around. It had always been like that. Freya would pretend to be kind to...