Chapter 300

He loved playing basketball and used to sneak off with his buddies to play games at internet cafés. Even though Richard Lewis and Nancy Spencer clearly favored boys, Daniel Lewis didn’t end up twisted. He never took advantage of the favor to pick on his sister. In fact, he always stood up for Maria Lewis and had her back. Whatever he got, she had to get it too. Later, when he found out she was set to marry some total stranger, he blew up. He argued with their parents, demanding they call off the wedding—that was the first time his dad slapped him. When nothing worked, he tried sneaking Maria out at night, thinking she could run away. But Maria knew there was nowhere to go. Even if she left, they'd just drag her back. She told him she was going through with it by her own choice. The guy came from money, and at least she wouldn’t suffer. After he turned eighteen, it was like he flipped a switch. He stopped talking, stopped smiling, just dragged himself through each day like a zombie. Mar