Ella took off her blazer and wrapped it around Chloe's shivering body as they both came outside of the house.

Chloe turned frantically. "I need to go back in, my dad needs me"

Tears welled up in Ella's eyes. "Chloe, stop! What are you doing?!"

Chloe wiped her tears and acted indifferent to what had happened. "You don't understand, Ella. When he's passed out like that I have to do everything... Now I have to take him to his bed and make some food for him---"

Ella held her shoulders and shook her violently. "Your dad is gone, Chloe"

Chloe laughed. "No, he isn't. You know he loves to scare me like that. He'd act like he's dead and then he'll wake up. Any minute now, he'll come out of this door and he'll go like GOT YOU!" She mimicked his voice and smiled with tears shining in her eyes.

Sobbing, Ella shook her head. "No, Chloe. Your dad is gone" saying that she pulled her in for a hug.

"You're lying" Chloe mumbled over her shoulder not hugging her back.

"I wish I was..."

Chloe's chin trembled. Suddenly, a flood of tears gushed down her ashen cheeks. She knew... She knew but she was trying to deny it.

"We need to call an ambulance, okay?" Ella rubbed her back.

"Okay..." Chloe cried

Ella nodded at her, holding her close. "Okay, you need to stay calm. I'll take care of everything."

The help arrived on the scene in under half an hour. Ella and Chloe stood outside of the house as they saw Hugh's rotting corpse getting into the ambulance.

"Ma'am, what is your relationship with the dead?" An officer asked

Ella looked at Chloe but she seemed completely out of her senses. "She's Mr. Jones' daughter Chloe Jones"

"And you are?" He asked

"I'm her friend"

He asked a couple more questions before Ella and Chloe settled in the ambulance with Hugh's body. His whole body was now covered with a white cloth. Chloe slid her hand under it and held her father's cold, stiff hand. Ella kept saying something but Chloe couldn't hear it. At the hospital, they took his body for inspection and Ella stayed by Chloe's side the whole time.

Five hours... It took them five hours to finally tell Chloe about her dad. Ella called her dad and lied to him about being at a friend's house.

A doctor approached them. "Ms. Jones?" She called and Chloe stood up immediately.

"What happened to him? Who did this to him?"

"Was he a drunk or an addict?" The doctor asked

"Yes... He was an alcoholic" Chloe answered

"No one did this to him. His windpipe is clogged. The best scenario I can give is that he was passed out when he choked on his own vomit" the doctor informed

"Louie, I'm sorry. I'll die without you..."

"I don't care!"

She recalled the last conversation she ever had with her dad. "So, he wasn't murdered?" Chloe asked

"No, and he has been dead for more than a month now"

Chloe inhaled sharply. "So, can I take his body for a proper burial?"

"As you are the only living relative, you have to sign some forms before release. And Ms. Jones, as you are a minor, I must call the social services" the doctor told her.

"I understand..." Chloe's voice was inaudible. "I would like to have him cremated"

"That can be arranged, we'll send his body to the cremation center. You can pick up the ashes tomorrow"

"What if I want them today?" Chloe asked

"You have to pay some additional charges..."

"How much will that be?" Chloe asked biting the inside of her cheeks.

"It's okay, we'd like to have them today..." Ella interjected. Chloe gave her a grateful look.

The hospital sent off Hugh's body to their cremation center. Ella and Chloe waited for the process to be completed. Ella paid for everything not letting Chloe worry about anything.

A few hours later, Chloe was given her father's ashes in an urn. She stared at it for a long time. She sighed and sat down on a bench outside of the center.

"Chloe..." Ella sat beside her.

"I have to get out of here, Ella..." She whispered

"Why? Where will you go?" She asked, worried for her.

Chloe's mind wasn't in the right place that made Ella anxious for her.

"They called the social services if I stayed tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, they'll come for me. I don't have anyone..."

"What about your mom?" She asked

"She left us when I was three... I don't even know if she's alive or dead"

"Let my family help you, Chloe. My parents can adopt you and if you don't want that they can be your foster parents" Ella said

Chloe shook her head. "I don't think I can stay here anymore, Ella... This town... This neighborhood"

"Chloe, please think this through. You don't have to make a decision right now"

"I have an apartment back in California, where Axel and I lived... I left my stuff there, my cellphone, clothes and other belongings... Everything's there" she told Ella. "I have to go back..."

Ella nodded. "I saw Axel today at school..."

Chloe laughed a little. "He's back to school already?"

"Yeah..."

Chloe shook her head and tears dropped in her lap. "It's not fair... It's not fair how he always gets whatever he wants and I'm the one left with nothing..." Anger consumed Chloe as she fisted her hands. "Why didn't his father die? Why his life is back to normal when we both took that step?! Why won't he get to face the consequences of both of our actions? Why me? Why only me?"

Ella wiped her tears and sniffled. "What did he do, Chloe? What did Axel do?"

"He promised me the world and then he left me..." She shrugged.

"Why did he leave? He loved you, right?"

"Sometimes love isn't enough... I don't blame him, Ella. I don't blame him for leaving me. I don't blame him for the abortion. I don't blame---"

"Abortion?!" Ella asked stunned

"I got pregnant and we got an abortion. We did that... Together" she explained

"I had no idea..." Ella breathed out

"Hm... It's the reason we aren't together anymore or maybe he fell out of love and just wanted out..." She shrugged. "I guess I'll never know"

"Chloe, I'm so sorry..."

"Now, you understand why I can't stay here anymore... I never wanna see Axel again." She sighed. "Not because I hate him... I just don't want to see him"

"I understand" Ella whispered

"You need to promise me something, Ella. You need to promise me that you'll never speak of this day again. You will not tell anyone what happened today... I'll leave, no one will ever know I was here and you won't tell anyone, promise me"

Ella's lips parted and she took a deep breath. "I won't, I promise you"

"Thank you and don't worry about me" she looked down towards the urn in her lap. "I'm not alone. I have my dad with me"

"Before you leave, I'd like to help you a little... As a sister... Please, let me" Ella said and Chloe smiled and nodded.

Ella and Chloe walked towards Ella's home. Upon arriving, Ella hid Chloe behind a wall and went in alone. With silent steps, she went to her room and pulled out a bag from her closet. She started putting in some clothes, comfortable shoes, and other stuff for Chloe. They both were almost the same size. She took out all the money she had at that time and stuffed it in with the clothes. She also put some snacks in it if she gets hungry. But she still felt like it wasn't enough. She looked around and saw her chain laying on her dresser. She walked towards it and picked it up before tiptoeing out of her room. She slowly closed all the doors behind her and came out.

The guards eyed her and the bag on her shoulder. "Should I inform Mr. Carter?" He asked Ella.

"No, shut up, Mark! I'll be back in two seconds"

She walked out of her mansion and saw Chloe still leaning against the wall mindlessly watching the sky. Ella approached her.

"Chloe,"

"Hm?" She asked

"I brought some stuff for you, please take it."

Without arguing Chloe took the bag from Ella and hugged her. "Thank you for everything"

Ella pulled away and held her hand. She placed the chain in her palm. "Take this, it's real diamonds, it must cost a fortune---"

Chloe gasped. "Ella, I can't take this. It looks important---"

Ella shook her head. "It's not! Just take it... For emergencies. It might come in handy"

"Why are you doing all this for me?" Chloe asked

"Because you are a good person, Chloe and you deserve good things. I have known Axel my whole life and trust me, he didn't deserve you in the first place..."

Chloe hugged Ella one more time before they parted ways but Ella didn't want her to leave. "Chloe, you can stay... My parents are amazing people. They'll love you... You could be your most obnoxious self and they'd still love you, please"

Chloe looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Then you have no idea how lucky you are to have them" saying that, she turned and continued on her path.