“Oh, you and your dramas.”

I held onto the railing, feeling like the stairs were shifting. Carly grabbed the ring I wore around my neck and examined it:

“What the hell is this?”

“I… got it from Dona… Cláudia.” My voice barely came out. “Help me… please.”

“What kind of help do you want?”

“Any… I need to go up to my room… or down to the living room.” I begged, trying to take her hand.

Carly pulled away but kept holding the ring. I felt the necklace snap ...