Chapter 1

Everyone in the capital knew that my dad was my mom's one and only loyal devotee.

My mom adored snow, so Dad built her a mountain in the capital's suburbs where it stayed frosty all year round.

She loved listening to opera, so he kept an entire opera troupe, performing solely for her.

And me? I was the birthday present my dad gave her when she turned twenty.

They all said I was the Lane family's precious pearl, born to be treated like royalty.

But everything changed when I turned five. Dad brought home a boy just three years older than me.

The boy seized my skirt, his eyes dark and full of malice.

He sneered, "Dad said girls are always married off anyway. Only boys get to inherit the family legacy.

"And your mom? She's too old now. She can't give Dad a son anymore."

I ran to Mom in tears, asking her if I was going to be sent away.

That night, an avalanche crashed down on the mountain in the suburbs.

The boy Dad just brought home ended up buried beneath the snow forever.

Mom hugged me tight and kissed my forehead, her voice soft and doting.

She said, "Zoey, from now on, no one can ever take anything from you."

*****

Dad said, "Where is Charlie? Where the hell did you take him?"

Dad came home.

He was covered in snow, his eyes blazing red and wild like a lion ready to tear someone apart.

He shoved past the bodyguards at the door and stormed straight up to Mom.

I'd never seen Dad look at Mom like that before. There wasn't a trace of affection in his eyes.

Nothing but ice-cold hatred filled his gaze.

Mom kept idly swirling her coffee with a tiny silver spoon, not even sparing him a glance.

She said, "It was windy on the mountain. He just slipped and fell, that's all."

Dad burst out, "Bullshit! There's no such thing as an avalanche on the mountain in the suburbs.

"Tell me, Vivian, you did it, didn't you?"

Dad's voice was hoarse from shouting, every word dripping with rage.

Mom finally looked up, her gorgeous eyes void of any trace of feeling.

She said, "Yeah, it was me. So what?

"Richard, when you brought that bastard into our home, did it ever cross your mind to ask me first?"

Dad's chest heaved with every breath, his eyes fixed on Mom like he was seeing her for the very first time.

"He's my son, my flesh and blood. The only one left to carry on the Lane family's name!" Dad bellowed.

Mom suddenly let out a laugh, light and crisp, like ice breaking on the floor.

She said, "Your son?

"Richard, did you forget? Back when you wanted to marry me, what vows did you make in front of my grandfather?

"You said Zoey would be your only child, forever."

Dad's face turned as pale as a sheet, like someone'd just slapped him hard. He stumbled back a step, suddenly looking unsteady.

He stammered, "Vivian, you don't get it. Charlie is... He's my only son. The Lane family needs an heir."

"So now Zoey's not your kid anymore?" Mom shot back.

Her voice was soft, but to me, it felt like someone just punched me straight in the chest. It hurt really badly.

I hurried to hide behind Mom, clutching her skirt so tightly that my knuckles turned white.

Dad's gaze landed on me, and there was a storm brewing in them I just couldn't make sense of.

But in the end, I thought I caught a trace of... something nasty. Maybe even disgust.

Dad said, "Vivian, you're really heartless."

Then he added, "He was just a kid."

And with that, Dad spun around and left, never once looking back.

The door slammed shut behind him.

It was like the dad who once built a snow mountain just to make me smile had vanished as well, buried under the snow with the boy named Charlie.

It felt like our whole home was about to come crashing down.

Dad didn't come home for three days.

On the fourth day, he showed up with a woman trailing behind him.

She was wearing a white dress, her face so pale that it was almost spooky, and her eyes were swollen and red.

Anyone could tell she'd been crying for ages. She looked so timid, almost too afraid to even look up.

Dad said, "Vivian, this is Susan Watts, Charlie's mom."

He added, "She's not in good health, and now that Charlie's gone, I want her to stay with us for a while."

He wasn't asking. He was laying down the law, no discussion.

Mom was trimming the roses in the vase when she heard that. The scissors in her hand snapped shut with a sharp click.

She'd just cut off the most beautiful bloom.

The flower head dropped to the floor, its petals as red as blood.

Mom scoffed, "Richard, as if taking in that bastard wasn't enough for you—now you're bringing your mistress right into our home?"

Her voice was icy enough to freeze your bones.

She said, "Did any of my words ever get through that thick skull of yours?"

Dad's face twisted up, and he yanked Susan behind him.

He said, "She's got no one left, nowhere to go. Just leave her alone, will you?"

"Oh, so now I'm the one making trouble?" Mom snapped back.

She let out a bitter laugh and then tossed the scissors onto the table, the clang echoing through the room.

"Alright, Richard. Let's see how long you can protect her," she challenged.

*****

And just like that, Susan moved in.

She took over Charlie's old room, right next to mine.

At night, she was always crying, her sobs sharp and eerie, like a ghost wailing in the dark.

More than once, I woke up in the middle of the night to find her standing right by my bed, just staring straight at me.

She'd ask, "Zoey, have you seen Charlie?

"He's all alone, buried deep under the snow mountain. It's so cold down there.

"He told me he wants someone to stay with him."

I let out a shriek and dove straight into Mom's arms, trembling all over.

Mom pulled me close and then lifted her head, her look chilling as she stared daggers at Dad and Susan standing in the doorway.

Susan instantly dropped her head, her tears falling in big, heavy drops.

She said, "I'm sorry, I... I just miss Charlie so much.

"Zoey was about her age, so I thought I'd come see her..."

Dad's heart broke for her. He pulled her into his arms, then spun around and yelled at Mom, "Vivian, how did you teach our daughter? She's so timid.

"Susan just misses her son. Do you really have to make such a scene?"

Mom just clung to me tight, not saying a single word.

But I could feel her whole arm shaking.

I knew she wasn't scared. She was shaking all over from rage.

That night, I had a nightmare.

In my dream, Charlie, bloodied all over, crawled out from under the snow. He stretched his hand toward me, trying to pull me down to stay with him forever.