Chapter 2

I lay face-down on the cold floor, terrified to lift my head. The thought kept looping in my mind. 'Did Mom really just leave me here?'

I was frozen, completely lost—until suddenly, someone familiar burst in. It was Dad, Dad.

He hobbled over on his cast-covered leg, not caring how much it hurt, desperate to reach me.

He pulled me into his arms and just sat down at the company entrance, crying his heart out. I'd never seen Dad like this before—his sobs shook both of us.

"This is outrageous! They took my wife, and now they don't even want our daughter," Dad yelled, his voice cracking with grief.

His crying was so intense that people started flocking around us, all eyes fixed on Dad as he sobbed uncontrollably.

He gripped me so hard I could hardly catch my breath, his embrace almost suffocating.

Through his tears, I watched him secretly pull out an old phone and start frantically pressing buttons.

Moments later, a swarm of reporters shouldering cameras and microphones stormed over and completely surrounded us.

"Sir, what happened?" one of them shouted.

Dad just lost it in front of the cameras, breaking down even harder. "They're monsters! They locked my wife up and won't let me see her. And now they don't even want my daughter.

"Look at my kid. Just look how miserable she is."

I stared at the chaos, panic crawling up her spine. 'What am I supposed to do?'

With cameras flashing everywhere, Colin and Tyne's faces turned absolutely livid.

The whole thing just exploded—it was the only thing anyone was talking about.

That night, my photos—and a clip of Mom shrieking and dodging me—went completely viral online.

Everyone was roasting them online, calling them cold-blooded and totally heartless.

Drowned in all that public outrage, Colin had no choice but to drag me back home.

The house looked exactly like some fancy castle you only see in movies. But stepping inside made the place feel even colder than a morgue.

I couldn't help but shiver. Mom was up on the second-floor stairs, staring down at me, icy and unmoved, like she couldn't care less.

Her eyes were colder than if she was looking at some mortal enemy.

So, that's how I got stuck living in this so-called mansion.

The room was massive, the mattress plush, but every night I lay there shivering, sleep utterly out of reach.

In this house, I was nothing but a ghost—no one saw me, no one cared if I was even there.

Colin and Tyne never bothered to say a word to me, and the maids acted like I was contagious—constantly ducking away, refusing to get close.

Mom just holed up in her room with the door locked, refusing to see me or anyone else, completely shutting me out.

I was the plague everyone here dreaded, a living curse they'd do anything to avoid.

Late one night, I was yanked out of sleep by muffled crying. The sobbing was coming from Mom's room.

I slid off my bed and crept over to her door, my bare feet freezing against the floor.

Mixed with the sobs, I could hear stuff being thrown around inside.

Panic tightening in my chest, I crouched down by the doorway, peeking through the gap to see what was happening.

The only light in the room was a dim bedside lamp, casting long shadows across the floor.

Mom was curled up on the floor, knees pulled tight to her chest, her whole body shaking uncontrollably.

She was trapped in a nightmare, crying out over and over, "Don't touch me. Get away." Her voice was raw with terror.

My heart twisted painfully. 'Is this all because I'm here? Am I the reason Mom's falling apart?'

The next morning, I saw the maid hauling a trash can out of Mom's room.

The trash can was packed full of shredded sketches, pieces of torn-up paper everywhere.

I recognized them instantly—those were Mom's drawings. She used to love drawing more than anything.

But now, every face was ripped to shreds—scratched up so badly with her nails you couldn't even tell who was supposed to be in the picture.

Suddenly, I understood everything. I was a constant trigger for her pain, a living reminder of every nightmare she wished she could bury forever.

I was her nightmare, the one thing she couldn't escape. I just wanted to make her smile, even if it was just for a second.

I walked out to the villa's garden, where her favorite white roses bloomed in neat rows.

Carefully, I picked the most beautiful one, then found a clean glass bottle and filled it with water.

I placed the white rose just outside Mom's door, then hid behind the stairwell, anxiously spying to see if she'd notice.

Please, let her see it,' I silently begged. 'Maybe she'll like it—maybe she'll smile, even just a little.'

Suddenly, the door creaked open.