Chapter 3

Not a single one of them remembered me, who was abandoned on the snowy mountain, even after they were discharged from the hospital.

The innkeeper saw them return from the hospital so quickly and chuckled. "It's hard to avoid altitude sickness when you travel here. Getting discharged so fast means you're pretty healthy.

"What about the other girl? I remember she looked really rough before heading up the mountain. I even tried to talk her out of it, but she was determined to go. Is she still in the hospital?"

Olivia's expression shifted for a moment. Afraid her fake sickness would be exposed, she quickly put on a weak act, bent over, and started coughing hard.

"Olivia didn't want us to waste our vacation stuck in the hospital. Luckily, her altitude sickness wasn't too bad, so she decided to come back to the inn and rest," Mom explained.

Mom, feeling sorry for Olivia, reached out to gently pat her back. But as soon as the innkeeper brought up me, her soft expression immediately darkened.

Mom said, "My younger daughter is perfectly healthy. There's nothing wrong with her at all. She just thinks Olivia is always sick and slowing us down, so now she's probably off messing around somewhere.

"We hardly ever get to travel as a family, and she doesn't even care about Olivia's health. She's just being completely selfish."

Hearing Mom say that, and seeing Olivia coughing her lungs out, the innkeeper instantly pegged me as some self-centered spoiled brat who only cared about having fun and was just out for herself, not her family.

She frowned, her tone annoyed. "Selfish people like that always get what's coming to them in the end. You shouldn't waste your time on that ungrateful girl.

"Since you're here, just enjoy yourselves. True happiness is when the whole family sticks together."

I knew better than anyone that true happiness was when the whole family stuck together.

But did they ever really treat me like one of their own?

Ever since I could remember, Mom was always cold to me. She had never even shown me a hint of warmth.

I used to hide in the corner, desperate for a taste of that happiness, like a rat in the gutter, watching as Mom held Olivia, who was six back then, and gently read her fairy tales.

But even sneaking a peek at a happiness that wasn't mine would get me yelled at.

Mom'd scold me for hiding like a ghost in the shadows, saying I'd scare Olivia, and warned me not to roam the house unless she said so.

I was her flesh and blood, too, but while Olivia got all their endless love and attention, why did I have to survive like a stray, barely tolerated under their roof?

They let the innkeeper, who didn't know the truth, think I was some ungrateful brat, and not one of them spoke up for me. Would they only be satisfied if I tore myself apart for them, giving everything I had?

Now that I was dead, this pathetic life of mine was finally returned to them.

After scrolling through short videos for a while, Olivia got bored out of her mind.

"Mom, can we go on the cable car later? Staying cooped up in the inn is so boring," Olivia whined.

"Sure," Mom replied.

Just then, Dad walked in from outside, his face grim.

"Olivia wants to ride the cable car. Let's head out now," Mom said, oblivious to Dad's expression as she tried on a new coat in front of the mirror.

Dad said, "Someone found a woman's body up on the mountain. They suspected it was a homicide and called the police.

"The police have ordered all the inns to close and are keeping guests inside to prevent the killer from striking again."

Mom froze, the coat slipped from her hands and hit the floor. Her voice shook as she asked, "A woman's body? Did the innkeeper mention how old she might be?"

A woman's body... Did they find my body?

I could finally leave this place. No more watching them play happy family, constantly rubbing in the fact that I was never loved.

"I'll go see what I can find out," Dad said.

"Mom, why are you asking so many questions?" Olivia grumbled, clearly pissed that their trip had been ruined. She started playing a game on her phone.

The volume turned up obnoxiously loud, making the whole room feel even more tense.

"Olivia, turn that game off right now!" Mom suddenly yelled, her voice cutting through the noise like a knife.

I froze, totally taken aback. Mom had never snapped at Olivia before.

Olivia looked just as stunned. She clearly didn't expect Mom, who always indulged her every whim, to suddenly raise her voice at her.

Her expression shifted, lips pressed tight. "Mom, I was just worried you might get scared because of the killer, that's all," Olivia said.

When Mom saw Olivia acting all hurt, her expression softened. She apologized, "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to snap at you. Your sister is just so irresponsible. She still hasn't come back.

"When we get home, I'm definitely going to teach her a lesson."

I let out a bitter laugh. Was there even a place I could call home?