Chapter 2

Mom's hesitation made Dad, who was busy chopping up the body, visibly impatient. He nudged her with his elbow. "Snap out of it. If someone comes by, Stella's life will really be over."

"Colten, I just... I think..." Mom said.

"What? After all these years as a forensic pathologist, are you seriously scared now?" Dad shot back. He frowned, shoving the chunks into the bags. "Quit spacing out. Time's ticking."

Hearing that, Mom, who'd been hesitating, picked up the pace.

For some reason, I could see a flicker of panic in her eyes. I figured Mom was worried her whole career might go down the drain because of what she was doing now.

But in their hearts, what really mattered was Stella's bright future.

In the end, I watched as my body was chopped up and packed into dozens of bags, and then sealed inside paint buckets.

So, Mom and Dad had already made plans to destroy the evidence and get rid of my body from the very start.

But they were in such a hurry. They didn't even realize my driver's license had fallen out of the bag.

And just as unnoticed were the wild mushrooms, crushed into a messy pulp under their feet.

My parents expertly covered up all traces of the crime and then took Stella, who was shaken, back home.

My soul floated alongside them, returning to the home I hadn't set foot in for five years.

Truth was, it was never my home to begin with. They found me, but never once treated me as their own flesh and blood.

No matter how much I had done, my parents never gave me the slightest bit of recognition.

Whenever Stella cried and tattled, they immediately decided I was the one deliberately upsetting their favorite girl.

After three years of relentless bullying at school, the bruises on my face became a permanent mark.

But in my parents' eyes, those bruises were more evidence that I was nothing but trouble.

Even when Stella pushed me into the pool with my parents watching, they dismissed it as kids fooling around.

From the moment I entered the Johnson residence, this blatant favoritism repeated itself every single day and night.

I put up with it for three years, but when Stella tried to rip up the offer from the college I applied, I completely lost it.

Who did she think she was, acting like she could destroy my future without a second thought?

I gave her a real beating, and seeing her lying there on the floor, a total mess, for the first time, I felt a rush of pure relief.

But soon enough, my parents came home early and saw everything. Without even bothering to ask why Stella and I were fighting, they grabbed a stick thick as an arm and beat me without mercy.

My own parents never loved me.

At that time, I didn't fight back. I just quietly cut ties with them in my heart. I was done with parents who never loved me.

From that day on, I moved out of the Johnson residence and started hustling nonstop, juggling every part-time gig I could find.

Even in the blazing summer, when people complained about the heat even with the AC on full blast, I was sweating it out inside a stuffed animal suit, handing out flyers.

Meanwhile, Stella was living it up at the mall, swiping our parents' black card like money was nothing.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't envy her, but I knew deep down that my future would outshine hers.

I was going to put down roots in this city with my grandma, who raised me. But life never went according to plan.

When the kids from where I grew up sent me letters, asking what the outside world was like, I suddenly realized that studying hard wasn't just about running away from poverty.

I gave up a million-dollar salary as an investment manager and chose to return to the place that raised me.

I stepped back into the small town, determined to help those kids walk out and see the world for themselves.

Of course, even that little hope didn't stand a chance. Stella had to ruin it, too.

Edward, lounging on the couch, immediately sensed something was off from my parents' grim faces and Stella's panicked expression.

Edward went viral online for his good looks, earning the nickname "handsome lawyer" from netizens.

Even more impressive was his reputation for professionalism. After nearly ten years in the legal field, Edward always fought for victims and never lost a case.

Edward stood up, frowning as he sniffed the air in front of my parents. "Mom, you smell like blood tonight. What's going on?"

Yeah, Mom was always obsessed with cleanliness. Whenever she came home from the hospital, she'd be covered in the scent of disinfectant. But tonight, the smell of blood was so strong that even Edward started to get suspicious.

"And you, Stella..." he started, but before he could finish, his eyes caught a glaring red stain on the hem of her pants.

He crouched down, touched it, and his fingertips instantly came away tinged with red.

Edward, always sharp, seemed to pick up on something. He stood up and showed everyone the blood on his fingers. "Don't tell me you guys went out hunting in the middle of the night."

"Edward, don't use your lawyer tricks on your own family," Dad said and slapped Edward's hand away. "Just get some sleep and quit overthinking everything."

After that, Dad gave Stella a pointed look, her face still dazed, silently telling her not to say a word.

After that, Dad and Mom rushed upstairs to burn all the evidence.

When he realized Mom and Dad weren't giving him any answers, Edward shot Stella a sharp look. "You sure you haven't done anything shady?"

Stella bit her lip and tried her best not bring herself to confess she'd killed someone in a hit-and-run.

But as Edward kept questioning her, she finally lost it. "Edward, I killed someone. I'm going to turn myself in."

"Did Mom and Dad know..." Edward asked.

Then there was this weird smell in the air, and Edward stopped talking, wrinkled his nose, and covered his mouth.

He quickly ran upstairs and stormed into Mom and Dad's room without even bothering to knock.