Chapter 5

Nathan delivered another cruel blow with a cold laugh.

"You’re nowhere near as good as Suki! After she came, she helped our family secure three international patents in a row and elevated us straight into high society. What can you do besides cause trouble?"

I slowly raised my eyes.

"The fire? The patents?"

How ridiculous.

They started the fire themselves.

As for the patents, the old me had stayed up countless nights developing them, hoping to surprise them after my coming-of-age ceremony.

I never expected Suzy to steal all the credit.

The application dates were clearly printed on the documents. If they had been willing to take a closer look, they would have known that I was the one who earned those patents.

Yet they continued to believe they were all Suzy’s achievements…

Dad waved his hand impatiently.

"Enough! The house is burned down, so let it burn. We’ll stay in a hotel tonight!"

The four of them exchanged a knowing glance, their eyes drifting toward the villa next door at the same time.

The villa was the "new home" they had carefully prepared for Suzy. It was a place I was forbidden to enter.

I quietly watched their guilty expressions and nodded.

"Okay."

It didn’t matter.

My home, the one that belonged to me, was gone long ago.

The fire had merely destroyed the last fragment of my self-deception.

We checked into a hotel near home.

In the middle of the night, I woke to the ragged breathing around me.

When I opened my eyes, five dark figures were looming over me.

I struggled to turn on the bedside lamp and found myself staring into their slimy, repulsive eyes.

The door, which I had locked from the inside, stood inexplicably wide open, while the hallway light cast distorted shadows across the carpet.

"Help—!"

Before I could finish screaming, a hand clamped over my mouth.

The chain on the door to my parents’ room rattled, and Mom’s pale face flashed briefly through the opening.

But in the next second, Nathan’s hand seized her like an iron clamp and dragged her back. Noman even shut the door with a cold expression.

When pain exceeds a certain threshold, the mind activates a protective mechanism.

I felt as if I were floating near the ceiling, forced to watch the version of myself below being brutalized.

The argument from the room next door drifted over in broken fragments.

Mom’s voice trembled.

"She’s only nineteen… Even if it’s for Suzy, you can’t treat her like this! How will Suzy accept this body when she comes back?"

Noman lowered his head and ground his heel against the floor, his tone careless.

"Mom! Bringing Suzy back is what matters most! Can’t you see that Nora doesn’t care about this family anymore?"

Nathan immediately voiced his agreement.

"Exactly. The only person she cares about is herself! There’s only one day left. This is the only method I could think of. We can bring Suzy back only if Nora completely breaks down!"

After a moment of silence, Dad delivered his cold verdict.

"The method may be inappropriate, but the objective is correct. Remember, this stays between us. Suzy is a clean freak and can’t stand anything like this. Once she comes back, you’ll have to make it up to her twice over!"

I listened to them.

My fingernails had already dug into my palms, yet I could not feel any pain.

Ha… Suzy. It was always Suzy.

Why was I always the one who suffered while she was always the one who received their comfort and compensation…?

The door suddenly swung open, and all four of them averted their eyes.

Mom forced out a fake smile, her voice tense.

"The hotel security isn’t very good. You… nothing happened to you, right?"

I stared at her and suddenly decided I was done pretending.

"Stop acting."

I raised my hand and pointed at the wall.

"This wall is as thin as paper. You heard every single thing that happened to me just now, loud and clear. And I heard every word you said, too."