Chapter 3

I walked into the house, only to be met by a heavy, suffocating silence in the living room.

My older sister, Allison Hill, threw out a casual remark. "The background check board called today. Because a family member poses a major risk for public scandal, my security clearance is most likely going to be put on hold."

She looked up and glanced at me. "Are you happy now?"

My mother immediately began laying into me. "Your sister worked so hard to get this spot, and here you are dragging her down with this dirty scandal!"

I stood in the middle of the living room, completely drenched, water still dripping off my clothes. "Mom, the video is fake. It's an AI deepfake. I'm the victim here."

"Enough!" my father barked, cutting me off. "Who cares whether it's real or fake? The whole internet is talking about it, and everyone believes it!"

He pointed to a piece of paper lying on the coffee table. "Your mother and I have talked it over. There's only one solution. You're going to post a statement admitting it was you, saying you had a mental breakdown and made a terrible mistake in a moment of poor judgment."

My father paused, his eyes showing not a single trace of remorse. "As long as we frame it as a mental health episode, this whole thing will blow over, and your sister's security clearance won't be affected."

I stared at them in complete disbelief.

"And you need to hand over two hundred thousand dollars as a public relations fund," Allison added from the side, her tone completely flat. "This whole mess started because of you. You can't expect the family to clean it up for free."

I looked at the three of them—a calculating father, a biased mother, and a selfish sister.

"I'm not signing it," I said quietly, but crystal clear. "I'm not admitting to having a mental illness, and I'm not giving you a single dime."

Just then, a knock sounded at the front door.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hill, is Penelope back?"

Sam walked in. The dampness of the storm clung to him, his suit jacket slightly wet at the shoulders as if he had rushed straight over.

When he spotted me, he let out a visible sigh of relief. He took a few quick steps toward me, reaching out to brush away the wet hair sticking to my cheek.

"Penelope, stop making a scene. When I couldn't find you at the restaurant earlier, Ruby and I were worried sick."

I leaned away to dodge his hand, taking a step back. "You only remembered to look for me after you were done comforting her?"

Sam's hand froze, his brow immediately furrowing. "Penelope, I heard everything from the doorway just now. Your parents are right. Stop being so self-centered.

"You're bringing down both yourself and your sister. Just listen to your father. Put an end to this scandal first, and I'll handle the rest for you."

I looked at him, then glanced back at my parents, who were on the couch waiting coldly for my submission.

"Fine," I nodded slowly, my voice barely above a whisper.

I turned around and walked over to the cabinet where my official documents were stored, pulling out my birth certificate and personal files.

"Penelope, what are you doing?" my father asked, standing up in surprise.

Holding my documents tightly, I looked right at them.

"I'm not signing the paper, and I'm not giving you any money. But I'm not going to stay here and embarrass you either. I'm removing myself from this family, and from this day on, we go our separate ways."

Sam called out from behind me, his tone finally cracking with panic. "Penelope! Where are you going? Severing ties with your family is a huge deal. Don't be hasty!"

Without looking back, I gripped my documents and ran out into the pouring rain.

As the storm raged outside, I suddenly remembered the apartment my grandmother had left me—the only place I had left to go.

I called an Uber and headed straight to that older neighborhood across town.

Yet when the car pulled up and I looked up toward the familiar third-floor window, my entire body froze as if I had been plunged into an abyss of ice.