Chapter 2

I lay motionless on the landing. Blood continued to ooze from my temple, staining a large patch of the pure white cashmere carpet red.

Cecilia covered her mouth and let out a bloodcurdling scream. "Blood! Caroline's bleeding so much, Callum!"

Her body swayed, and she backed away until her back slammed hard against the wall.

Callum's expression instantly darkened. He wrapped his arm around Cecilia's shoulders, shielding her tightly against his chest. "Don't be afraid, Cecilia. Don't look at her."

He raised his hand to cover her eyes before turning around and shooting daggers at my body on the floor. "Caroline! Have you no shame? You know Cecilia gets dizzy at the sight of blood. You're bleeding this much on purpose to scare her, aren't you?"

Floating in midair, I watched his face contort with rage.

I wanted to tell him that I hadn't done it on purpose and that I hadn't stolen her bracelet either. However, I couldn't make a sound.

Noticing me still playing dead in the pool of blood, he let out a derisive chuckle that echoed down the hallway.

"So you're addicted to playing dead now, huh? Last month, you deliberately slammed your head against the wall at the hospital just to play the victim and force me to stay with you.

"Now, you're pulling the same stunt to avoid being punished for stealing. Do you really think shedding a few drops of blood is enough to manipulate me like those ignorant fools?"

Callum let go of Cecilia and strode down the steps. He raised his dress shoe and kicked me hard on the shoulder.

My corpse was flipped over and lay flat on its back on the stairs. My bloodless face was fully exposed beneath the harsh fluorescent lights of the hallway.

Without sparing so much as a glance at my face, he stepped right over my body, took Cecilia's hand, and led her upstairs. "Let's go. If she wants to lie here and bleed, I'll let her bleed to her heart's content! Let's see how long she can stay down!"

Cecilia let him pull her along, glancing back every few steps. "Callum, is Caroline really going to be okay? That thud earlier was so loud…"

"What could possibly be wrong with her?" Callum's voice was laced with irritation. "The doctor told us her heart failure's nothing serious. It's all in her head!

"Before she turned 13, she was hauling buckets of water and chopping firewood in the countryside every single day. Her body's stronger than an ox's! As long as we ignore her, she'll get bored and get back up on her own!"

Callum and Cecilia walked up the stairs. He reached behind him and grabbed the heavy, soundproof door. With a resounding thud, he turned the key without a second thought, locking the door twice.

The sound of their heavy footsteps faded into the distance, plunging the entire basement into dead silence.

Hovering in midair, I quietly watched the blood on the carpet darken, bit by bit, until it congealed.

I thought to myself, "Callum, you walked away without the slightest hint of hesitation. Little do you know that what you just locked inside is a corpse that will never beg you for mercy again."