Chapter 3

Mom brought over a cup of water and splashed it onto my face. "Hey, don't pretend to pass out just because you heard we're sending you back!"

I lay on the floor without moving. Even my breathing had grown faint.

"You think this will make me let you off?" Dad scolded, grabbing me by my arm. "No way. I'm sending you back by today, you animal!"

He dragged me downstairs, then shoved me into the trunk of the car. Honestly, this wasn't the first time I had been stuffed in there.

The first time it happened was when they came to pick me up. At the start, Felix and I were sitting in the back seat together. Halfway through the trip, he got sleepy. He kept shifting around in his seat, unable to get comfortable.

In the end, he pouted and suggested that I lie down in the trunk so he could stretch his legs and sleep better. Mom and Dad pulled the car over and told me to get into the trunk.

So, for five whole hours, I curled into a tight ball and lay there without moving.

At that time, though, my heart had been full of hope. I thought the wish I had waited more than ten years for had finally come true. I was no longer the abandoned child with no parents who wanted him.

Now, I was mentally exhausted. If I could simply die like this, perhaps it would be a beautiful kind of release.

The moment the trunk slammed shut, my eyes closed for good. It turned out that when a person died, their soul really did leave the body.

My spirit drifted free and floated into the car. Inside, the three of them were chatting and laughing as if nothing had happened.

Felix leaned against Mom and said softly, "Mom, there's something about Flynn that I'm not sure if I should tell you."

She reached out and smoothed his hair, her voice gentle in a way she had never used with me. "Silly child. What could you possibly not tell me?"

He lowered his voice. "I heard from others that Flynn only got first place this semester because he cheated."

She was livid. "I can't believe it! He actually dared to cheat! Was he trying to make a complete fool of me?"

Dad's expression darkened as well. "That ungrateful bastard has no character at all. There's no saving him. Since we're sending him back anyway, he can just stay there and look after Mom. That's the only use he has anyway."

The results I had worked for day and night were wiped away just like that, all because of one careless accusation from Felix. Maybe to them, I had never really been their child. I was just a burden.

Now, they had finally found the excuse they needed to get rid of me.

The 500-mile drive was long, and they stopped twice at rest areas. Not once did anyone think to check on me in the trunk.

In their eyes, I was just a troublesome kid with a tough body. Surely, nothing could ever really happen to me.

This time, though, they were wrong. Part of me wondered what they would do when they realized my body had already gone cold.

Before nightfall, they finally arrived at my old home. The car wound along the narrow roads until it stopped in front of the house.

Grandma appeared at the door, her silver hair falling around her shoulders. She leaned on her cane as she shambled outside. When she saw my parents, her cloudy eyes lit up with surprise.

"Michael, why are you back?" she asked.

Dad answered bluntly, "We're here to bring Felix back to you. From now on, he'll stay with you and help take care of you in our place."

"Isn't Flynn supposed to be in school?" Grandma asked. "Besides, he's too young to be staying here. He should be out exploring and having fun instead."

She laughed warmly, adding, "As long as he comes back during the holidays to spend time with me, I'll be content."

Mom's face twisted with disgust. "You spoiled him since he was little, and now, his behavior is utterly unacceptable. Not only does he bully Felix, but he also cheats at school. We've decided he should drop out and stay here with you."

"No, that can't be right," Grandma said confidently. "There must've been a mistake! Flynn would never do something like that!"

She looked around, trying to search for me. When she couldn't find me, she turned to Dad. "Where is he? I want to hear it from him myself."

Dad opened the trunk. When he saw me lying there still and unresponsive, he slapped my face hard. "Get up now and stop playing dead!"

It was only then that he realized something was terribly wrong. Panic spread across his face as he yanked me out of the trunk. My stiff body fell to the ground, exposed to all of them.