Chapter 3

The crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Everyone was celebrating the "survival challenge" ending in a perfect success; everyone but me, who was left drifting in the freezing wind.

I stared down at my lifeless body on the ground, no longer feeling anything.

…

The helicopter slowly rose into the air, carrying the jubilant people toward the luxury camp at the foot of the mountain.

Some invisible force tugged at me, pulling my weightless self to hover beside Dad.

He lounged in a leather seat. Next to him sat his girlfriend, Alice Ford, who was also the producer of this show. She was holding up an iPad for him, grinning so hard that all her teeth were on display.

"Terence, you're unbelievable! The whole internet's calling you a 'hardcore tough-love dad' right now. They're all saying you're tough on your kid because you care. Our company's stock price is already up five points in after-hours trading!"

Dad wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. "Of course. Who do you think wrote the script? Viewers eat this 'rich kid thrown to the wolves' storyline up. Emma is usually such a timid little thing—there's no drama at all. If I don't push her to the brink, how's she ever gonna learn how cruel the real world is?"

Alice snuggled into his chest and said coyly, "Only you could go that far. I saw how white Emma's face went when she jumped earlier. I actually felt bad for her."

"What's there to feel bad about?" Dad took a sip of his drink, looking unbothered. "She's my daughter. If she's scared of a little staged danger, how's she going to take over my company someday? Besides, I had everything arranged.

"We stacked three layers of imported landing cushions at the bottom of the cliff. They're softer than her bed at home. There's no way she'd get hurt."

I floated above their heads, staring at Dad's self-righteous expression.

Just three days earlier, he'd suddenly burst into my school and dragged me straight out of class. He'd reeked of alcohol; his clothes had been torn, and there'd been bruises on his face.

"Emma, it's over. Everything's over! The company's bankrupt, and I'm in debt to loan sharks. They're going to kill me to collect!" he'd cried.

He'd bawled like a child and even dropped to his knees in front of me.

I'd been stunned. All my life, Dad had been the high-and-mighty CEO. I'd never seen him look so pathetic.

And so, I hadn't even thought twice. I'd shoved the 5,000 dollars I had saved into his hands. But all he'd done was grab me and shove me into a beat-up old van, driving us deep into the mountains.

For the next three days, we'd survived on wild fruit and dirty water. To make him have more of the moldy bread I had in my bag, I'd lied and said I wasn't hungry, then secretly picked at tree bark to fill my stomach.

Thorns had torn my hands open, and the soles of my feet had been covered in blisters. However, I hadn't made a sound.

Why? It was because Dad had said, "Emma, you're all I have left now."

I was all he had left.

I was a coward. I screamed when I saw cockroaches. However, to save him, I'd been willing to gamble with my life. And for what?

All of this was just for his company's stock price, his trending numbers, and to stroke his ego as some so-called "parenting expert". To him, those moments I'd spent hovering at the edge of death and struggling to survive were nothing more than "emotionally rich" footage.

In his eyes, I wasn't even a person.

…

The helicopter landed on the lawn of a mountain resort hotel.

The place blazed with light; the victory banquet was already set. The long table was piled high with lobster, steak, red wine, and the black forest cake that was supposedly my favorite.

I didn't actually like black forest cake. Strawberry mousse was my favorite. Mom used to make it for me all the time, back when she was alive.

After she died, Dad never bothered to remember what I liked ever again.