Chapter 3

But no one answered.

I woke up alone in the pitch-black bedroom, while the room next door was bright and buzzing with activity. Everyone was gathered around Trenton, who was threatening to run away from home.

"Edith, the moment Elmer comes back, he's overdosing on pills and slitting his wrists. Isn't he just trying to put me in my place? I honestly can't understand it—after all these years, why does he still refuse to accept me?

"Lucille, maybe I'd better stay away from you. Go on, go take care of Elmer. The way I see it, I might as well just leave this family for good!"

Edith hastily stopped him, her voice tight with barely restrained anger.

"Trenton, I know you've been wronged. But don't worry, I will deal with this properly. I can't believe that after three years of us trying everything we could think of to teach him to back down and admit his mistakes, he hasn't changed one bit.

"If anything, he's gotten even worse. And now he's pulling stunts like threatening to off himself just to get attention. When I saw him looking all pathetic today, I almost fell for it."

I lifted my hand slowly and touched my wrist.

Even though the burning sensation in my stomach had faded and the wound on my wrist had been carefully bandaged, the stinging pain deep beneath my flesh remained piercingly clear.

It turned out that in Edith's eyes, my brush with death was nothing more than a self-inflicted ploy to gain attention.

Lucille simply looped her arm through Trenton's as she coaxed him gently, "Trenton, Elmer has always been spoiled and willful, so don't take it personally. Our wedding is still on for tomorrow—don't let him ruin your mood."

Edith quickly chimed in, "Yes, you just focus on the wedding and leave Elmer to me. And whether he likes it or not, he will be the best man. We can't let you become the subject of gossip!"

Wedding? Best man?

Three years ago, at the wedding that was never held, I should have been the groom. And now, in the time I had known nothing about, I had somehow already gone from groom to best man.

I felt my heart die in the midst of their exchange. I tried to force a smile, but to no avail.

By the time I snapped out of it, my legs had already moved to the floor without my control.

I tried to stand, but the moment my feet touched the ground, the stitched wound on my abdomen suddenly split open. A violent pain struck, my legs gave out, and I crashed heavily to the floor.

The moonlight illuminated the hideous, crisscrossing scars across my body, and the memories of the past three years suddenly came flooding back with a savage force.

To save up enough points, I knelt before strangers, was stripped bare, and arranged in all manner of humiliating positions. And when that wasn't enough, I was strapped down in a lab, had my organs forcibly harvested, and was tortured for countless days and nights.

The searing agony of electricity piercing through my body, the numbness of my dignity being crushed…

In my most desperate moments, I had even thought of slamming my head against the wall and ending it all. But whenever I remembered that Edith and Lucille were still waiting for me on the other side, I managed to pull through time and again.

However, it turned out that those points I had risked my life for were nothing but a set-up aimed at me from the very beginning.

At this thought, I suddenly found myself pathetic and ridiculous.

After wiping away my tears, I grabbed the edge of the table beside me and fought to pull myself up.

The next second, I crashed back down to the floor.

The tablecloth came down with me, shattering glass everywhere. Shards bit into my skin, but I felt nothing. Instead, I just stared blankly at the open window ahead.

The commotion quickly alerted the people in the next room.

Edith's footsteps drew near. She knocked on my door and said with irritation, "Elmer, I still haven't settled the score with you for repeatedly trying to kill yourself today and scaring Trenton. Everyone's busy right now, so can't you just be a little more considerate?"