Chapter 2

I had already gotten numb to the pain in my stomach. Instead, I felt a frost that seeped into my bones.

I could feel my life gradually fade from my fingertips.

Actually, death didn't sound like a bad idea.

If I died, I wouldn't have to endure this unjustified suffering anymore.

If I were gone, I wouldn't have to watch Dad mistake his worst enemy for a savior.

Suddenly, a piece of bread was stuffed in through the gap.

It was accompanied by a bottle half full of water.

It was from my stepbrother, Howard Fowler.

He was only eight, and he was nothing like his two-faced mother.

He pressed himself against the crack in the door as he called out to me in a whisper, "Nady, eat this. Dad's not home, and Mom's taking a nap. Nady, you're bleeding so much. Are you going to die?"

I looked at the piece of bread that had already gotten dusty. I wanted to eat it, but I didn't even have the strength to lift my hand.

I said weakly in my mind, "Thank you, Howard, but I'm not hungry. You should go. If your mom finds out, she'll spank you again."

I wasn't sure if Howard could read minds. Maybe Dad was the only person in the family who had that ability.

Howard began to cry.

He shoved his small arm through as he tried to grab me. But he couldn't reach me, no matter how hard he tried. "Nady, please don't die. I'll go talk to Dad. I'll make him let you out!"

I was reminded of my own childhood.

Mom was still alive back then. Dad hadn't received his strange ability, and Pauline wasn't in the picture yet.

When I had a fever, Dad ran almost two miles to the hospital with me on his back.

When I wanted to eat strawberries, Dad drove to the next town in the middle of the night just to get some for me.

He said I was his little princess and the most important person in the world to him.

I wondered, "When did that change? Was it the day I was diagnosed with stomach cancer? Or was it the day he suddenly woke up with the ability to read minds?"

He was convinced that he had mastered the truth and knew all about the darkest side of human nature.

He had no idea that it was all a complete inversion of reality.

I began to feel lighter.

My soul was slowly leaving my tattered body.

I saw myself sprawled at the bottom of the cage.

I could even see dark red bloodstains at the corners of my lips.

My face was ashen, and my eyes were deeply sunken. I was so emaciated that I was essentially just skin and bones.

Just like that, I died.

I passed away in the basement of my biological father's villa.

To my surprise, my final thought before I died was an apology.

I thought, "I'm sorry, Dad. I couldn't hold out until the day you can finally hear my truest thoughts. I didn't manage to expose the ugly truth behind the woman closest to you."

I drifted upward, passed through the ceiling, and arrived at the living room.

It was sunny, and the blinding light was too much for me.

In the living room, I spotted the family of three having lunch together.

A feast was laid out on the table.

There were poached halibut, grilled pork tenderloin, and sweet corn gazpacho, which was my favorite.

Dad was seated at the head of the table, and he was placing a piece of fish on Pauline's plate. "Here, you should eat more. You've done a lot for this family lately."

Pauline smiled as she accepted the piece. But inwardly, she complained, "Stupid old geezer! I'm so sick of all this clean eating. I'm not here for some diet! When that little wench dies, and I get my hands on the money, I'll get myself a boy toy or two."

Dad froze for a moment with a fork still in his hand. Then, he seemed overwhelmed with emotion.

He gazed at Pauline with deep affection and said, "Honey, you really are the perfect homemaker. You're constantly thinking of ways to help me save money, and you even want to cook for me for the rest of your life. You're the best wife anyone could ask for."

Pauline was obviously used to Dad's "nonsense". She knew that she just had to smile and play along with it. "As long as you're happy, honey."

Nearby, Howard suddenly put down his cutlery.

His eyes turned red as he looked at the food on the table. He said in a small voice, "Dad, can we share some of this with Nady? She hasn't eaten anything in the basement for days. She'll die from hunger. She's also bleeding so much that it got all over the cage."

Dad slammed his fork on the table. "Don't you ever mention that ingrate again! Die of hunger? She's a scourge that simply refuses to die! You have no idea how hard she's cursing me out in her mind. She wants me to die as soon as possible so that she can inherit my fortune!"

Startled, Howard shrank back a little and started wailing. "No! Nady won't think like that! She just told me to be a good kid so that Mom won't be mad at me. She's dying, but she's still worried about me!"

Pauline hastily threw her arms around Howard. She wiped his tears away, feigning concern as she tried to calm Dad down. "Honey, she's just a child who doesn't know any better. It's not her fault."