Chapter 2

After settling Mom and Amelia, Dad turned and made his way toward my room.

My heart leaped as a spark of misplaced hope flickered alive in my chest.

Dad came to look for me!

He pushed the door open, his brows knitted together. "Ninette, are you still upset? Come on out. Let's talk."

In the room, that brand-new suitcase stood perfectly still against the wall, its zipper tightly sealed. It sat there in silence, a mirror of the voice I could no longer find.

When I didn't respond, Dad let out a sigh.

"Ninette, you've truly disappointed me. Your mom has always treated you and Amy the same. How could you… have thoughts like that? Amy is still so young."

I shook my head fervently.

That wasn't true.

I tasted it before I fed it to Amelia. I just wanted her to feel better. I wasn't trying to hurt her.

"And all that money…" Dad's voice dropped, heavy with disappointment and sadness. "Ninette, your heart is in the wrong place."

I was overwhelmed by how wronged I felt.

The broken pieces of the ceramic piggy bank still lay scattered on the floor.

Dad had given it to me for my birthday last year. He had ruffled my hair back then, beaming. "Ninette, you got another perfect score in math! You need to learn how to manage your own money now. Use this to buy some nice stationery."

Back then, his eyes had been so full of pride and tenderness. Now, he subconsciously nudged the fragments on the ground with the tip of his shoe, sending the rabbit's head rolling into the shadows of the corner.

At that moment, Mom pushed the door open and strode in. She didn't even glance at the suitcase and merely frowned at Dad as she said, "Why are you wasting your breath on her? Amy's coughing again. Come take a look."

"Mom!" I sobbed and rushed toward her, wanting to throw myself into her arms the way Amelia always did, but I passed right through her.

Mom felt nothing and simply hooked her arm through Dad's before leading him out of the room.

The door clicked shut.

I stood in the middle of the freezing room, standing over the shards of my piggy bank with the sealed suitcase behind me.

The last spark of light went out.

They would never know that the money in the piggy bank was a year's worth of lunch money I'd saved and that I had planned to buy Amelia the star projector she had always wanted during the trip.

I didn't know how long I had stayed curled up beside the cold suitcase when I suddenly heard the sound of a key turning outside the door.

An uncontrollable surge of excitement washed away the resentment and numbness I felt.

They must've come back for me because they couldn't bear to leave me!

I knew it. Mom and Dad wouldn't really leave me behind.

I immediately floated up from the ground and rushed toward the door, my heart hammering in my chest.

I imagined Dad pushing the door open, saying in that helpless yet doting tone, "Come on, Ninette. What are you waiting for?"

I imagined Mom still looking strict but eventually reaching out to take my hand.

The door opened.

Dad looked exhausted as he threw the suitcases aside and let out a heavy sigh. "Don't even mention it. This awful weather canceled the flight. This was such a total waste of time."

Mom followed behind him, her voice thick with annoyance. "What a nightmare! Amy has been looking forward to this for so long. She cried the whole way back, and it broke my heart to see her like this."

They weren't back because they missed me. They were back because the fight had been canceled, and they had no other choice but to return.

My arms, which were about to pull them into a hug, froze in midair.

Amelia cried even harder, her tone laced with disappointment. "My castle… It's gone…"

"Sweetie, don't cry. We'll make it up to you next time," Mom said gently, patting her back as she gazed at Amelia tenderly.

Dad rubbed his temples, his gaze instinctively shifting toward my tightly closed door at the end of the hallway. "I'm going to go check on Ninette."