Chapter 3

Leo deliberately lowered his voice, mimicking Dad's stern, impatient tone. "Mia, you'd go so far as making up a story about someone trying to kill you, just for attention? Today is Vera's birthday party, and we don't have time for your drama. If you want to die, go die somewhere else. Stop bothering us."

I floated in the air above, tears welling in my eyes.

That day had been my eighteenth birthday too.

Vera had come to me, pretending to be concerned. She said Mom had lost her bracelet near the abandoned factory while meeting a client. Mom had been upset about it all day.

"If you find it and bring it back, Mom and Dad will know you're a good kid."

I believed her.

Even though they'd just misunderstood me and yelled at me that very day, I still clung to that sliver of hope and ran to the abandoned factory in the dead of night.

I wanted to find the bracelet, explain everything, and finally have a real birthday celebration.

But what waited for me there wasn't a lost bracelet. I walked straight into a crime scene.

There was a blood-soaked body. Leo stood right beside it, smiling at me like something out of a nightmare.

The courtroom fell deathly silent.

Then the whispers surged like a rising tide.

"They ignored a call for help from their own daughter? How heartless can you be?"

"Some top attorney he is. He looks so polished, but he doesn't even trust his own child. What a fraud."

"If what Leo's saying is true, that poor girl never stood a chance."

The gazes that fell on the Reeses were loaded with contempt, curiosity, and the unmistakable relish of watching someone fall.

Dad's usual arrogant composure finally cracked. He shot to his feet, his voice trembling with barely contained fury. "What do any of you know? Do you have any idea what she did before she ran away?"

"Fine, I've got nothing to hide anymore. She was still so young, yet she'd already gotten hooked on drugs. She owed loan sharks a fortune just to feed her habit. They came to our home demanding payment and cost us both money and every shred of dignity we had. A girl that out of control could make up any story she wanted."

Mom's eyes were rimmed with red, her voice choked. "What parent doesn't love their own child? But she went too far. We didn't look for her because we couldn't bear the humiliation!"

A bitter ache spread through my chest.

I had never touched drugs. I had never owed anyone a cent.

It was Vera. She was the one with the addiction. When she couldn't pay, she bought drugs on credit under my name.

In front of our parents, Vera was always the sweet, well-behaved daughter. The moment she turned to me, she became someone else entirely.

She would have kids from outside school corner me and threaten me. She poured cold water on my bed, shredded my clothes, and put insects in my food.

Once, when our parents were away on business, she locked me in the pitch-dark basement for three full days.

No light. No water. No food.

I'd been afraid of the dark since I was little. I huddled in a corner, shaking and screaming until I lost my voice. No one came.

By the time she let me out, I was so weak I could barely stand.

When our parents came home, she told them drugs had left me in that condition.

That same day, the drug dealers showed up at the house, demanding that Mia Reese pay what she owed.

Dad paid them off, his face dark, then struck me hard across the back with a golf club. The blow left my ears ringing.

Mom stood to the side, calling me a disgrace for throwing my life away.

No matter how much I cried and tried to explain, they wouldn't believe me.

That night, when I went to the abandoned factory, all I wanted was to find the bracelet. I thought if I brought it back, maybe they'd finally listen to me.

After Leo caught me, he pressed the tip of his knife against my throat, tracing it slowly. "You weren't supposed to be my target," he said, "but you walked in on my work. I can't just let you go."

I dropped to my knees and begged him. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone and pleaded with him to let me go.

His eyes lit up, and he paced back and forth with excitement. "Tell you what. I'll let you make two phone calls for help. If someone comes to save you, I'll have you hypnotized so you forget everything you saw tonight. Then I'll let you go."

I called Mom. No answer.

He grinned. "Only one chance left."

My whole body was shaking. Gritting my teeth, I dialed Dad with trembling fingers.

My heart pounded harder with every ring. Then the line connected.

I sobbed into the phone, calling out to him, telling him I was scared, that someone was going to kill me, begging him to come save me. All I got from him was "Go die somewhere else" before he hung up.

Leo watched me with his arms folded, pity in his voice. "How tragic. Your own parents don't care about you. Since nobody wants you, I'll put you out of your misery. Don't worry. It'll be quick."

I closed my eyes in despair and stopped fighting.

Someone in the gallery spoke up, hesitant. "What if... what if he's telling the truth?"

The words were quiet, but they carried across the entire courtroom.

"What if Mia got yelled at and ran away, and she really did run into this killer, and then..."

The sentence trailed off, but everyone understood.

Dad's face went white for a second. For the first time, something wavered in his eyes.

But Mom let out a cold laugh, her voice absolute. "Impossible. Leo was arrested three months ago, but Mia came home just last month. There is no way he killed her."