Chapter 4

“This room belongs to Reuben now! That little brat can sleep in the hallway!”

Amy’s toys and books came crashing down into the hallway.

I stared at the mess all over the floor. Just then, I realized something was wrong.

Where was Amy?

She had been right behind me the whole time.

I bolted into the hallway like a madman.

No one was there.

I picked up the picture books from the floor.

It was starting to rain heavily outside. Thunder rumbled overhead.

I rushed downstairs and shouted Amy’s name into the rain.

There was no response.

The rain beat down on me relentlessly.

I was soaked to the bone and even lost a shoe. My feet were cut up and bleeding badly.

“Amy! Amy, where are you?!”

I searched the entire neighborhood like a lunatic.

The flower beds, the slide, and even under the cars.

But I still could not find her.

Fear took over as I searched for two more hours.

Finally, in a discarded concrete pipe in the farthest corner of the neighborhood, I spotted a tiny figure.

Amy was curled up in a filthy corner. She was soaked through and shivering uncontrollably.

She was still clutching a piece of a pink piggy bank.

“Daddy... I got the money back... Please don’t make me leave...” she murmured.

She was burning up with fever and drifting in and out of consciousness.

I held her in my arms and wept uncontrollably. Then, I carried her feverish body in my arms and rushed home.

The moment I stepped through the door, the smell of sizzling steak and onions hit me.

The living room was filled with steam and heat.

Derek’s family and Heather were sitting around the dining table, eating steak.

The floor was covered with potato chip crumbs, used tissues, and grease stains.

Reuben was shoveling food into his mouth. He had his foot propped up on Amy’s favorite teddy bear, smearing grease all over it.

The teddy bear was filthy and ruined.

When Heather saw me carrying Amy home with a tear-streaked face, she did not even look worried.

She just frowned and said, “What are you crying for? You’re such a downer!

“You’re ruining the mood!”

She pointed at the kitchen. “Since you’re back, go cut up some fruit in the kitchen. Reuben needs some fruit after all that steak.”

“Hurry up! Otherwise, I’ll make Portia divorce you!”

Portia had gone to the pharmacy to get Amy some medicine and had not returned yet.

I gently laid Amy down in a corner of the couch and draped a towel over her.

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a voice message from Portia.

Her message was short, but it was enough to make my blood run cold.

“Honey, I looked into it. Derek’s house was never foreclosed on. He secretly sold it and bought himself a luxury car.

“That agreement is a forged copy. They were just trying to scare us.”

“They’re dead set on sucking us dry like leeches and taking our house.”

I raised my head and looked at Derek, who was sitting on the couch with a smug grin on his face.

Then, I looked at Heather, who was shoving a piece of juicy steak into her mouth.

Next, I shifted my gaze to Jane, who had her feet propped up on the table.

When I finally landed my gaze on Amy, her lips were turning purple from the fever. She was still clutching the broken piece in her hand.

Something in me snapped.

Instead of going to the kitchen to cut fruit, I walked to the front door with an indifferent expression and locked it.

I put the chain lock on. I slid the key into my pocket.

Then, I turned around and walked toward the dining table.

A heavy steak knife sat there.

Heather yelled at me, “Are you deaf? I told you to go cut the fruit!”

I gripped the steak knife tightly until my knuckles turned white.

Then, I walked over to the table and stared at the half-eaten steaks on their plates.

“There is no fruit.

“You won’t be eating this meal either.”