Chapter 6

I knew better than anyone that a happy, harmonious family was the ultimate blessing.

But had they ever actually considered me a part of their family?

For as long as I could remember, Mom’s attitude toward me had always been freezing cold.

She never gave me a single pleasant look.

When I was little, I used to hide in the corners of the house like a rat in the gutter.

I would watch longingly as Mom cradled my six-year-old brother, reading him fairy tales with a soft, gentle voice.

Yet, even sneaking a glance at a happiness that didn't belong to me was treated as a crime.

She would yell at me, claiming that lurking in the shadows like a ghost would frighten Charles.

She strictly warned me never to wander around the house without her explicit permission.

I was her flesh and blood too.

Why did Charles deserve their endless affection while I was forced to survive like an unwanted orphan under their roof?

Now, they just sat there and let a clueless lodge owner label me an ungrateful brat, never uttering a single word to defend me.

Did I really have to carve out my own flesh and bones to return the debt of my birth before they would finally be satisfied?

Well, I was dead now. This worthless life of mine had officially been paid back to them.

After scrolling through short videos for a while, Charles grew restless.

"Mom, let’s go ride the cable cars later. Sitting around this lodge is completely boring."

"Sure, sweetheart," Mom replied instantly.

Just then, Dad walked through the front door. His face was dead serious.

"Our son wants to go to the cable cars, let's head out now," Mom said.

She didn't notice his expression, busy holding a new coat up to the full-length mirror.

"A man's body was just found up on the snowy mountain," Dad announced grimly. "The police suspect foul play and have already been called."

He sighed, locking the door behind him.

"They're ordering all the lodges to lock down and banning tourists from leaving. They want to prevent the killer from striking again."

Mom froze. The coat slipped from her fingers, hitting the floor with a soft thud.

Her voice trembled. "A man's body? Did the lodge owner say how old he was?”