Chapter 4

Henry peeked out from Mom's embrace, glaring at me with hostility.

"This is all your fault! You humiliated me in front of my friends, and you made the teachers chew out Lauren!"

As he spoke, he suddenly clutched his wrist, letting out a sharp cry. "Ouch!"

The watch strap on the luxury designer watch Dad had gifted him had snapped, and the face was about to slide off his wrist.

"My watch!" Henry gasped, immediately pointing a finger at me. "It was you! You slammed into me when Mom pushed you earlier! You broke my watch!"

I hadn't gone anywhere near him.

But that didn't matter. Lauren crossed the room in a few quick strides, grabbed me by the collar, and slammed me against the wall.

"Ethan, have we been too easy on you?"

Pain shot through my back when it struck the cold wall.

I looked at Lauren's face, twisted with anger, and felt the last faint bit of hope I'd still been holding onto finally disappear.

…

An entire year slipped away in the blink of an eye.

On the night before the SAT exams, I knocked on Lauren's bedroom door.

She swung it open, her brows furrowing the moment she recognized me. "What kind of game are you trying to play now?" she asked, her tone dripping with hostility.

I didn't answer and simply looked at her.

Then, without warning, I raised my hand and slapped myself hard across the left cheek. The crack echoed through the quiet hallway.

Lauren froze.

Before she could react, I whipped my hand back and struck my right cheek just as hard.

My face burned, but that physical ache was nothing compared to the torture I'd endured over the past 12 months.

"Ethan, have you lost your mind?"

Lauren finally snapped out of her daze, reaching out to pin my wrists.

I stepped back before she could touch me and continued to strike my own face.

One, two, three.

I didn't keep count of the blows. I only knew that the sharp stinging in my face gradually faded into a numb throb, and a distinct metallic tang began to pool in my mouth.

Lauren looked completely paralyzed by my reckless display. She stood frozen at the door, the irritation and disgust on her face slowly morphing into pure shock and panic.

I finally stopped once my cheeks had swollen into angry red welts and a thin trickle of blood began to seep from the corner of my mouth.

When I spoke, my voice sounded raspy and broken, much like a prisoner begging for mercy. "Lauren, I promise I won't cause any more problems for Henry."

I held her gaze and enunciated every word, "I'm begging you… Just let me finish my exams tomorrow. Please?"

My tone was calm, yet it carried a hint of exhaustion and despair.

Lauren's throat bobbed as she swallowed hard. Finally, she averted her gaze, forcing a single word through her gritted teeth, "Fine."

Once I had the promise I needed, I turned around and dragged myself back to the dark storage room.

…

The next day, I made it to the exam center without incident.

Henry never showed up, and neither did anyone else from the Hefford family.

Lauren had actually kept her word.

After I finished the final paper, I didn't go home.

Instead, I went straight to the train station, used the small amount of money I'd managed to save, and bought the cheapest ticket I could afford to somewhere far south.

Before boarding, I snapped my SIM card in half and dropped it into the trash.

As the train pulled away, I watched the city lights disappear behind me without a single shred of regret.

Then, two months later, I was dragging my suitcase up to the gates of my new college campus when a familiar voice sounded behind me.

"Ethan."