Chapter 1

I watched with my own eyes as they dumped my body in the mountains—the most remote part of the city. Somehow, though, my consciousness stayed behind.

By then, I'd already been dead for three days.

I drifted aimlessly until, without meaning to, I found myself back at the Seymour residence. And as luck would have it, my family had just come home.

They'd taken William Seymour to the coast for his birthday. It was a trip that included everyone except me.

They laughed and reminisced about the breathtaking sights from the cruise ship, ones I'd never have the chance to see.

I stood there quietly as my sister, Anne Seymour, started complaining, "Is Zach still not back? I'm starving. I thought dinner would be ready the second we got home."

Mom frowned and called my name a couple of times, but of course, no one answered. "He's gone again? The residential treatment center was let out two days ago, wasn't it?

"Who even raised him? Everyone else in this family knows how to behave, but he's turned out to be some useless country bumpkin. All he ever does is goof off with those thugs."

From the couch, Dad chimed in like it was no big deal, "He's probably still sulking because Anne didn't go get him when he called."

The souvenirs rattled against each other as Mom shifted them around, clearly frustrated. "What else does he want from us? We brought him here from the countryside, and this is how he repays us? Will's still a kid, his own younger brother no less. Zach should've been looking out for him.

"Will's been holding back and letting Zach have his way, but Zach repaid him by getting his thug friends to beat Will up. He then lied straight to our faces, saying Will had hurt himself. I should've never had that boy."

I shuddered but couldn't tear my eyes away from her.

Anne jumped in, trying to defuse the situation. "Let's just wait for Zach to come home. We'll handle it then. If he won't cooperate, we can always pack him off to the residential treatment center for months."

Still furious, Mom spat out viciously, "Maybe some time at the treatment center will finally teach him how to behave like a proper son. The way he acts now? I wouldn't be caught dead in public with him."

I could see how deeply disappointed Mom was. My eyes dropped to the floor, and for some reason I couldn't explain, my mind wandered back to my days in the countryside.

Back then, I fell seriously ill, so ill that even the local doctors couldn't cure me. I didn't want to bother Mom and Dad while they were working, so I just suffered through it alone without telling them.

Somehow, they found out anyway. They told me to hold on a little longer, that they'd come soon to take me to the city for proper treatment.

I held onto that promise, waiting day after day. Winter came with its snow, but not Mom and Dad. Looking back, it was a miracle I even survived.

I only learned the truth after they finally brought me to the city. They'd already packed everything and were ready to come get me when William threw a fit about wanting to see snow. So they gave in and took him up north instead.

They had so much fun that even after returning, it never crossed their minds that I was still back in the countryside, sick as a dog and waiting for them in pain.

Why did they even bother having me if they never actually cared about me as their son?

…

Dinner came around fast, and the table was loaded with the seafood they'd brought back from the coast, its savory smell filling the air.

Mom was busy peeling shrimp for William, while Dad smiled warmly as he asked if William was enjoying the meal.

Anne kept checking her watch, her voice edged with annoyance. "Zach's staying out all night again. He doesn't have an ounce of discipline. Will would never pull something like this."

Mom's eyebrows shot up, her voice turning venomous. "When has he ever known how to act right? We told him coming here meant straightening up. But no, he just had to bring every trashy countryside habit with him."

Anne sighed. "Maybe things would've turned out differently if we'd brought him to the city earlier."