Chapter 3

Joshua yanked my hair so hard that I stumbled down the stairs. "Vivi's an adult now! You can't just ignore her feelings like you used to!"

I fell to the floor, and pain shot through both my knees.

Joel frowned. "Soph, I was the one who decided to delay the wedding. It had nothing to do with Yvette. If you're upset, take it out on me. Just don't make her feel bad."

As I lay curled up on the floor, I couldn't tell whether the pain in my chest or in my knees hurt more.

"Don't be mad at Sophia," Yvette said, wiping the corners of her eyes. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have turned 18 so soon. If I had waited a little longer, then the trip wouldn't have clashed with her wedding."

I caught the tiny smirk tugging at her lips.

"You're being ridiculous! You can't decide when you grow up. This happened because she picked the wrong date for her wedding. It's not because of you," Joshua snapped.

He stared at me, irritation written all over his face. "You love sulking, right? Fine. Stay here and sulk."

Joshua grabbed me and shoved me into the storage room next to the stairs.

I started to panic and fumbled for the handle, but I heard the click of a lock from the other side before I could reach for it.

He had locked the door.

"Stay put," Joshua coldly said. "You can come out when you've had the time to think about your actions."

"No! Please let me out! I'm allergic to mangoes! I need my medication!" I screamed.

But Joshua's voice was already fading as he pushed Yvette out the main door.

"I made a reservation at a seafood restaurant. It's almost time for our reservation, so we should leave soon!" he said.

"But Sophia…"

"She'll be fine. A few hours in there will teach her a lesson," Joshua replied.

"Yeah, she has such a bad temper. Locking her in there might be a good idea. I'll bring her some of her favorite shrimp later.

"Come on, Joel," Dad said. "She'll be fine in there for a few hours."

Instantly, terror surged through me. I pounded on the door with all my strength and screamed, "I'm not mad anymore! I'll apologize to Yvette! I'll do anything! Just let me out! I can't breathe! I'll die if I don't take my medication!"

My voice cracked into a shrill plea, but no one answered.

I crumpled to the floor. The itching spread from my back to my face, and soon, my throat began to close as well.

Mom and Dad had seen me drink the mango juice.

They knew I was allergic to it. But they forgot about me.

They remembered Yvette's favorite seafood restaurant but forgot that I had downed a glass of mango juice just five minutes ago.

Desperation pushed me to my feet. I twisted the doorknob with all my might, but the door was locked from the outside and wouldn't budge.

I frantically searched my pockets, but the phone I had been holding onto must've flown somewhere when Joshua had grabbed me.

Soon, the rash spread all over my body. My face had swollen up from the reaction, and I could barely see through my eyes. Not to mention, breathing became difficult too.

If I couldn't escape, I would die in the storage room.

As I searched for something to break the lock, I finally spotted my phone that had been tossed to the corner.

Overjoyed, I picked it up with trembling hands.

However, neither my parents, my brother, nor Joel answered my calls.

Suddenly, a message from Joshua popped up on the screen.

"Don't come to Aurora Bay with us. You'll make Yvette sad if you do."

Tears spilled from the corners of my swollen eyes. I should've known better than to expect anything from them.

In the end, I dialed for emergency services.

Each second dragged on like a lifetime. My airway tightened, and breathing became a chore. I could barely hold on to direct the rescue team to my street.

When the storage room door finally opened, everything went dark.