Chapter 4

I instinctively reached out to snatch it back.

"I earned that working summer shifts!

"Give it back! That's the money I saved for college!"

Caleb yanked his hand up, holding the cash far out of my reach.

"You really expect me to give stolen cash back to you? Keep dreaming!"

The two of us ended up in a frantic struggle, tugging back and forth.

Right then, Grace's footsteps echoed outside the bedroom.

"Evan, we need to talk."

Before I could even answer, Caleb shoved the door wide open and threw himself backward onto the sharp ceramic shards of the piggy bank. Fresh blood trickled out, staining the floor.

He screamed in tragic agony, "Evan, don't push me!"

I stared at Caleb lying in the middle of the broken pieces, wailing, then looked over at Grace coming through the doorway.

I was completely stunned.

Grace practically sprinted over, pressing down hard on Caleb's bleeding cuts.

She turned her head to glare at me.

In that single second, I saw raw, terrifying hatred in her eyes.

My parents rushed upstairs at the sound of the commotion, not even bothering to yell at me yet. They followed Grace, swarming around Caleb as they all hurried back downstairs.

I just stood there, paralyzed.

Before I could even process what was happening, my mom's hand crashed across my face, followed by a flurry of fists and kicks from my dad.

They rained blows on me, screaming curses at the top of their lungs.

"Caleb just stepped into your room to check on you, and you turned him into a bloody mess! Is your soul pitch black?"

"You brat! Stealing money is one thing, but you're actually trying to kill people now?"

"Get out! Go back to the trailer park where you belong! Our family doesn't have a son like you!"

…

They beat me viciously.

Pain radiated through every single inch of my body, leaving me without even enough strength to stand up.

Just as my consciousness began to drift into a blur, a pair of pristine shoes stopped directly in front of my face.

Grace reached down, pulling me up by my arms.

She waved her hand dismissively at my parents, her voice sounding deceptively gentle. "Mr. and Mrs. Foster, stop hitting him. Evan probably didn't mean to do it.

"How about this? I'll take him out for a drive and talk to him. Maybe once we clear the air, things will get better."

I tilted my head up to look at her with deep gratitude, wanting to thank her for saving me.

I wanted to tell her that I really didn't push Caleb.

When I looked clearly into her eyes, though, horror chilled me to the bone. They were filled with an abyss of pure disgust.

She hated my guts.

When Grace led me out the front door, we passed through the living room.

Caleb was lying comfortably on the leather couch, being tended to by a private doctor wrapping his wounds in gauze.

He gave me a smug, triumphant smirk and waved his hand.

Then his lips moved, silently mouthing: “Goodbye forever, you worthless trash.”

The sky outside was pitch black, heavy with the threat of a massive storm.

Grace drove at a terrifying speed. I gripped my seatbelt tightly, not even finding a single split second of silence to explain what really happened.

She finally slowed down and pulled over on a deserted stretch of road. Surrounded by pitch blackness, I had no idea where we were.

Only then did Grace finally bother to speak to me.

"Evan, get out and grab something from the trunk for me."

I nodded obediently and stepped out into the dark.

Raindrops began to fall in scattered dots, hitting my bare skin with an icy chill.

I had barely reached the rear bumper when—

“Click.”

A sharp click echoed through the night as the central locks engaged.

I whirled around instantly.

Grace rolled down her driver-side window, revealing a face twisted into a sneer of absolute mockery and disgust.

"To be completely honest, when you broke off the engagement earlier, I actually felt a tiny bit sorry for you.

"I had no idea you were still such a master at playing the pathetic victim, going straight for Caleb the second you got home! Evan, your heart is truly wicked!

"That's what you get for acting out! Stay here and think about what you did!"

The very next second, the engine roared as the car shot forward into the night.

A massive clap of thunder boomed overhead, and torrential rain came crashing down in sheets.

I stood frozen in the downpour.

The realization finally hit me like a slap in the face. I finally understood what Caleb meant by "goodbye forever" right before I left.

I had been abandoned.