Chapter 4

I gently pushed him away and said calmly, "Why was a plastic ball just lying around like that?"

Samuel fell silent. Of course, he knew why—the toys were all prepared for his son's birthday celebration.

Before he could think of an excuse, his phone rang. The caller ID showed Jessica's photo again.

Jessica's anxious voice came through the line. "Rory has a fever. I'm really scared. Sam, can you come with me to the hospital?"

Samuel instinctively glanced at me. His expression was conflicted, but in the end, he chose to leave me behind.

"There's an urgent matter at the office. I'll be back soon. Darling, wait for me," he said.

Without waiting for my response, he dashed off. At the same time, I received a message from Jessica.

"Sam still chose me, didn't he? If you know what's good for you, just stay out of our way."

I didn't reply. Instead, I opened her social feed. The latest post was a video of my mother kneeling in front of a wall filled with candles, praying earnestly for Jessica's safety.

Jessica's playful voice came from behind the camera. "Mom, you said you'd give up everything to keep me safe. Would you trade Kayla's safety for mine too?"

Mom laughed and playfully scolded, "What are you saying, my silly girl? Of course I would."

At that moment, my grip faltered, and my phone slipped from my hand, crashing to the floor.

Trembling, I picked it up and noticed something—Jessica was still wearing the bracelet my mom had once given me for protection when I was little.

I saved everything, and with it came a deep, suffocating sense of despair.

I suddenly couldn't figure out what purpose I had left in this world.

My parents pushed the door open and took in the disheveled, broken state I was in.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked up at my mother.

"Mom, do you even see me as your daughter? Or are you just waiting for me to disappear from your life?" I asked, breaking down emotionally.

Mom stared at me in shock.

A moment later, a sharp slap landed on my cheek.

Dad's eyes burned with anger. "Your mother's worried sick about you. How can you speak to her like that? You're not even half the daughter Jessica is."

He stopped short, as if suddenly aware of what he'd just said.

A bitter laugh escaped me, and tears spilled out before I could stop them.

The hospital room was silent. That suffocating silence lasted until I was discharged and returned home.

Dad's friend was waiting at the door with a gift. When he saw us, he smiled and said, "Congratulations, Mr. Brown. I couldn't make it to Rory's birthday celebration a few days ago…"

Before he could finish, Dad glanced at me in a panic. Soon after, Mom pulled me into my room. "You just got out of the hospital. You need to rest more," she said before leaving.

They were still trying to lie to me, but I had already seen through everything.

I took out my phone and opened Jessica's latest message. It was a video of Samuel kissing their son.

My heart sank completely.

I stared out the window, then picked up the phone and called him. "Sam, you used to say you wanted to move to Merrington with me. Do you still mean it? Do you still want to start over with me?"

There was noise in the background. Samuel's voice was faint but I caught his meaning. "Things are good the way they are now. Let's not go there."

Hearing that, I clenched my phone tightly. From that moment, I was completely done with him.

"Samuel, how about I give you a gift you'll never forget?"