Chapter 4

"I'm sterile. I can never have biological children of my own," Vincent replied, his voice heavy.

"Daisy... isn't mine either. We adopted her three years ago when she was just a baby. She doesn't know."

"But Chloe... she is the only blood relative Stella has left in this world."

His voice grew softer, laced with a deep, aching pity.

"I heard this little girl was abandoned six times. I just feel bad for her. What did the child ever do wrong?"

Every single word felt like a lightning bolt shattering my mind.

I kept my eyes squeezed shut, digging my nails into my palms to keep my breathing steady.

So, the reason I wasn't loved wasn't because I was a bad kid.

It was decided before I was even born.

The car pulled into the driveway of the beautiful mansion.

In my arms, I tightly clutched a small bag of gummy bears Vincent had bought for me at the gas station.

Before I could even step out of the car, Daisy flew out of the house like a happy bird, throwing herself at Vincent.

"Daddy!"

She squealed happily. But the moment her eyes landed on the candy in my hands, her smile vanished.

Pure rage flared in her eyes.

"That's mine!" she shrieked, lunging forward to grab it.

I instinctively shielded the bag, refusing to let go.

Vincent stepped in, gently holding Daisy back. "Daisy, don't take Chloe's. Daddy bought some for you too."

"No! I want the ones she has!"

Being held back, Daisy burst into a loud, ear-splitting sob.

"Mommy! Mommy! Daddy is being mean! He bought candy for that street rat and yelled at me!"

My mother’s face instantly darkened as she walked out. "Give it to her."

I hid the tiny bag of candy behind my back and stubbornly shook my head.

This was the very first time I had gathered the courage to resist.

"You're not going to give it up?"

With brute force, she ripped the bag of candy out of my hands and threw it straight into the trash can next to the porch.

The colorful candies scattered into the filthy garbage. I burst into tears.

All the pain, neglect, and unfairness I had endured finally broke through, flowing down my face in endless tears.

But my mother only sneered. "You've barely been here a few days and you're already trying to compete for attention?"

"No, Daddy bought them for me..." I sobbed, trying to explain.

"Shut up! How dare you talk back after throwing a tantrum? It seems no one taught you any manners. Go to the utility closet and think about what you did. No dinner tonight!"

Vincent tried to step in. "Stella, she's just a child..."

My mother glared at him. "Vincent, is it her, or is it me and Daisy? Choose."

Vincent went silent.

My mother shoved me violently into the dark utility closet. It was tiny, pitch-black, and smelled of mold.

From outside, I could faintly hear Daisy’s sniffling stopping, replaced by my mother’s gentle, soothing voice comforting her.

I leaned against the cold door and cried until I passed out.

When I woke up, it was because of a burning, agonizing hunger in my stomach.

To my surprise, the closet door was cracked open.

A sliver of light peeked in. Like a pathetic little bug, I crawled out of the gap.

I remembered the discarded candy.

I knelt by the trash can, desperately digging through the garbage until I found the few pieces of colorful gummies.

Just as I was about to put one in my mouth, a voice sounded above me.

"Are you looking for these?"

Daisy was standing behind me.

Her pretty little face held a sweet, innocent, yet terrifyingly sadistic smile. She held up a small paper packet.

"I accidentally spilled Mommy's rat poison into the trash can just now."

She whispered, "If you eat those, you'll die, right?"

My blood ran cold.

An overwhelming wave of nausea hit my stomach, but it was quickly eclipsed by a paralyzing fear.

*Am I... am I going to die?*

I scrambled up on all fours and stumbled toward my mother’s bedroom.

"M-Mom!" I rasped, grabbing the hem of her shirt. "Daisy... she put rat poison on the candy! I ate it! I'm going to die!"

My mother furrowed her brows and shoved me away.

"Enough, Chloe!" Her eyes were cold and filled with utter disgust. "Daisy is an angel. She would never do something so horrific!"

She pointed to the front door. "Get out! If you lie one more time, I am sending you back to the orphanage tonight!"

She dragged me to the living room and threw me toward the door. I stumbled, barely catching myself.

I saw Vincent standing on the balcony, talking on his phone, his brow furrowed as if he was dealing with a massive crisis at work.

I wanted to scream for his help, but the words died in my throat.

He loved my mother so much. If I was gone, he could just focus on her and Daisy. This house would finally be peaceful.

I couldn't be a burden to him anymore.

A wave of metallic, warm liquid rushed up my throat.

I swallowed it down, slowly shuffling toward the front door. I used the last of my energy to pull it open.

The cold night wind rushed in.

I couldn't hold it in any longer. With a sickening gasp, a pool of dark red blood splattered onto the cold stone steps.

My vision began to spin, turning black.

Maybe dying was for the best.

If I died, it wouldn't hurt anymore. And I wouldn't make Mom angry anymore.

Using my absolute last ounce of strength, I crawled over the gruesome puddle of blood, dragging myself toward the busy road outside the gates.

The blinding headlights of an oncoming car illuminated my body. I closed my eyes, thinking: *Finally, it's over.*

***

At the dinner table, my mother was peeling shrimp for Daisy. Her phone buzzed in the living room.

Since her hands were covered in grease, she ignored it.

Daisy quickly ran over to the phone. She sneakily held down the power button and shut it off. "Mommy, it was just a spam call."

The three of them continued their warm, cozy family dinner.

Suddenly, a breaking news alert flashed on the television:

"An amber alert has been issued. A ten-year-old girl was involved in a horrific hit-and-run just moments ago. The victim appears to be a foster child, and authorities have been unable to contact her guardians. If anyone has information..."