Chapter 2

The locket was a bit big, and it got stuck in my throat, which was really uncomfortable.

I swallowed hard and drank a lot of cold water from my cup.

After a lot of effort, it finally went down with a gurgle.

My stomach felt heavy, cold, and a little painful.

Mom used to warn me about eating strange things, telling me stories about people swallowing gold to end their lives.

I was a little scared, but also a little relieved.

If I died, would the pain stop? Would my heart stop hurting?

Mom pushed open the door and glared at me. "Lily, what are you standing there for, dumbfounded?"

"Come out and eat, Leo's hungry. Stop pretending to be pathetic."

I followed her out, but my stomach felt worse and worse, like a big rock was stuck inside.

I didn't want to make Mom angry, so I forced myself to eat a couple of bites.

Dad saw how pale I looked and reached out to touch my forehead.

"Lily, why are you so white? Are you running a fever?"

But Mom slapped Dad's hand away, added a piece of meat to Leo's plate, and said coldly:

"What could be wrong with her? She's clearly faking it, trying to get our attention."

"Ignore her, finish eating quickly and take Leo for a walk."

Leo sat beside Mom, grinning at me, holding the toy car Mom had just given him.

The locket in my stomach seemed to shift, and I almost threw up.

Mom saw me clutching my stomach, and her face darkened even more.

"Do you have any manners? Can't you even eat a meal without causing a scene?"

I forced a small, ingratiating smile and whispered, "Mom, my stomach hurts."

"If you don't want to eat, get back to your room! Don't be an eyesore here!"

Dad opened his mouth, but in the end, he just sighed.

Before leaving, Mom told Dad, "Have Mr. Peterson next door watch Lily for us."

A warmth spread through my heart. Maybe Mom did care about me after all.

But the next second, Mom looked at me impatiently.

"Don't let her cause any more trouble. Haven't we suffered enough because of her?"

She wasn't worried about me getting hurt alone at home; she was worried about me causing trouble.

But I didn't like Mr. Peterson. He hurt me badly.

Dad exchanged a few words with Mr. Peterson, who then walked over, smiling creepily.

"Lily, want to come to my place and watch cartoons?"

Mom said coldly from the side, "Behave yourself, don't cause us any trouble!"

I didn't dare to refuse anymore. Dad and Mom would be upset.

My stomach ached terribly, and I curled up in the corner of the sofa.

Mr. Peterson leaned in, wrapping his arm around me.

"Lily, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

His hand rubbed my back, and I shivered in fear. "I'm fine..."

Mr. Peterson saw the cold sweat on my forehead, and his disgusting smile vanished.

"Damn it, don't you dare get sick here. Get back home now."

He pulled me roughly off the sofa.

My legs were wobbly, and he half-supported, half-dragged me back to our house.

Mr. Peterson put me on the bed, haphazardly pulling the blanket over me, covering my head completely.

His voice was particularly harsh. "When your parents come back, just say you were too tired and fell asleep. Got it?"

"Don't you dare say anything I did to you! Even if you did, no one would believe you!"

Actually, he didn't need to tell me. I wouldn't tell Mom and Dad anyway.

Before, when stronger boys bullied me, Mom just said I was disobedient and misbehaved at such a young age.

I bit down hard on my lip under the blanket, holding back my sobs.

The blanket was thick, and I felt a bit breathless, but my body kept getting colder.

Outside, I heard Mom and Dad bringing Leo home.

Leo was giggling. "Mom, I want a story!"

Mom's voice was so gentle, I hadn't heard it in such a long time.

"Okay, Mom will tell a story to her little prince."

Their laughter sounded so nice, like Leo's favorite musical box.

But Mom never let me touch that musical box.

I heard Mr. Peterson in the living room, speaking in a hushed voice.

"Lily was tired from playing. She looked completely worn out, so I brought her back to sleep."

Mom seemed to say, "Good, she's asleep. Saves me the annoyance of looking at her."

Dad seemed to say something, and Mom raised her voice again.

"She's just a total curse! If only she had died instead, Leo wouldn't be like this..."

I couldn't hear the rest of the words.

I was covered by the blanket, in complete darkness.

My stomach hurt so much, worse than when Mom hit me.

There was a metallic taste in my throat too.

Mom and Dad, I feel so bad. Gold doesn't taste good at all.

If I fall asleep, will you come and see me?