Chapter 4

The sauna's temperature setting automatically shut off after reaching maximum heat.

So after a full day of cooling, the scalding steam in the room had dissipated.

Only some stuffiness remained.

But Michael thought it was because the sauna room was an enclosed space, and with the door's excellent seal, the air conditioning couldn't get in.

He didn't think much of it.

Getting no response from me, he turned on the light.

"Riley, we need to—"

Before he could finish, he realized that in the sauna room he could see from end to end, there was no sign of me.

He panicked immediately.

He went back to the living room to call Clara.

"Honey, Riley's really not in the sauna room!"

Clara followed Michael and pushed open the sauna room door again.

But like Michael, she only pushed it halfway.

I circled around in front of them.

"Clara, Michael, I'm right here! If you push the door a little more, you'll touch my body!"

"Or… or if you just look behind the door, you'll find me!"

I pointed it out to them.

They had no reaction.

Clara thought for a moment, then turned to Michael.

"Aren't there two keys to the sauna room?"

Michael nodded.

"I think so. You have one, I have one."

Clara asked again.

"You've been using mine all day today. So where's yours?"

Michael searched all his pockets and briefcase.

He found nothing.

"Strange, where did it go?"

While Michael was still puzzled, Clara looked like she had it all figured out.

"What else could it be? Your precious daughter must have taken it!"

"When we used to play hide and seek at home, she would often cheat by locking herself in a room. We indulged her—when we couldn't open a door, we just wouldn't search that room. She probably took it then."

"So all our kind words this afternoon fell on deaf ears. She had her own plan. She already took the key and opened the door, and didn't forget to lock it again to make it look like she was still inside."

The more Clara talked, the angrier she got. She pointed at the sauna room door and asked Michael:

"Can you believe how scheming she is! I really can't deal with her anymore!"

Michael tried to comfort her while going to my bedroom door and knocking.

"Riley, we're really getting angry!"

He pushed open the door. Inside was still empty.

Clara didn't look into the room again. She turned and went downstairs.

"Learning to run away from home at such a young age? She better never come back. It would be better if she died out there!"

"I am completely disappointed in her right now!"

I shook my head desperately.

I really didn't.

This time, even Michael didn't speak up for me.

That evening, Clara told Nathan a story and put him to bed.

Nathan asked Clara:

"Mom, you're telling me a story so early today. Don't you need to put Riley to bed?"

Knowing that Nathan still cared about me,

my heart lifted with a little joy.

Nathan is so good to me. I'll definitely help him get better.

Before I could think further, Clara's words completely chilled my heart.

"Don't worry about her anymore! I'm acting like I don't have that daughter."

She patiently and tenderly stayed with Nathan for a long time.

It wasn't until Nathan's breathing became steady that she reached up to turn off the light.

I wanted to stop Clara.

I was most afraid of the dark, always feeling like something scary would emerge from the pitch-black night.

I never dared to sleep with the lights off.

But now I couldn't touch the switch, and Clara couldn't hear me.

Clara always used to leave a light on for me in the living room.

Today she didn't.

I could only curl myself into a trembling ball.

I sat by Nathan's bed, watching everything around me warily.

I didn't sleep all night.

Early the next morning, Clara and Michael first took Nathan to school, then went to work.

Everyone tacitly avoided mentioning me.

As if it made no difference to this family whether I existed or not.