Chapter 2: The Grandmother's Ultimatum

My grandmother was so furious she could hardly catch her breath. "How did I end up with such a heartless child like you? I hadn't heard from her in the two months I was abroad. I'd been worried sick while I was abroad, and now I can't even reach her since I came back. You must've bullied her! She's living with you, isn't she? Get her on the phone right now!"

My mother hesitated, shooting a glance at my father.

Two months ago, Flynn had an impulsive idea to go camping in the restricted Wild Valley. I knew it was risky, but I was eager to bond with my family and had even taken time off work. I never expected Scarlett would fall into the water. When she was pulled out, she immediately accused me of pushing her.

My mother slapped me several times in a fit of rage, completely ignoring my attempts to explain, left me in the wild. Little did they know, I never made it out of those woods.

After two months of silence, they couldn't contact me now, yet my mother still managed to calmly complain to my grandmother.

"It's her fault for being so disobedient. She's constantly jealous and refuses to get along with her siblings. And now, who knows where she's run off to?"

When did my mother go from being indifferent to treating me like a heartless demon?

When I lived with my grandmother, she would always insist on their visits before my parents would even think of coming back to see me.

But without Scarlett and Flynn around, they would be focused on me, albeit reluctantly. Those were moments I cherished.

Later, when they decided to take me away from my grandmother to live with them, I was hopeful that they were finally giving me a loving home. But once I arrived, I quickly realized I was just a marginalized orphan.

Even though my parents' home wasn't as grand as my grandmother's villa, Scarlett had a room full of Barbie dolls and beautiful princess dresses. Because Scarlett didn't like to see me wearing the designer clothes my grandmother bought for me, my parents shoved them into a small, shabby box in the corner, leaving me to wear the clothes Scarlett didn't want.

Flynn had a full set of top-of-the-line soccer gear and the latest gadgets, while I simply wanted a computer. My parents promised to get me one, but it never materialized.

I had lived my life constantly trying to please them, yearning for even a sliver of their attention.

Now, I no longer had to force myself to seek out that pitiful warmth.

Through the phone, my grandmother said that she would donate her entire fortune to charity if she didn't see me before hanging up in a fit of anger.

My mother's expression darkened upon hearing that.

My father flicked the ash from his cigarette as he remarked, "All she does is throw tantrums. We should have never brought her to live with us."

My mother sat down on the couch, her face grim. "We need to start keeping a closer eye on her. If we keep letting her have her way, who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause next?"

With that, my father personally called me. It was rare for him to take the initiative like this.

After searching for a while, he finally found my number. But when he dialed it, the line rang without response; there was only a mechanical voice saying that the phone was turned off.

His face darkened as he cursed under his breath, "That ungrateful girl is deliberately hiding from us. Does she think our family can't live without her? She should take a good look at herself! I want to see how long she can keep this up!"

Just then, Flynn came downstairs.

Hearing our parents' angry remarks, he chimed in, "Mom, Dad, you shouldn't worry too much. Whitney cares the most about Grandma. She'll definitely come back for her birthday party."

With those words, my parents finally began to relax a little.

Flynn, as usual, picked up the remote and turned on the TV, eager to catch the game. But he inadvertently switched to the local news channel.

The headline was striking.

[A body was discovered by a tourist in Wild Valley. Effective immediately, the area will be completely closed off to visitors.]