Chapter 2 The Wilderness

My grandfather was so furious he could barely breathe. "How did I raise such a heartless daughter? I hadn't heard from Olivia in the three months I was overseas. I'd been worried sick, and now I can't reach her since I got back. You must've done something to her! She lives with you, doesn't she? Put her on the phone right now!"

My mother hesitated, shooting a nervous glance at my father.

Three months ago, Ethan had this wild idea to go camping in the restricted Pine Ridge Forest. I knew it was dangerous, but I was desperate to bond with my family and had even taken vacation days from work. I never expected Violet would fall into the ravine. When they pulled her out, she immediately accused me of pushing her.

My mother slapped me across the face repeatedly in a rage, completely ignoring my attempts to explain, and left me stranded in the woods. Little did they know, I never made it out of that forest.

After three months of silence, they couldn't reach me now, yet my mother still managed to calmly complain to my grandfather.

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

When did my mother go from indifferent to treating me like a vindictive monster?

When I lived with my grandfather, she would only visit when he insisted, and those visits felt obligatory at best.

But without Violet and Ethan around, they would focus on me, even if reluctantly. Those were moments I treasured.

Later, when they decided to bring me to live with them, I was hopeful they were finally giving me a real home. But once I arrived, I quickly realized I was just a marginalized outsider.

Even though my parents' house wasn't as grand as my grandfather's estate, Violet had a room overflowing with art supplies and designer clothes. Because Violet didn't like seeing me wear the nice clothes my grandfather bought me, my parents stuffed them into a cardboard box in the garage, leaving me to wear Violet's hand-me-downs and Ethan's outgrown shirts.

Ethan had the latest gaming console, a laptop, and a mountain bike, while I just wanted a decent camera for my art. My parents promised to get me one, but it never materialized.

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

Now, I no longer had to beg for that pitiful warmth.

Through the phone, my grandfather said that he would donate his entire fortune to charity if he didn't see me before his birthday party next month, then hung up in fury.

My mother's expression darkened.

My father lit a cigarette and muttered, "All she does is throw tantrums. We should never have brought that kid to live with us."

My mother sank into the couch, her face grim. "We need to start keeping track of her. If we keep letting her run wild, who knows what trouble she'll cause next?"

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

After scrolling through his contacts, he finally found my number. But when he dialed, the line rang endlessly before a mechanical voice announced the phone was turned off.

His face darkened as he cursed under his breath, "That ungrateful brat is deliberately avoiding us. Does she think this family can't survive without her? Let's see how long she can keep this up!"

Just then, Ethan came downstairs.

Hearing our parents' angry remarks, he chimed in, "Mom, Dad, don't stress too much. Olivia cares the most about Grandpa. She'll definitely show up for the birthday party next month."

With those words, my parents finally began to relax.

Ethan, as usual, grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, eager to watch sports. But he accidentally switched to the local news channel.

The headline was striking.

[Human remains discovered by hikers in Pine Ridge Forest. Effective immediately, the area will be permanently closed to all visitors.]