Chapter 3

Hearing Chloe's words, all my resentment instantly vanished.

So, Chloe still saw me as family after all.

As we walked out the door, my mom finally told me that Chloe had changed the dinner location to the old family cabin in the woods.

"Chloe said the restaurant room was too small. At the cabin, we can eat and look at the stars."

On the way there, I kept imagining how wonderful it would be to have a family dinner under the starlight.

In the early years, Chloe had always disliked me. Later, we both got busy with work.

If I really thought about it, we had never actually had a proper Christmas dinner together.

Tonight was a first, and it meant the world to me.

But when we arrived at the cabin, I saw that the yard was completely overgrown and dilapidated. The cabin itself was pitch black, without a single light on.

Chloe waved at me from a distance.

"Ethan! Over here!"

I jogged over to her, feeling a bit confused.

"Chloe, isn't this place a bit too run-down and messy for dinner?"

Chloe did something unprecedented—she smiled warmly at me and pointed at the cabin.

"Who cares? Having Christmas dinner under the stars is so romantic."

"The food is already inside. Go on in and look, it's all your favorites."

Without a shred of suspicion, I smiled and stepped into the cabin.

But the moment my feet crossed the threshold, Ryan snatched my phone from my hand and shoved me hard from behind.

Before I could react, the heavy wooden door was slammed shut and locked from the outside.

"Chloe! Dad! Mom! What is this?"

"It's pitch black in here! I'm scared! Please open the door!"

I pounded on the door, screaming at the top of my lungs.

I had suffered from severe claustrophobia since childhood. Being trapped in dark, confined spaces triggered intense panic attacks.

Once, Chloe had locked me in a closet as a prank. By the time my parents got home from work, I was unconscious on the floor, foaming at the mouth.

There was no way Chloe didn't know what this darkness would do to me.

But the next second, Chloe's mocking laughter echoed from outside.

"Still want to follow us for dinner? Let's see you try now!"

"Why the hell would we want you at our family dinner? You're just a parasite we use for cash. Did you actually think you were one of us?"

"Reflect on yourself in there. Once we're stuffed and happy, maybe we'll come back and unlock the door if we feel like it."

With that, she turned to leave.

Through the dirty window pane, I saw my parents looking slightly uneasy. I immediately screamed to them.

"Dad! Mom! I'm sorry! I get it now! I have my own family, I don't belong here!"

"I won't eat with you guys tonight. Just let me out, please! It's too dark... I'm so scared..."

I gripped the rusty iron bars on the window, my entire body shaking violently with terror.

My mom opened her mouth as if to say something, but Chloe yelled from the car,

"Mom, Dad, hurry up! I'm starving!"

Hearing Chloe's voice, my parents turned around and got into the car without a second thought. No matter how hard I cried and screamed, they never looked back.

Left with no choice, I forced myself to calm down. Groping around in the dark, I managed to find a box of matches and an old oil lamp.

With trembling hands, I lit the lamp, and the small flame finally eased my panic.

Watching their headlights fade into the distance, a bitter sadness filled my heart.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from behind me. I turned around and saw a rat scurrying across the floor.

Before I could even react in fear, the rat leaped up and knocked the oil lamp right off the table.

In an instant, the flames caught onto the dry wooden floorboards.

The cabin was made of dry timber, and the ceiling was lined with straw. Within ten seconds, the fire was completely out of control.

I rushed to the window, screaming at the top of my lungs, "Fire! Help! Somebody help me!"