Chapter 4

My mom sobbed and threw herself at me, locking me in a tight embrace.

"Chloe!"

She squeezed me so hard her arms pressed against my bruised ribs. I gasped in pain.

Instinctively, I flinched and tried to pull back.

My mom noticed my resistance immediately.

She stiffened, and her tears flowed even faster.

"Sweetie, what's wrong? Is the dirty air in this hospital making you feel sick? Mom is taking you home. We're going home right now."

My dad stepped forward, shielding my mom and me.

"Mr. Vance, thank you for bringing Chloe to the hospital. But I just spoke with Dr. Evans, and it seems Chloe doesn't have any major issues, correct?"

"She’s just a bit slender. That’s perfectly normal. Our family practices mindfulness and clean eating. A light diet naturally keeps a child slim."

"But taking our child away without our permission? That crosses a line, don't you think?"

My dad always spoke like this—calm, rational, never raising his voice.

Because of this, I had always believed he was right.

I peeked out from behind my mom's waist, looking at Alex.

Alex didn't say a word. He just stared coldly at my father.

But Dr. Evans couldn't hold back anymore.

"A bit slender? Mr. Miller, your daughter's stomach has shrunken! She can't even digest meat properly because you've starved her! This is slow-motion murder!"

Confronted by the doctor, my mom turned and shielded me protectively.

"Doctor, you're only looking at numbers on a page. You don't know our family. How could we ever abuse our own flesh and blood?"

"Chloe has had a weak constitution since birth. She vomits up almost everything. We took her to countless holistic healers, and they all said she has a pure soul that can only handle a raw, vegan diet."

"We spend hundreds of dollars every week on special pesticide-free vegetables just for her. I wouldn't even let her brother touch them."

Mom sighed, stroking Leo's head.

"Leo is a tough boy. He can eat leftovers and still grow strong. We gave all the best, purest things to Chloe, and now we're being accused of abuse by strangers."

She covered her face, weeping softly.

I panicked, grabbing her hand.

"Mom, don't cry! I know you love me! I told Uncle Alex that Leo only eats trash, and I get the best angel meals!"

I turned to Alex and said loudly, "Uncle Alex, stop bullying my parents!"

My dad offered a relieved smile, patting my head.

Alex’s face remained a mask of ice.

He looked down at Leo, who was happily licking his ice cream, and suddenly spoke. "How old are you, buddy?"

Leo didn't even look up, his mouth covered in chocolate. "Five!"

"You're very strong for a five-year-old."

Alex's voice was completely flat. "Does your dad buy you lots of delicious food?"

My dad stiffened, desperately shooting warning looks at Leo.

But Leo didn't notice. He proudly patted his round belly. "Of course! Dad buys me fried chicken, burgers, and ice cream every single day! Yesterday he bought me a giant dinosaur toy, this big!"

He stretched his arms wide to show the size.

Alex nodded. "And what about your sister? What does she eat?"

My mom panicked. "Leo!"

Leo rolled his eyes and blurted out, "She eats rotten cabbage leaves!"

"Really? But isn't she an angel? Shouldn't angels eat better food?" Alex asked, his tone laced with mock curiosity.

Desperate to prove he wasn't lying, Leo raised his voice.

"She's not an angel! Grandma goes to the cheap farmer's market and collects the discarded cabbage leaves from the floor. Dad said we just need to boil them for her so we can save money to buy my giant dinosaur!"

"She's just a useless money-sink. Dad says she only deserves pig feed!"

The entire room went dead silent.

Leo shook his head proudly, and seeing that no one was praising him, he added, "I even saw her drinking dishwater yesterday. She's a total dummy, always talking about her 'angel dress.' It's hilarious!"

I stood frozen.

Rotten cabbage. Dishwater. Pig feed.

But Mom had told me she woke up before dawn to harvest those precious organic greens from the mountains.

I looked down at my hands, then at the sleeve of my dress, which had chocolate smudged on it from Leo.

Woven from clouds?

I slowly looked up at my mother.

Her face was as white as a sheet. She lunged forward, covering Leo's mouth, laughing nervously at Alex.

"Mr. Vance, he's just a child. He watches too much TV and makes things up. Please don't take a five-year-old seriously..."

"Just a child?"

Alex repeated the words slowly.

He pointed to the security camera in the corner of the ceiling.

"From the moment you stepped into this room, everything has been recorded. Mr. Miller, your son isn't making anything up. He was incredibly specific."

Beads of sweat rolled down my dad's forehead.

He stepped forward to grab Leo.

But Leo kicked my dad's shin. "Let me go! I want my dinosaur! You promised me another toy today!"

I took a step forward, standing right in front of Leo.

"The cabbage leaves... Grandma picked them from the trash?"

Leo nodded triumphantly. "Yeah! You ate them like they were treasure. The whole family thinks you're an idiot!"

"And the dishwater?" I asked.

"You said you were hungry at night, so Mom poured your leftover brown rice into the sink with tap water and told you to drink it! Don't you remember? You dummy!"

I slowly turned around, looking at my mother.

"Mom... am I a pig?"