Chapter 3

I walked into the living room. The scene was exactly the same.

"...the TikTok views will be insane," Kevin was saying, his chest puffed out.

Karen was beaming. Rick was nodding.

I walked straight to the fireplace mantle, where my mother kept a hideous, overpriced crystal vase she'd bought on a trip to wine country. It was her favorite thing.

"That's a terrible idea," I said again. My voice was different this time. Louder. Clearer.

They all turned to look at me. The same annoyed expressions.

"I just saw on the news," I said, my voice dripping with fake concern, "that hikers have gone missing out there. Aggressive wildlife."

Karen's face began to twist into that familiar snarl. She stood up.

"Don't you dare be a buzzkill, Chloe."

She started toward me, her hand raised.

This time, I was ready.

Just as she reached me, I grabbed the crystal vase.

"If you don't want to go," she screamed, her hand swinging toward my face, "then get out!"

I didn't flinch. I let her slap me. The sting was familiar, but this time, it was fuel.

"Fine," I screamed back, my voice raw with years of pent-up rage. "I've had enough!"

I hurled the vase against the stone fireplace.

It shattered into a thousand pieces.

The sound was beautiful.

Karen froze, her mouth open in a silent scream. Her eyes darted from my face to the glittering shards on the hearth.

Kevin and Rick just stared, stunned into silence. They had never seen me do anything but obey.

"I'm sick of this!" I yelled, tears of rage, not sadness, streaming down my face. "I'm sick of being your servant! I'm sick of being your punching bag!"

I pointed a shaking finger at Karen. "You don't love me. You just tolerate me."

I turned to Rick. "And you just watch. You let her do it. You're a coward."

I didn't even bother looking at Kevin. He wasn't worth the breath.

Before they could react, before the shock wore off, I turned and ran. I stormed out the front door, slamming it so hard the whole frame shook.

I didn't look back. I just ran down the street, the cold evening air sharp in my lungs. I was free.