Chapter 2

I quietly dished out a bowl of mushroom soup for Matteus.

I was a little reluctant; it was supposed to be my dinner tonight.

That night, my parents made Matteus sleep in the storage room.

He didn't know that the storage room was actually my room.

Matteus looked surprised when he asked me,

"This is your room? Are you their daughter? How come you don't even have a bed?"

In the dim light, I didn't answer his question.

Matteus rubbed his temples, a hint of distaste on his face as he lay down on the floor.

I curled up tighter, hugging myself, trying to stay warm.

To be honest, I regretted it a little.

I'd saved him hoping to finally have a dad who loved me, but my "adopted" dad didn't even remember me.

Of course, compared to cute, pretty Willow, I was dirty and thin.

Since I didn't get a good dad, maybe next time, the heavens would send me a mom.

Drifting in and out of consciousness, I finally fell asleep.

Around five in the morning, I woke up naturally.

"You're awake? Up so early?"

Matteus, behind me, looked at me curiously.

Dark circles under his eyes suggested he hadn't slept all night.

"Yeah, I have to chop wood, shovel snow, feed Max, lots of chores to do."

"Before Mom and Dad wake up, I also have to cook breakfast. Don't worry, I'll save a portion for you first."

Without waiting for his reaction, I turned and walked out the door.

It was almost dawn; I needed to get today's Christmas tree branches chopped.

Otherwise, Grandma Elsie would hit me again.

Trudging through the thick snow, I moved with difficulty.

The beam of my flashlight swept over the deep snow, landing on a dark shadow behind a tree.

I remained calm, expertly shielding the light.

There were always strange creatures scurrying around in the backwoods; sometimes, if I was unlucky, I'd encounter a wild boar.

But I was used to it; I didn't get scared.

Just as I was about to turn and slip away, a faint call came from behind me:

"Is anyone there? Hello? Please don't let me freeze to death out here."

Only then did I realize it was a woman.

Could it be… the universe sent me a mom?

The woman and I met each other's gaze.

She had gorgeous wavy hair and blinked her big eyes at me.

"Where did this kid come from? Am I hallucinating from the cold?"

"Are you in trouble? Do you want to come back with me?" I boldly asked.

Seeing the woman nod frantically, I let her follow me.

On the way back, I learned her name was Seraphina Thorne, and she was also here on vacation.

She had gotten separated from her friends, and heavy snow had blocked the roads.

Her car was stuck in the snow, so she couldn't drive down the mountain to find help, which was how she'd stumbled upon me.

Reaching our doorstep, I stopped.

"I can let you stay, but you have to be my mom and take me away."

Seraphina froze. She looked at my tattered cotton coat and my basket full of branches, then asked,

"Do you live here alone?"

My eyes welled up.

"No, Dad, Mom, Grandma Elsie, and Willow, they're all here."

Seraphina sighed.

"Little one, if you already have a mom, then I can't be your mom. Your own mom would be sad."

I clenched the hem of my coat, shaking my head.

"If you don't want to, that's fine. Come with me, but be careful not to let them see you, or they'll kick you out."

I said, leading her to the storage room.

The moment I pushed the door open, Matteus's gaze snapped over, instantly freezing.

Seraphina rolled her eyes.

Matteus's mouth twitched.

"What a coincidence."

They knew each other.

Later, I brought breakfast to the storage room.

Seraphina's eyes fell on the lingering red mark on my face, and she gasped in surprise,

"Someone hit you?"

I pretended not to hear, placing a few slices of bread on the table.

"Breakfast, you two share it. I'm going to do chores."

Seraphina quickly grabbed my arm.

"What about you? Aren't you eating?"

"I already ate," I lied, but my stomach uncooperatively rumbled.

"She didn't eat last night either," Matteus sighed, looking at me with pity.

"Do your family abuse you?" Seraphina frowned.

They were about to say more when Grandma Elsie's shriek came from outside:

"Riley! Where did you disappear to, get over here and do your chores!"

I quickly went into the yard, and Grandma Elsie shoved a knife into my hand, telling me,

"Kill this chicken."

The knife slipped, slicing my hand, and then slit the chicken's throat, spraying blood all over my face.

Grandma Elsie didn't even acknowledge the cut on my hand; instead, she cursed me.

"You can't even do this simple thing right. Are you deliberately trying to make me angry?! No lunch for you today!"