Chapter 3

The next morning, sunlight fell across my corpse.

It didn't bring even a trace of warmth.

I heard cooking from the kitchen.

The smell of fried eggs drifted through the crack under my door.

Normally, that was my favorite smell.

But I was only allowed to eat boiled vegetables because Lydia said bad kids didn't deserve meat.

Today, she deliberately banged the spatula against the pan.

I knew what she was doing.

She wanted the smell to tempt me.

She thought eventually I'd get hungry enough to come out and admit I was wrong.

Before, I probably would've confessed to things I'd never done just for one fried egg.

But now, I didn't need food anymore.

"Evelyn still hasn't come out?" Ethan asked from the breakfast table as he read the news.

Lydia slammed a plate onto the table.

"Then let her starve. She did something wrong, and now she has the nerve to be mad at us?"

Jessica drank her milk.

Then, as if she'd suddenly thought of something, she ran to my bedroom door and sniffed dramatically.

"Mom! Evelyn's room stinks!"

"Did she go to the bathroom in there?"

I floated by the door and looked bitterly at Jessica.

The room was warm.

After one night, my body had already started to smell.

Lydia was going to hate me even more.

She frowned and walked over.

"Evelyn!"

Lydia pounded on the door.

"Are you doing this on purpose? The bathroom is right next door, and you went in your room?"

"Forget her!"

Lydia waved her hand in disgust as if she were swatting away a fly.

"If she likes the smell so much, let her sit in it until she chokes!"

Ethan put down what he was reading and frowned.

"The smell really is pretty strong. I'll check. Maybe there's a dead mouse in there."

Ethan stood and walked toward my door.

My heart leaped.

Ethan!

Open the door!

Please look at me!

I'm right behind it!

All you have to do is turn the handle.

You'll see I'm not moving.

You'll see my face has already turned dark.

I floated in front of Ethan, waving desperately, trying to make him notice me.

His hand closed around the doorknob.

Then a phone rang sharply.

It was Ethan's boss.

He answered, and his expression changed.

"What? The servers crashed? Okay, okay. I'm coming right now!"

He hung up and grabbed his coat.

"Lydia, something's wrong at work. I have to go in. I might not be home for the next few days!"

"But Evelyn—"

Before Lydia could finish, Ethan was already gone.

I froze too.

I'd been that close.

One second.

If that phone call had come just one second later, someone would've found me.

Maybe then I wouldn't have had to keep rotting in that room.

That afternoon, Lydia took Jessica shopping.

Only my corpse remained at home.

That night, they came back loaded with expensive seafood and gifts.

The second they stepped inside, the smell hit them even harder.

Lydia covered her nose and gagged.

"Evelyn! Are you trying to turn this house into a landfill?"

She wouldn't even open the door to yell at me.

It was as though one glance inside my room would dirty her eyes.

She found a roll of heavy-duty duct tape, crouched down, and aggressively sealed the gap beneath my door.

"If you like stink so much, you can smell it yourself! Don't make the rest of us suffer!"

After pressing down the last strip of tape, Lydia dusted off her hands with satisfaction.

"Finally. Some peace and quiet."

Then she went to the kitchen to make dinner.

I stared at the sealed door.

The last tiny piece of hope inside me disappeared beneath those strips of tape.

So in Lydia's heart...

Whether I lived or died mattered less than a seafood dinner.

She'd rather tape the door shut than look inside to see if I'd died.

You win, Lydia.

I'll never bother you again.