Chapter 4
He sent another message. This time, it was a video. I tapped it open.
The footage was handheld, shaky. Carson was filming.
On screen, our father sat on the couch next to our mother, the two of them watching TV, holding the dog he raised. In the background, Carson’s voice could be heard.
“Dad, Mom, Jason says he’s leaving this family for good. What do you think?”
Dad let out a scornful laugh. “Good. Best news I’ve heard all week. Now maybe we’ll finally get some peace and quiet. Just looking at him puts me in a bad mood.”
Mom gave him a half-hearted look of reproach, but she didn’t object.
“Let him struggle out there for a while.” she said lightly. “Maybe then he’ll appreciate what we gave him. Boy never understood his place in this world.”
Jessica emerged from the kitchen balancing a fruit platter. When she noticed Carson pointing his phone at her, she immediately brightened-flashing a dazzling, camera-ready smile I’d never gotten in twenty-three years.
“Baby, what are you filming? Do I look pretty today?”
The video cut off.
Then another message came.
[See that? No one in this family gives a damn about you. Be smart and get lost for good. Don’t even dream of taking my place.]
The malice in his words practically bled off the screen.
I didn’t respond. I simply pulled out the SIM card and flushed it down the toilet.
After landing at the research base, I joined the team and began work. Our phones were confiscated. We weren’t allowed to go
outside.
But I didn’t mind. Without people constantly making my life miserable, things felt easier. Freer.
At night, when work was done, colleagues would talk about missing their families. I’d sit in silence, unable to relate. Instead, I quietly mapped out how I would live when this research ended.
In that future, there would be no parents. No Carson.
In the first week after I left, no one from my family reached out.
My parents and their adopted son were too busy enjoying their picture-perfect life. They even brought Jessica along for a new family photo. Even Carson’s dog made it into the shot. I didn’t.
My mother, who almost never posted to her social media, broke her silence with that photo.
[Having you all with me in this life-that’s happiness.]
Hundreds of likes poured in from relatives and friends. She was glowing, caught up in her own joy.
Except this time, I didn’t like the post. I didn’t comment. I was silent, like a ghost.
Three days passed. Her smile began to fade. She looked at her phone with a hint of confusion.
“That ungrateful brat,” she muttered. “Even now, he can’t bother to show a little support? I rarely post anything.”
1/3
Chapter 4
+15 Bonus
After a moment’s hesitation, she tried calling me. The phone rang a few times, then went unanswered.
Frowning, she called again. And again. Same result.
Clutching the phone, she went to my father. “Maybe we should try getting in touch with Jason. He’s been gone for days without a word. What if something happened?”
Dad snorted. “Where could he go? This is his only home. He’ll throw his tantrum, then crawl back when he can’t survive out there.”
Mom still looked uneasy, but before she could say more, Carson stepped in with a gentle, concerned voice.
“Dad, Mom, don’t worry too much. I’m sure he’s safe. He might still be upset over how you defended me on my puppy’s birthday. He kept talking about running away, just to make a point. I think maybe he acted on impulse.”
Mom’s temper flared. “What? So this was all just a threat to get back at us? And here I was, worried sick! What a waste. Fine. I’ll have the housekeeper change all the locks. If he comes back, let’s see how he gets in!”
She didn’t question Carson’s version of events. She simply chose to believe him. My leaving became nothing more than a childish tantrum.
A smile flickered across Carson’s face, but he quickly replaced it with a look of melancholy.
Mom noticed immediately. “Carson, what’s wrong? Something bothering you?”
“Dad, Mom, now that Jason’s gone, what about his engagement? I really love Jessica. She wants to be with me too, but I can feel she still minds that her grandpa arranged her marriage to him. She’s been keeping her distance because of it.”
Back when Jessica’s grandfather was alive, he’d arranged for her to marry me.
After I disappeared, with no confirmation of my death, the engagement was never formally canceled.
When I came back, no one mentioned it-everyone could see the chemistry between her and Carson.
Dad slammed his hand on the table. “That settles it. The engagement between Jason and Jessica is over! You two will get engaged next week. I’ll make it the most lavish event in town. Let all of society see which son truly matters in this family.”
Carson got exactly what he’d been angling for, but still had the audacity to frown in faux concern. “But Dad… Jason always lost his temper when he saw me and Jessica together. What if he—”
That only made Dad angrier. He grabbed his phone and barked into it.
“Call Jason. I want him to attend Jason and Jessica’s engagement, and I expect him to smile through his teeth while congratulating them.”
Then he set about making arrangements, full steam ahead.
The assistant, following orders, tried calling me for three days.
All she got was a busy signal.
Even checking my travel records turned up nothing but my last connecting flight.
It was as if I’d vanished completely. Every trace of my life had stopped the day I walked out the door.
The assistant’s starched collar was soaked through with sweat when she finally choked out the words to my father:
“Mr. Wheeler… I think Jason is… missing. We haven’t been able to reach him at all.”
