Chapter 2The 24th Victim

The moment Mason opened the door, Claire ran straight into his arms.

"Happy birthday, Claire." Mason smiled warmly as he pulled out the strawberry cake he had hidden behind his back.

"Wow! Thanks, Dad!"

Wendy Leighton walked out of the kitchen and laughed when she saw them. "You're already 24. How can you still act like such a little kid?"

I floated in behind Mason.

Seeing the happy family of three together broke my heart.

I hadn't been home in three years. Now, everything that belonged to me was gone.

15 years ago, Mason had decided to marry Wendy because he wanted me to have someone to take care of me.

He also thought I would have a sister.

But in the end, I became the most unwanted person in the family.

Back then, he often took me to court with him and let me sit in the gallery during his hearings.

He would also laugh whenever I seriously recited laws to him.

I didn't know when he had started to hate me.

Maybe it was when Wendy secretly bought me a doll, then cried to Mason and claimed that I had stolen Claire's toy.

Maybe it was when Claire hid a cheat sheet in my pencil case before an exam, then reported me to the teacher for cheating during the test. Because of that, my test was canceled, and I was forced to attend trade school.

Or maybe it was when they went on a family vacation without me.

When they came home, Wendy claimed that her gold necklace was missing. Then Claire "found" it under my bed.

I still remembered how angry Mason was that day.

He took me to the police station and forced me to admit that I had stolen it.

I screamed hysterically. "I didn't take it! That bitch set me up..."

A slap cut me off.

Mason's hand was shaking as he pointed at me. "Carol, what happened to you? Your mother gave her life to bring you into this world. How could you do something like this?"

"If Mom knew you were treating me like this because of that bitch, she would never forgive you!"

"Carol!" Mason was furious.

He ordered the police to arrest me for theft.

I spent the night in a holding cell.

The next morning, Wendy pretended to be kind and convinced Mason to take me home.

But when I walked out of the police station, I refused to get into the car. The moment Mason looked away, I turned and ran.

When I finally stopped, I realized I was standing in front of Sofia's grave.

Sofia had died from complications while giving birth to me. I barely knew her, so I had never felt very close to her.

But when I saw the smiling photograph on her grave, I still broke down in tears.

By the time Mason found me, I had curled up beside the grave and fallen asleep with tears still on my face.

It seemed like he finally realized that he had been wrong. He said nothing and simply carried me home on his back.

I didn't want to live with them anymore.

So, I moved back into our old house alone, the place that was still filled with traces of Sofia.

I also decided to take the SAT and study law so I could get my life back on track.

Mason didn't object. He even gave me some extra money for living expenses.

He would also call me regularly to check on my studies.

But just when I thought everything was finally getting better, everything changed.

That night, I suddenly felt a sharp pain between my legs.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a man on top of me, moving against me.

I screamed in terror and tried to fight him off. Then, at that exact moment, someone slammed the front door open.