My father and brothers gave all the good things to Cynthia.

She fell while running, yet she cried and claimed I had tripped her. She broke my doll but held the broken doll in front of my father and said, "Estelle doesn't like me and cut my doll."

Every time they believed her and punished me. Even the draw box that they used to give me rewards became a way to punish me.

I looked at them, my tears finally spilling down in heavy drops. However, I was scared to cry out loud and could only bite my lips hard, retorting in a whisper, "Dad... Brothers... I didn't. I didn't hurt her..."

My father's expression turned grimmer. "Estelle, you still won't admit your mistake. You're only five years old, yet you're already so evil. Cynthia is the only child her mother left. Since she entrusted her to me, I won't let her suffer! Go to your room to reflect. You're not allowed to eat tonight, and you can't come out unless you admit your mistake!"

They forgot that my mother also entrusted me to them before she died. They promised Mom that they would take good care of me. Now, they seemed to be just Cynthia's father and brothers.

My mother was dead. My dad and brothers did not want me anymore.

I turned around and walked away step by step.

My father's gentle voice rang behind me. "Cynthia, don't be afraid. Your brothers and I are here. No one can bully you."

The housekeeper’s room was cold and damp, containing only a small bed and a shabby cabinet. I huddled in the cold corner of the bed, hugging my knees as tears streamed down my face.

Just as I was sobbing uncontrollably, those magical little texts appeared again.

[Oh, it's really heartbreaking to see. Hurry up and finish the story; your mother is waiting for you in the new world.]

[She used up all her points to get this opportunity. Once your life ends here, you can immediately go to her side.]

I forcefully wiped away my tears, sobbing softly, "Really? If I die... I can see my mother?"

[Absolutely! Your mother knew you were suffering and couldn't come back, and she was frantic. She used up all her points to exchange for a reward from the system. Once your life ends here, you can immediately be teleported to her side to enjoy happiness!]

[It's a million times better than suffering in this awful place!]

A huge surge of joy dispelled my grievances. It turned out my mother did not abandon me! She had been finding ways to take me away!

I immediately stopped crying and had only one thought remaining in my mind: I have to find my mother!

The only window in the room was too high for me.

I tried my best to drag the rickety wooden stool to the window and clumsily climbed up. The stool legs creaked, and I stood on tiptoe, barely managing to reach the cold windowsill.

Once I opened the window, a gust of freezing air swept in, sending shivers down my spine. I could not see what lay below, only sensing the great height, yet strangely, I was not afraid at all.

Thinking of seeing my mother soon, I struggled to climb up, closed my eyes, and jumped with all my might.

The wind whistled in my ears, and then I crashed heavily onto something. A sharp pain instantly shot through my body.

"Ah!"

I heard Cynthia's piercing scream and Jacob's panicked shout. "Estelle?"

I had fallen into the bushes in the garden and was remarkably close to Cynthia and Jacob, who were playing on the swings.

Jacob rushed over like an arrow, his face ghastly pale. He knelt beside me, his hands trembling slightly as he checked my arms and legs.

"Did you hurt yourself? Tell me!" Jacob was in a frenzy, completely abandoning his usual composed and brilliant doctor persona.

My arm could not move and was throbbing with pain. My forehead was burning hot too, and I was sure I scraped it.

However, Jacob's anxious face suddenly made me feel a bit relieved. He used to be this nervous about me too.

"Jacob... I... I want to go find Mom..." I whispered.

Jacob's hand froze for a moment as he looked at me with a complex expression. Then, he shouted into the house, "Call an ambulance immediately!"

My father, Axel, and Sean all rushed out upon hearing the noise. Seeing me, their expressions changed.

"What happened?" My father's voice was angry, but his gaze lingered on mine for a moment.

"She... She jumped out of the housekeeper room window."

"She jumped?"

Sean's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Estelle, why are you making a fuss again?"

Axel's face was gloomy. "Is it because you were punished by not being allowed to have dinner? Are you protesting in this way?"

I listened to their statements, feeling disappointed. They still thought it was me making a fuss.

Enduring the pain and using all my might, I responded, "Dad, Brothers, I wasn't making a fuss... I just... I just missed Mom..."

After I said that, my father and brothers suddenly fell silent.

At the hospital, the doctor treated my wound, splinted my arm, and said it was indeed a fracture, so I needed proper care.

Jacob stayed by my side the whole time, his usually calm and brilliant doctor facade replaced by a worried expression. As he bandaged me, the pain was so intense that tears streamed down my face. Instinctively, he reached for candy in his pocket, only to find it empty. He hesitated for a moment, recalling that he had not given me candy in a while. All of the candy now went to Cynthia. Awkwardly, he withdrew his hand, then stiffly patted my back.

My father and brothers stood at the ward door and did not come in.

Sean muttered, "It seems like this time she really injured herself from the fall, but threatening family with self-harm… such behavior needs to be addressed."

My father sighed and did not say anything.

I lay in the hospital bed, staring at the white ceiling.

They thought I was threatening them, but they did not know that I was really leaving.

Once my arm healed, I would try again. Next time, I must succeed in finding my mother.

Even with the cast on my arm, I started looking for new opportunities.

I knew cars often sped through the driveway in front of my house. One afternoon, I hid behind a tree by the roadside when I heard the sound of a car engine approaching.

'Now!' I thought as I lunged out from behind the tree and ran toward the middle of the road with my eyes closed. The expected collision did not happen; instead, a large hand grabbed my collar from behind and dragged me back roughly.

I fell to the ground and looked up to see Axel's livid face.

His chest rose and fell sharply, as if he had sprinted all the way here.

"Estelle! Have you lost your mind? Do you have a death wish?" he practically roared as his eyes filled with fear and anger.

I looked at him, feeling a pang of disappointment as I had almost succeeded.

"Axel, please let me go find Mom, okay?" I whispered.

Axel's eyes instantly became complex and unreadable. He lifted me from the ground, his tone frighteningly harsh. "Don't let me see you do anything so foolish again! Otherwise..."

He did not finish his sentence, but his grip on me as he yanked me back into the house was incredibly strong.

Since I failed, I tried again.

That night, I snuck into the kitchen and found a fruit knife. The knife was so heavy that I could barely hold it with both hands. I copied what I saw on TV and stabbed myself hard in the chest.

Ouch! It hurt even more than when I broke my arm! I glanced down and noticed the knife had only pierced a little. Blood seeped through my clothes, but it did not seem like I was going to die right away, as I had thought. The pain was so intense, I struggled to catch my breath. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I wanted to push the knife in deeper, but the agony made me let go.

The knife clattered to the ground.

My father and my brothers, who came running after hearing the noise, had a change of expression when they saw this.

My father snatched the knife off the ground, his eyes red with anger as he slapped me across the face. "Estelle! You're becoming even more lawless! Do you think hurting yourself can get our attention?"

I curled up in pain and raised my head as tears mixed with blood trickled into my mouth. "Dad... You said... to listen to Mom... Mom asked you to take care of me... "

My father's body jerked violently as a look of pain and struggle that I could not understand flickered in his eyes, but it was quickly covered by anger. He seemed to have been hurt by my words, and his voice became even colder. "Yes! I did promise your mom! So, I can't just stand by and watch you grow up to be this evil and willful person who threatens her family with her life! If your mother saw the way you are now, she would be so disappointed!"

He stopped looking at me and shouted at Sean. "Lock her in the underground storage room! No one is allowed to let her out without my permission! Tomorrow is Cynthia's birthday party, and we must make sure she doesn't cause any trouble again!"

It turns out he still remembered my mother's last words. He remembered them, yet he still treated me like this.

Sean walked over expressionlessly and took my uninjured arm.

My wound still ached, so I struggled and cried, "Dad! I'm not threatening you... I just miss Mom... Dad..."

My father turned away and did not look back.

The basement storage room was dark, cold, and cluttered with junk, with only a sliver of light filtering through a small, tall window.

I huddled in the corner and hugged my knees, the cast on my arm and the wound in my chest throbbing.

Darkness crept in like water, cold and heavy. I heard my small sobs echoing in the empty room.

The storage room was dark and cold; I had no idea how long I stayed there.

Outside, it seemed to be getting lively with music, laughter, and footsteps. Cynthia's birthday party must have started. They must be having a lot of fun. No one remembered me in the corner.

I was hungry and thirsty, my wound ached as I leaned against the wall, half-asleep.

Suddenly, I smelled a strange, pungent odor. Then, I saw a red light flashing under the door, and thick smoke billowed in. It seemed there was a fire!

Coughing from the smoke, I cowered in the corner, gripped by fear. The door was locked, trapping me inside.

The flames seemed to be growing larger, and I heard panicked shouts and running sounds outside. I pondered, 'Was I going to be burned to death? Would that... allow me to see Mom?'

I closed my eyes, a mixture of fear and anticipation.

Bang! A loud crash echoed as the storeroom door was violently forced open from the outside.

A tall figure rushed in through the thick smoke. It was my father! He scooped me up from the ground, wrapped me in his coat, and emerged from the flames.

It was chaotic outside as many guests watched in panic.

My father lay me on the grass in the yard as I coughed violently, only feeling a little better after inhaling fresh air.

However, Cynthia's heart-wrenching cries were heard before I could even catch my breath.