Chapter 2

A strong, sweet scent of Caramel Chews hit my nose.

That was Milo's favorite candy.

Ever since we were little, whenever I had pocket money, I'd buy it for him.

"Mmph... mph..."

With the rag in my mouth, I could only make muffled gasps, shaking my head frantically, trying to get his attention.

Milo seemed drawn to my movements. His goofy laugh stopped for a moment, and his footsteps padded to the side of the bed.

"Wife... don't move..."

A chubby hand reached out, curiously touching the black hood on my head.

The next second, without any warning, that hand grabbed the bottom of the hood and yanked it up!

Blinding light instantly flooded in, my pupils contracted violently, and tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

Once my eyes adjusted, I saw the face before me.

His features were a bit askew, drool hung at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were clear as a child's. It really was my simple-minded brother!

Our eyes met.

Milo froze.

He tilted his head, staring at my face for several seconds, and the half-eaten Caramel Chew in his hand "plinked" onto the floor.

I trembled with excitement, nodding desperately, tears falling like broken strings of pearls.

Milo!

It's me!

I'm Chloe!

Help me!

Go get Mom and Dad!

Milo's eyes suddenly widened, a huge burst of surprise on his face. He clapped his hands and jumped up:

"Sister! It's Sister!"

"Sister's back! Sister's in the room!"

In that moment, I thought the nightmare was over.

However, the very next second, Milo's actions kicked me from heaven straight into hell.

He didn't untie my ropes, nor did he pull the rag from my mouth.

Instead, as if remembering something incredibly important, a sly, "I know the rules too" grin spread across his face.

"Hehe, I know! Mom and Dad said this is a wedding game!"

"Sister loves games too, so let's play together!"

What?

My eyes widened in terror, a gut-wrenching sob tearing from my throat.

No! It's not a game!

Milo! This is kidnapping!

But Milo couldn't understand my fear.

He picked up the black hood from the floor and carefully pulled it back over my head.

To prevent me from "cheating," he even tied a tight knot at the back of my head!

"Mom and Dad said the game rule is you can't lift the veil, or it won't work!"

"Sister, hide well, and don't make a sound! Milo's going to find Mom and Dad to guess!"

My vision plunged back into absolute darkness.

Despair, like an icy hand, clutched my heart.

I heard Milo happily run out the door, excitedly shouting in the yard:

"Dad! Mom! Sister's in the room! Sister has a black hood on! We're playing hide-and-seek!"

In the yard, my mom, Margaret, who was clearing dishes, paused, then let out a helpless, indulgent laugh:

"That silly boy, he's really fixated on his sister. Your sister's away at college in the city, how could she be back now to play hide-and-seek?"

"Go on, go eat your candy, don't disturb your wife. They said your wife's afraid of strangers, can't handle too much noise."

Then, Sheila's voice rang out, cold and sinister:

"Milo's just taken a liking to his wife! But the girl really can't be seen right now. I saw her banging against the wall again just now. Probably her 'mania' acting up. This needs to be dealt with, otherwise, tomorrow morning's wedding could turn into a real mess."

"Oh no, what do we do?"

Margaret's voice became anxious.

"No worries, I've got some heavy-duty sedatives here. Even our wildest bulls would pass out. We'll get her to drink it, and she'll sleep soundly until the ceremony tomorrow, all calm for the wedding."

"Alright, alright! You're so thoughtful! I'll go feed it to her right now!"

"Creak!"

The door opened, and a familiar scent washed over me.