After the first wave of bottomless grief passed, hatred colder than ice rose in its place.
Calvin had done this.
It had to be him.
There were other carvings on the wall, written in handwriting completely different from Mom's.
Could Edward's mother have left them?
The thought alone made me want to kill Calvin.
He was a monster.
I had to escape.
They seemed to forget I existed. Each day, they brought me one meager meal, just enough to keep me alive, then ignored me again.
My body grew weak, and my thoughts turned hazy.
I couldn't stop wondering whether I would disappear in this room too, only to end up as fertilizer in the back garden.
If the rain hadn't washed away the soil, I never would have discovered the remains hidden there.
But I was trapped. I had no way to expose Calvin.
