Chapter 3

I was locked in my own bedroom.

It was tragic. This room used to be proof of how much my parents loved me.

Now, it had become my prison.

Being an only child and having a perfect upbringing were things people used to envy me for. Now, those things were just bargaining chips for my parents to stay close to Eliana.

In the middle of the night, there was a knock on the door.

My mother walked in with a tray of food. "Son, you have to eat. You'll get sick if you keep this up."

I grabbed her hand. "Mom, please let me out. I don't want to be with Eliana. She secretly married someone else. She doesn't love me."

"Mom, please just let me go," I begged.

She pulled her hand away. At that moment, it felt like my heart had been scooped out of my chest.

She looked at me and said, "Caleb, you're completely misunderstanding Eliana. She loves you deeply. Just trust me on this. I know what's best for you."

I nodded weakly. She wasn't my mother anymore; she was just a puppet for my father's ambitions.

She left after setting the food down.

My father had taken my phone, but I wasn't going to just sit there. I had to get away from Eliana.

Late that night, I tied my bedsheets and clothes together into a makeshift rope.

My room was on the fifth floor. As I dangled in mid-air, I wasn't even scared. All I felt was a desperate need for freedom.

Just as I was about to reach the ground, the lights in my room flickered on.

My father leaned out the window and screamed, "You little brat! You think you're smart, trying to climb out the window?!"

"Oh my god! Caleb! It's too high! Be careful!" my mother shrieked in terror.

"Let him fall!" Eliana's voice was sharp with rage. "Caleb Miller! Get back up here right now!"

Seeing them panicked me.

I looked down and saw I was only about ten feet from the ground.

I gritted my teeth and let go, dropping straight down.