Twisted Embrace

Mom watched this heartwarming moment, and her eyes turned red too.

After dinner, I made up an excuse saying I was tired and went back to my room. I lay down in my bed and started to think things over.

They… were clearly my parents, but at the same time, they felt like strangers. Why was I blind? What had happened before I lost my sight?

Suddenly, I realized something was wrong with my memories.

After I went blind, someone had forcefully brought me home. Normally speaking, I would feel scared, but what I actually felt was anger, not helplessness or grief.

And before that… All I could remember was my best friend. My mind was totally blank when it came to my parents.

In my memories, my home did feel like it looked like this, but I couldn't recall any details at all!

Thinking about those notes, I got up and searched around my room. Who was the one who had told me not to tell my parents the truth? Were they truly trying to help me?

If so, why didn't they show up and take me away? Was there something stopping them? Or… had something already happened to them?

I didn't dare think about it, and instead, I forced myself to keep going.

Even if it was just to stay alive.

My parents knew those notes were everywhere, but they acted like it was nothing. That meant they were already prepared. If I acted strangely after seeing those notes, they would kill me without a second thought.

Every note had a different handwriting, and it was impossible for them not to notice it. Which meant… the people who had left those notes had probably already been killed!

Thinking back to Mom… No, the woman in the nurse uniform, the arm on the table, and the finger in my dinner, I suddenly felt cold all over.

"Suzie…" Suddenly, Dad's voice rang out from behind me, full of anger. "Didn't you say you were going to sleep!"

I jumped. They had opened the door. I stood up, pretending to feel my way to bed, turning to him, and acting all sweet. "Dad, you scared me! I just finished eating and felt too full, so I got up and walked around."

The woman in the nurse's uniform stood behind him, those bulging eyes with hardly any whites staring at me. I almost couldn't take it anymore.

It was terrifying. I wanted to scream and run, but I couldn't. I had to survive. Never had I felt my desire to live to be this intense.

Then, I thought about the security camera in the room. Was it really something they had put in here? If so, did that mean they had seen everything I had just done?

The man nodded, holding some boards as he scanned me from top to bottom. Luckily, he didn't notice anything unusual. Then, he said, "I saw your window was letting air in, so I'm here to fix it for you."

I nodded obediently, and the woman in the nurse's uniform walked toward me, holding a hammer.

"Mom, is that you? I hear footsteps."

She paused, then took my hand and replied softly, "Yes, it's Mom."

Her nails were so long. When I touched her hand, my whole body turned cold, but I still held on and even squeezed tighter.

I did this because I noticed that when they thought I was blind, the love in their eyes was genuine.

They wouldn't hurt me in those moments.

The problem was, they were starting to suspect I could see again, and I couldn't keep up this act much longer. If this went on, I would lose my mind sooner or later.