She Locked Me In Basements And Called It Love Called It Training Chapter 04

She Locked Me In Basements And Called It Love Called It Training Chapter 04

In an instant, the panic vanished from Mom’s face, replaced by a look of smug satisfaction.

“She’s fine,” Mom insisted. “I gave her the walkie-talkie. If she were actually in danger, she would have called me immediately. The fact that she hasn’t made a sound proves she’s safe and perfectly fine.”

She turned her gaze toward Audrey, her eyes gleaming with a strange intensity. “Are you starting to regret it, Audrey? Regret choosing your father instead of staying with me? Look at your sister now. Under my guidance, she’s becoming braver and stronger than you ever were. It’s still not too late to change your mind.”

Audrey’s face drained of color. She began to tremble violently, tears welling up in her eyes.

Pushing Mom away with all her might, she screamed hoarsely, “Regret? Of course I regret it! I regret not taking Lily with me! I regret leaving her with you to endure this nightmare!”

Audrey sprinted past her, leaving Mom standing frozen in utter shock.

“Hurry! Pull the lines up! The wind is brutal and my sister has a heart condition—she can’t take this kind of stress! Hurry, before it’s too late!” Audrey screamed at the ride operator, but the young man was already breaking into a cold sweat.

“The security gate to the jumping deck is padlocked!” the operator stammered. “The key… we don’t have the key! She took it!”

Dad and Audrey snapped their heads toward her, staring at Mom in absolute disbelief. Dad’s voice shook with pure rage. “You’re insane. You locked the gate and hid the key? That is your own daughter!”

As Mom snapped out of her daze, her expression hardened back into ice. Without a trace of hesitation, she raised her hand and hurled the brass key directly over the edge of the cliff.

She turned back to face Audrey, emphasizing every single syllable. “If you don’t regret your choices, then don’t waste your breath pitying her. She is conquering her fear today, whether you like it or not!”

“You lunatic!” Dad roared. He lunged forward and struck Mom across the face with a devastating slap. “You don’t even treat Lily like a human being! You don’t deserve to be a mother!”

The blow forced Mom’s head to the side, a thin trickle of blood escaping the corner of her mouth, but she only let out a twisted laugh. “Lily will understand later. Once she’s fearless and independent, she’ll thank me for this. Unlike Audrey, who turned out to be nothing but an ungrateful brat.”

Looking at the sheer delusion in Mom’s eyes, Audrey broke down completely. She threw her weight against the heavy security gate, trying to smash it open, and Dad immediately joined her.

I hovered in the air, watching them slam their bodies against the solid barrier over and over again. The heavy wood groaned under the impact, accompanied by Audrey’s piercing sobs and Dad’s choked gasps.

I wanted so badly to glide down to their side and tell them to stop. It was too late.

I was already gone. My body had thrown itself against the mountain rocks a long time ago, and I wasn’t coming back.

Finally, with a loud crash, the padlock gave way and the gate burst open.

Audrey practically threw herself over the edge, grabbing the heavy winch ropes and hauling them upward with everything she had. Dad rushed to assist her, both of their faces etched with frantic desperation.

Only Mom watched the scene with detached indifference. She was entirely certain that as long as the walkie-talkie remained silent, I was perfectly fine. Even if something minor had occurred, it wouldn’t be serious—just like every other time.

She watched calmly as the thick ropes were reeled back up, foot by foot, drawing closer to the deck.

But the moment the end of the harness cleared the edge, time seemed to grind to a violent halt.

The end of the line was completely empty.