I Thought 'Home' Meant Warmth Nope, Just a Doghouse... Till I'm the HEIR, And It's novel Chapter 12

Chapter 4

Mom’s stunned expression made Lily squirm uncomfortably, her lips twitching into an awkward smile.

“Mom, I just…” Lily hung ber head, wringing her hands anxiously.

“I know” Mom quickly pulled 1ily into a tight embrace. “You’re just upset. I’m upset too.”

“But thank God we’re only two bags short. Mom will sort it out fast. Don’t you worry.”

Deep down. I genuinely hoped Lily would recover soon. That way, she could be there for Mom in my place.

Are you Lily Porter?”

A police officer stood in the doorway.

Grandma immediately spoke up: “Yes, that’s her on the bed.”

We received a missing person’s report regarding Dawn Porter…”

dom’s face immediately hardened, and she raised her voice: “Mom! What are you doing?!”

That girl is just like this-always selfish. She’s hiding on purpose because she doesn’t want to donate blood to Lily anymore.”

Calling the cops won’t change anything.”

If she doesn’t want to come out, you could send the whole damn FBI and it wouldn’t matter!”

You’re just wasting police resources!”

Seeing Grandma standing there awkwardly, shrinking under Mom’s scorn and blame, my heart ached terribly.

hadn’t expected that after I didn’t come home, Grandma would panic enough to file a police report.

Dawn Porter has been missing for over 24 hours. This is a legitimate report, not a waste of resources.”

The middle-aged officer, looked calmly at Mom and spoke in an even tone.

This is Officer William.” Grandma tugged at the hem of Mom’s white coat, trying to smooth things over with a placating smile.

He’s the one who found surveillance footage of where Dawn was last seen.”

it those words, Lily-still nestled in Mom’s arms-flinched visibly.

Enough!”

Mom shot Grandma a resentful glare, then turned to Officer William with clear displeasure.

Look what you’ve done-you’re scaring Lily!”

We used Dawn Porter’s school as a starting point and reviewed all surveillance footage within a one-mile radius from yesterday.”

With that, Officer William held out his phone to Mom.

Dawn was last seen getting into this blood donation van.”

We confirmed that your other daughter was also in that van that day.”

Officer William kept his tone light and conversational. “I just wanted to ask a few questions about what happened. Nothing serious.”

In the video, a blood donation van sat parked outside the school gates.

What should have been a five-minute walk took me nearly half an hour-I dragged my feet the whole way before finally climbing aboard.

Twenty minutes later, I stumbled off the van, one hand pressed against my left arm, my face deathly pale.

Mom let out a derisive laugh. “That’s what you wanted to show me? That’s just a normal blood draw.”

Mom glanced at the date on the video. “I’m the one who told Dawn to go that day. The van happened to be near her school.”

I remembered that day too.

N

Mom called during lunch and told me to go to the van at the school gate.

Like always, I replied “okay” and headed straight there.

But just as I got close, I saw lily inside the van.

Ever since Grandpa died. I’d been deliberately avoiding her.

I was afraid I’d take my anger over Grandpa’s death out on her. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from fighting with her.

And I was terrified that if Lily and I got into a big fight, I’d lose the only connection I still had to Mom-donating blood for my sister.

But that day, we did get into a fight.

“We heard you and Dawn had an argument in the van that day. Can you tell us what it was about?”

Officer William’s tone was conversational, soothing, as he addressed Lily.

“Dawn never liked me.”

Tears immediately welled up in Lily’s eyes as she spoke through sobs.

“It was just like always-she was mad that I take up too much of Mom’s time, so we fought.”

Lily cried and repeated variations of the same story.

Mom held her tightly, her face full of sympathy.

I let out a weary sigh. I wanted so badly to tell Grandma to stop looking for me.

Even if she found me, it would only make Mom more upset.