Chapter 3: A Family That Survived
Seven years later.
Morning sunlight filled the dining room.
Kai stepped out of his room. His father sat at the table, dark circles under his eyes. His mother stood in the kitchen. His younger sister laughed while eating beside their father.
"You didn't sleep again," Kai said.
"Hmm," his father replied.
Once, they were rich. Now, they were only safe.
That alone made them luckier than most.
His sister teased him about ranking second in exams. Kai didn't react.
"I received a scholarship," he said calmly.
His mother smiled. His father didn't.
But relief passed quietly through his eyes.