"Let's go."
She was the one sending me away. But the second I got in the car, the tears started falling down her cheeks. "Let Daddy drive you. It'll upset Mommy too much to watch you leave."
Anyone watching would've thought she adored me.
The truth was simpler. She felt guilty.
After all, the "few days" trip was really going to last at least a year.
The car drove from the highway onto a narrow, winding mountain road. Eventually, the familiar run-down village came into view.
Sebastian's expression was the picture of composure. "Be good at Grandpa Galloway and Grandma's house. Help out where you can, don't throw tantrums, and call me if you need anything."
He pressed a kids' smartwatch into my hand. I stared at it for a long moment.
"Will you actually pick up?"
He blinked, caught off guard. "Of course I will. How could I not answer my little Desi's calls?"
"Don't worry. Even after the baby comes, you'll always be my favorite. Just be a good boy and stay with Grandpa and Grandma. I'll come get you in a few days."
Liar.
In my previous life, after they dumped me at my grandparents' house, my uncle's youngest son bullied me relentlessly, calling me an orphan nobody wanted.