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Chapter 5
I bit my lip and said quietly, “She forced me to eat dog food from a bowl, made me sleep with the dogs and bark like one. If I refused, she would beat me to death. The place was filthy, crawling with fleas. And she… she laughed. She laughed so hard while watching me do it. Later, someone discovered it and called the police.”
“This… this… is this true?” My mother could barely believe what she was hearing.
“Mom, you can check the newspaper archives. I think it was the K City Daily, during summer vacation in August. It made the front page.”
That summer was seared into my memory. I didn’t understand why a mother could treat her child like that. It was only then that I realized I wasn’t her biological daughter.
I looked at my mother’s stunned expression.
“Mom… Did Lyra tell you she’s having a big birthday party tomorrow?”
She didn’t answer. She simply nodded.
I smiled faintly. “That’s nice. She’s living the life I never had as a child. I’m really… envious.”
“Mom never threw you a birthday party… How about we throw one for you tomorrow?” she asked gently, her voice full of regret.
I shook my head. “There’s no need. My birthday already passed. And besides… you and Dad said I’m the older sister. Older sisters are supposed to give way to their younger siblings.”
The next day, I found my mother sitting on the living room sofa, her eyes swollen and puffy, dark circles under her eyes. She clearly hadn’t slept well.
To my surprise, my father was sitting beside her, his expression grim. I could guess what had happened. He had investigated the incident from when I was eight and confirmed everything.
When she saw me, my mother waved me over. “Michaela, come sit with Mom. We haven’t had a proper talk in a long time.”
I sat beside her.
She looked at me carefully. “Michaela… How was life at their house?”
I knew exactly who she meant.
“It was terrible,” I answered. “I never want to see them again.”
She nodded slowly. “I thought they only hit you… I never imagined… they could be so cruel. I should never have pitied them back then!”
My father’s eyes were full of guilt. “Michaela, don’t worry. Your mother and I will take care of everything. All you need to do is live well in this family.”
Judging from his expression, I figured he planned to settle the matter with the nanny’s
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At that moment, Lyra and her brother walked in.
“Dad, Mom, you’re home too?” Lyra beamed. “The piano teacher praised me today, he said I’ve improved a lot.” She cast a smug glance in my direction.
“That’s good.” My mother, still shaken from learning the truth about what happened to me, replied half–heartedly.
Without the usual praise and attention, Lyra’s expression faltered.
I met her gaze. “You can play the piano? Then maybe you could perform a live piece at your birthday party tonight.”
Her eyes flashed with contempt. She curled her lips slightly. “If my sister wants to learn, I could teach her. Or the piano teacher could.”
I raised my left hand. “No need. My foster mother broke two fingers and damaged the ligaments. I can’t use it anymore. What’s the point of learning?”
My mother gasped and quickly grabbed my hand. Her eyes filled with tears again. “Come, let’s go to the doctor. With today’s medicine, we can fix this!” She ignored Lyra and Julian entirely, pulling me toward the door.
“Mom…” Lyra called out softly–but she was ignored.
That evening, the birthday party was held as planned. But my mother claimed to be ill and stayed home. My father said he had urgent business to attend to. Still, they sent gifts, exquisite jewelry, from what I heard.
When Lyra returned from the party, she looked miserable and locked herself in her room, crying for a long time.
I, however, was in an unusually good mood.
But soon, Julian stormed into my room.
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“Why are you bullying my sister? Let me tell you, if she’s forced to leave because of you, I’ll never acknowledge you as my sister! Lyra is my only sister!”
I stared at the clueless teenager who still had no idea what was really going on. “How exactly did I bully her? Can you give me evidence? Don’t just make assumptions.”
“Evidence…” Julian faltered. “I saw her crying. It was her birthday and she suddenly started crying. If it wasn’t because of you, then who else?”
I laughed dryly. “So your ‘evidence‘ is just her crying? That’s all? You’re a Sterling, yet you jump to conclusions like that. Her tears don’t automatically mean I caused them.”
Julian was stunned. “Then… why didn’t Mom and Dad go to her birthday party?”
I rolled my eyes. “How should I know? Why don’t you ask them instead of accusing me? Isn’t that ridiculous?”
He stormed off, muttering, “Fine, I’ll ask them!”
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As expected, my parents brushed him off with vague answers. But the housekeeper, who was usually by his side, ended up revealing the truth and even showed him the digital archives of that old newspaper article.
The next day…
I had packed my belongings and was about to catch the bus to my new school when Julian suddenly blocked my path.
“What now?” I asked, irritated.
“About yesterday…” He looked away, avoiding my eyes. “I didn’t know it would be like that. Anyway… I’m sorry. Here. This is my apology.”
Judging from his expression, he had learned the truth.
“Who else knows?” I asked.
“No one. The housekeeper told me not to tell anyone else.”
“Not even your sister?” I raised an eyebrow.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “She doesn’t know.”
I accepted the gift and opened it. It was a smartwatch.
“A GPS watch?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
“Yeah,” he admitted. “It’ll make it easier for me to find you. Our schools are right next to each other, so if anything happens, I can help. And you can contact me too.”
His words seemed sincere, but the gift felt strategic. I raised a brow. “Is something waiting for me at that school?”
“It’s a private academy. Everyone there is rich. There might be… some friction. I’m just worried you’ll get bullied.”
He had a point. With my sun–darkened skin and straw–like hair, I would stick out like a sore
thumb.
Still, I sensed he meant well. I accepted the gift. “Thanks.”
When I opened the car door, I saw someone already inside.
Lyra.
Her eyes were red and swollen, she must have cried the entire night.
She turned to me, glaring with hatred. “What did you tell my parents yesterday?”
“Nothing,” I replied calmly.
Her eyes narrowed. “You have no right to ruin my life. I’ll make you regret it.”
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