Mr. York glared at me with fury in his eyes, but I didn’t back down.“Luckily, I found that spiritual advisor. He told me you had to raise that girl until she was twenty because you were destined to be childless, and she was meant to have a sister.“When I told him that the girl you adopted from the orphanage had died, do you know what he said?”For the first time, Emily’s parents looked worried.“He said, ‘Then you’re finished.’”Emily didn’t just bring the York family a daughter. She brought wealth and good as well. But they threw it all away when they lost her.I blew out a ring of smoke, remembering the day I met the spiritual advisor. He had looked at me with pity.He told me I had a soulmate, someone I was destined to be with, but our connection had been broken.My destiny had been altered drastically, and he warned me to take care.Lily’s photos were plastered all over town, and she lost her mind. She jumped off a rooftop.Emily’s parents couldn’t handle the shock. The
The day I got out of prison, the sun was shining bright.A guard gave me a pat on the back and said, “Take care of yourself, start over.”The pat made me stumble a little, and I barely kept my balance. I picked up my bag and walked out.As soon as I stepped outside, I saw a tall man leaning against a car, dressed casually. It was Chris Carter, who was handsome and well put-together.I caught a glimpse of myself in a puddle on the ground. I was wearing an old, worn-out jacket from three years ago. I looked gaunt, my skin pale and sallow, a shadow of the vibrant person I used to be.My heart clenched, and I tightened my grip on the bag. I lowered my head, hoping to slip away unnoticed.But as I tried to sneak off, he finished his cigarette, crushed it under his foot, and walked over.“Emily York?” His voice was deep, with a trace of impatience.I instinctively took a step back. My whole body was trembling and I was feeling completely out of place.“You stink!” He covered his nose, his fa
I kept reminding myself that I could not give up yet. As long as I was alive, there was still hope.I forced myself to stand up and saw Lily standing right in front of me. She was wearing a white chiffon dress, her head tilted as she looked at me. “Well, well, Emily, you’re out of prison?”Lily looked sweet and innocent. If it weren’t for the scar on her face, she would look like a perfect, delicate flower. Her eyes were dark, but whenever she looked at me, they were filled with hatred.Lily asked my parents why they had not kicked me out.My mom gently patted her on the head. “Chris brought her back. If we throw her out now, it could cause trouble.“Just be patient, sweetie, okay?” Then she glanced at the bag at my feet and nodded toward it. “From now on, you’ll stay in there. Try to keep out of sight as much as possible.”She was talking about the storage room under the stairs. It used to be where the housekeeper stored all the unwanted junk.As soon as I opened the door, a cl
My best friend, Rola Collins, rolled her eyes and said, “What do you even like about him? That constant scowl, like the world owes him a million bucks? Or the fact that he’s so uptight he practically buttons his uniform up to his chin?”Back then, I thought everything about him was perfect.“That’s not a scowl. It’s called being cool!“And he’s not uptight, he’s just reserved. Do you even know what that means?” I laughed as I turned her head toward Chris.He happened to glance over at us, and my face instantly turned red.Later, I found out he lived not far from me, so I started looking for excuses to catch rides with his family.The first time I asked, he agreed without much thought.The second time, he frowned and asked, “Doesn’t your family send a driver to pick you up, Emily?”I bit my lip, not wanting to admit that my parents only sent the driver for Lily. Nobody bothered to come for me.Chris noticed how uncomfortable I was and didn’t say anything more. But after a month
I still vividly remembered that day in court. Chris sat in the back row, watching with a cold expression.After the sentence was announced, I collapsed to the floor, feeling completely lost and helpless.He walked past me and sneered, “Emily, you deserved this.”In prison, I was beaten and abused, enduring endless nights of pain.I still did not understand what I had done wrong.......I walked for a long time until I reached a rundown neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. The area was a mix of shabby buildings, bustling with all kinds of people. Rent was cheap, and it was easier to find work.I asked around at a few restaurants, but none of them needed a dishwasher. Clothing stores and small grocery shops were hiring, but the thought of dealing with customers made me anxious.After a whole day of searching with no luck, the sun began to set, and the streets were filling up with people heading home.I got pushed to the side of the road and ended up crouching in a corner,
His eyes flickered with irritation.Before he could say anything, Lily cut in. “Chris, my parents and I had planned the trip in advance. We thought Emily could use some rest, so we left without her. She’s probably upset about that. Let me talk to her.”Chris’s anger seemed to ease a bit at her gentle words, but he still scoffed, “She’s not worth your time.”My fingers went numb.I forced a smile. “You’re right. I’m not.“I’ll stay out of your way. I’ll keep my distance from now on.”Hearing that, Chris’s expression darkened even more.He clenched his jaw and shouted, “Emily!”But I turned and ran, not waiting to hear the rest.All I could think about were those days in prison, pinned to the ground, swearing over and over again that I would never go near Chris again.I had made that promise, begged for mercy, but no one cared.My chest tightened as I gasped for air.Slowly, I sank to my knees.……Lily showed up at the bakery again.I tried to head to the kitchen, setting
Before I even stepped inside, I heard a loud, obnoxious voice yelling, “Your daughter ruined my life! I can’t get a job, I can’t find a wife, and you think you can just pay me off?”As soon as I saw his face, I recognized him. He was Steve Xander, the thug from back then.Now he had a prosthetic eye, and the other was cloudy and lifeless. He looked me up and down as I walked in.My mom straightened up and said, “You took the money, and we’ve put up with your nonsense for years.“You want a wife? We’ll give you one.“We’ll give you Emily. She can work, she can earn money. All you have to do is promise to leave us alone.”I stood there, numb, forcing a smile.So, this was their plan.Steve was just a thug. After I stabbed him, he took the settlement money and agreed to drop the charges. However, for the past three years, he kept showing up, demanding more money from my parents.I was in prison, but he still had leverage over Lily, and my parents couldn’t take it anymore. So, the
Just then, Chris walked in. “Emily, three years in prison and you still haven’t learned your lesson? Are you really so desperate that you’re staging these run-ins just to get my attention?”His eyes were full of contempt. He actually thought I was plotting to cross paths with him on purpose.I wanted to say it wasn’t true, that I had nothing to do with the York family anymore.But no one cared what I had to say.They taunted, “Since you’re a waitress here, act like it. Take care of us, princess!”“Come on, drink up!”They lined up shots in front of me.They were egging me on to down them all, saying they wanted to see how far I would go to put on a show.When I didn’t move, Nate grabbed my chin and poured the liquor down my throat.I choked, tears spilling down my face.My heart pounded, and cold sweat dripped down my forehead.They had already forced three shots down my throat.The room buzzed with excitement as they cheered, wanting to see how much the “York family prince