Chapter 2
The next morning, Mom came to my room with a few gifts, clearly leftovers picked out by Kyla.
Her tone was soft, but there was a clear undertone of reproach.
“Sophie, can’t you be more sensible? Why didn’t you tell us in advance that you’re coming home? And why are you being so cold toward your dad? We may not have taken care of you, but you can’t hold that against us…”
Before she could finish, I pulled open the curtains, and the bright sunlight shone down on me.
I was wearing a thin nightgown, and that’s when Mom noticed the scars covering my body.
Only then did she realize what I had gone through.
Her hands trembled as she reached out to touch my scars, but I coldly pulled away.
Eddie entered the room just in time to see it.
“Sophie, you’ve been hurt so badly? Why didn’t you say anything…”
I looked at them coldly.
Chapter 2
2/3
What did they mean, “Why didn’t I say anything?” They were so consumed with Kyla that they didn’t even notice me.
Kyla had suffered so much at the hands of the traffickers that she was malnourished and weak.
Every time she had even the slightest cold, the whole family had to rush her to the hospital.
Meanwhile, when I had acute gastroenteritis and was on the verge of fainting, they ignored me, only focusing on taking Kyla to the hospital for a mild fever. It was a kind neighbor who saw me and called for an ambulance.
But when they saw me in the hospital, they thought I was just pretending to be sick, trying to compete for attention.
Perhaps my cold gaze gave them some hint of discomfort, a fleeting panic crossing their faces.
After all, since Kyla was brought back, I had always been humbled in front of my parents, constantly trying to please them, fearing they might abandon me.
Eddie, flustered, grabbed my hand and noticed that the engagement ring was missing from my finger.
“Sophie, where’s your ring?”
I shrugged casually.
“It was washed away in the flood.”
Chapter 2
A flicker of disappointment crossed his face, but he quickly smiled again.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll buy you a better one!”
“No need.”
I had personally thrown it into a drain while I was abroad.
Once, Eddie had been my only support, and I had cherished everything he gave me.
3/3
Back when my parents had rejected me, I met the gentle and kind Eddie in college.
He treated me well and believed that I hadn’t intentionally abandoned Kyla.
But somewhere along the way, he had taken Kyla’s side.
He told me Kyla had suffered so much, and I needed to be more understanding, to give her and my parents more consideration.
So, I no longer needed him.
I didn’t care for him anymore.
B
