9
く
Fear overwhelmed me. My legs could barely
hold me up. I dropped to my knees, hitting the
ground hard, and kept apologizing. “I’m sorry,
I’m sorry, I’ll be good, I’m sorry…”
Ryan froze, like he hadn’t expected me to
react so strongly. He was shocked.
Then, seeing how upset I was, he started to
doubt himself.
Just then, Amy came back. “Ashley! What are
you doing?”
Her voice drew everyone out of the den,
where other people were gathering. They saw
me kneeling outside Amy’s room, with Ryan
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looking shocked.
Everyone thought I was trying to seduce him.
Their faces went black with anger.
“Ashley! Are you really that desperate?”
Jake grabbed me and yanked me to my feet,
then threw me back down.
“Look at yourself! How could a Smith act like
this, trying to steal her own sister’s fiancé!
You’re trash!”
“You have no shame, but my family does!”
<
I didn’t know what to do, except keep
kneeling, apologizing…
Like I was numb.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
Ryan frowned, stopping Jake. “That’s enough.
Comfort Amy first. And find out what
happened to Ashley before she came back. I
have a feeling…”
Amy cut him off. “It’s my fault, Jake, Ryan.
Ashley probably can’t get over it. I’m the
outsider, after all. It’s all my fault…”
She threw herself into Ryan’s arms, crying so
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She threw herself into Ryan’s arms, crying so
hard she could barely breathe.
The two men freaked out, rushing to comfort
her.
Jake even turned back to me, warning, “Get
back to your storage room! I should have
never brought you back! If Amy suffers even a
little because of you, pack your bags and go
back to the slums!”
It was just like that rainy day when my leg had
been broken. No one to lean on, no one who
would believe me.
I didn’t know what I’d done wrong.
<
But now I knew. I was wrong to be born,
wrong to exist, wrong to… be alive.
