"Let handle this," Bard hoisted his sister into his arms, taking the stairs one by one.
"You okay to walk?" Eunice whispered to Kenneth.
Kenneth clutched his chest, gasping for air for what seed like an eternity before he finally nodded through his tears. With a shaky hand on the banister, he began his slow ascent.
As Serena watched his frail and despairing figure retreat, a twinge of conscience pricked her heart, and she was suddenly consud with regret.
What had she done to bring everything to this point.
Eunice gazed at the young woman before her. Her forehead, cheeks, and chin were covered in blood;her clothes were damp, her hair a tangled ss, and her eyes, once vibrant, now dull with remorse. It
seed she truly comprehended her mistakes.
"This family, from the start, has treated you as one of their own. If you hadn’t done what you did, you’d be just as important to us as before. In Kenneth and Louisa’s eyes, you and Rose are their dear daughters. Bard and I, we’ve always seen you as our beloved niece, and to your brothers, you’re their cherished sister."
Eunice’s casual words made Serena lift her tearful eyes in shock, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
"But it’s too late for any of that now." Eunice cut through her fantasies and aspirations with a cold finality. "Your whole family has to pay for your mistakes."
"Auntie." Serena sobbed, trying to say more.
"Rose survived – that’s her own doing. But that doesn’t absolve you of the consequences of your actions."
Eunice’s indifferent figure continued up the stairs, leaving Serena crying out in desperation, "Auntie. please, one more chance, I promise it’s the last ti."
She truly regretted her actions.
She longed to return to the past.
She wished she could turn back ti.
The house staff dragged her down to the storage room in the basent.
Calling it a storage room was generous; it was nothing but a small space with a few scattered items, a stark contrast to the luxurious princess room she was accustod to.
She crashed to the floor, the shards of glass digging deeper into her palms and the back of her hands,the pain making her entire body tremble.
The cut on her forehead throbbed, her jaw ached, and the bruises from her mother’s blows –shoulders, arms, chest, back – all ached in a way that cut her to the core.
Tears stread down Serena’s face as she sat lost and broken, unsure of what to do next.
She had always harbored so resentnt toward Eunice, feeling she favored Rosemary. But after hearing Eunice’s words, Serena realized she had misunderstood her.
Eunice might have seed cold and stern, but deep down, she cared.
And then there were her parents.
The mory of their disappointed, furious faces twisted her heart. She never imagined Erik and Martha would turn out to be her biological parents, let alone that one would abandon her in a crisis, and the
other would fall from the eighteenth floor. What was she to do.
In the master bedroom.
Louisa wasn’t sure how long she had been unconscious, her dreams haunted by the image of her daughter being slapped by Martha. She shook her head, tears streaming down, before suddenly crying
out—"No!"
Eunice sat at the edge of the bed, stirring a bowl of dicine with a concerned look on her face. As she saw Louisa bolt upright, she asked in a gentle tone, "Awake now? Bad dream?"
Gasping for breath and still shaken, Louisa surveyed her surroundings, realizing she was sitting in her bed, with Eunice by her side. The bedroom was bathed in a warm, yellow glow, and it was pitch dark outside.
"How did I fall asleep." Louisa’s mind was still haunted by the image of her daughter being bullied, and her voice trembled as though she hadn’t quite escaped the clutches of the nightmare.
"You fainted from stress. The doctor prescribed you so dication. It’s a bit hot, but you can drink it in a bit," Eunice said as she set down the bowl and gently rubbed Louisa’s back. "What nightmare did
you have?"
"I dread that Rose was being tornted by that old hag." Louisa’s voice cracked, and tears welled up in her eyes once again. Even though it was just a dream, the re thought of Rose actually having
been mistreated by that woman in real life filled her with self-loathing. She despised herself for not seeing through the old woman’s facade sooner, for not protecting her own daughter, for letting her child suffer right under her nose.
The more she thought about it, the more sorrowful she beca, tears falling like pearls off a string.
"Stop blaming yourself," Eunice whispered soothingly. "What’s done is done. You have to look forward.
You treated that heartless wretch like your own daughter; of course, you wouldn’t suspect her of doing sothing so vile behind your back. Who would think so ill of their own child without reason, linking
them with poisoning or hiring a hitman."
Louisa’s face was streaked with tears. Because they had trusted that wretch so much, based on past impressions of her innocence and kindness, they ended up allowing their own daughter to be wronged, nearly losing her life.
"Where’s my phone?" Louisa choked out, "I want to call Rose."
"Her phone’s broken, call Roo instead." Eunice navigated through her contacts, found Roo’s number, and handed over the phone. "I’ll let Kenneth know you’re awake, so he won’t worry."
"Where is he now?" Louisa lifted her gaze to ask.
"He’s just like you, heartbroken and angry. Bard’s trying to console him." Eunice stood up. "I’ll be right back."
Louisa nodded and dialed Roo’s number.
He picked up quickly.
"Roo, are you with Rose?" Louisa tried to suppress her sobs, attempting to sound normal. "What about that old witch Martha? I sent people to fetch her."
"She’s dead," Roo’s calm voice ca from the other end. "Her own goon knocked her off the eighteenth floor."
He knew about it from Rose; it was Martha’s man who accidentally hit Martha, sending her plumting.
No one to bla, really.
And of course, she got what she deserved.
"That’s what they call poetic justice." Louisa gritted her teeth, "But it’s too easy a death for her, without giving her a good thrashing first."
"Rose did," Roo said softly. "After the explosion at the derelict building, she was probably burned to ashes."
At this news, Louisa felt a slight sense of relief. "Where’s Rose now? I need to talk to her."
For so reason, she longed for her daughter, yearning to see her.
Roo glanced at the person next to him, "She’s asleep."
"Is she unwell? Or did she faint from her injuries?" Louisa couldn’t help but worry. "Where are you now?
In a hospital?"
"It’s past three in the morning here; she’s just a little sleepy," Roo explained. "We’re in the car,planning to catch a flight back ho soon."
At that mont, Louisa rembered the ti difference between them!
She had completely forgotten!!
Reviews
All reviews (0)