Chapter 3
I clenched my fists, looking up at him:
“Asher Thompson, don’t underestimate small misdeeds. Have you forgotten already?”
Then I saw a woman, scantily dressed, lazily emerge from Declan Thompson’s room:
“Nora, Asher is still young. It’s normal for him to be a bit mischievous. Don’t be too harsh.”
Asher immediately leaped into her arms:
“Aunt Rosalie, you’re the only one who’s good to me. You have no idea what I’ve endured these years.”
“I heard after she was abducted, she lived in a pigsty every day. No wonder she always smells bad!”
“Not like Aunt Rosalie, who’s always fragrant and soft.”
My heart tightened. Back then, I rarely had a full meal at my foster parents’ house, and my health was always poor. Even at the Thompson house, I fell ill frequently. Declan Thompson disliked me, and the servants at home didn’t treat me well. Only little Asher Thompson would sneak into my room at night, stuffing handfuls of candy into my hands.
“Aunt Nora, eat this. Candy will make the pain go away.”
His tiny hand covered the scars on my body, and in his childish yet determined voice, he said, “When I grow up, I’ll beat up the bad guys for you!”
Back then, how could I have imagined that the little one who promised to protect me would grow into a blade that hurts me?
The onlooking servants didn’t bother to lower their voices:
“Didn’t they say she was making a fuss about leaving? How does she have the face to come back?”
“Ha, she’s just trying to pressure Young Master Aiden into marrying her. Don’t you get her little scheme?”
“Young Master Aiden never planned to marry her. Her mother practically forced her here. Not even asking for a title, and she’s been with him for eight years. If it were my daughter, I’d have broken her legs and thrown her out.”
Rosalie Summers is supposedly Declan Thompson’s secretary, but she’s really his kept woman. She looked at me with a mocking smile:
“Nora, holding onto something that doesn’t belong to you is exhausting.”
I lowered my gaze and ignored her. As I was heading upstairs, the door suddenly opened. Mom walked in, her face turning cold at the sight of me.
“Why do you look like such a mess?”
She pushed me into a room to clean up. Through the bathroom door, her voice sounded all too real:
“Nora, it’s enough to throw a little tantrum. Do you really think you’re Adeline Carter, threatening Declan Thompson with leaving?”
“How can you be so foolish, letting some outsider outdo you so easily?”
Seeing my continued silence, she yanked open the bathroom door. Water sprayed down, blurring the line between tears and water on my face.
“Mom, but I’m not doing well.”
Mom paused, and I wrapped a towel around myself, walking past her. She grabbed my wrist and slapped me hard.
“Nora, are you awake now?”
“Understand your position. Without Declan Thompson, you have no education or skills. How will you survive?”
I covered my face, tears streaming down. Seeing my unresponsive state, Mom softened her tone, reaching for my hand:
“Nora, what mother doesn’t care for her child? I’m doing this for your own good.”
“Your dad’s company relies on the Thompson family’s support to stay afloat. Our family just bought a villa, and there’s still a few million in loans to repay.”
“Your brother and sister-in-law are about to have their third child. It’s a time when money is needed. If you offend Declan Thompson now, are you trying to send our whole family to ruin?”
“Asher is just a kid, no matter how harsh his words. Deep down, he must still remember your kindness. You’ve taken care of him for eight years. Even if you raised a dog, there’d be feelings. Just coax him well, and he’ll surely come around.”
When disappointment reaches its peak, the heart no longer feels pain. Deep down, I knew she never truly loved me. But after being abducted and harshly treated by my foster parents, I clung to memories of my birth mother holding me. Thinking of it often enough, it became a faint glimmer of light. But falsehood is still falsehood. When I let go of my obsession and burst this illusory bubble, the hidden grim reality emerged.
I pulled out the suitcase I had long prepared.
“Mom, I’ve never had a choice in my life.”
“But now, I want to make a choice for myself.”
“I won’t accompany you on the road ahead.”
I yanked open the door.
Declan Thompson stood there, his brows furrowed, eyes simmering with barely contained anger:
“Who gave you permission to leave?”
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