When my father passed away, his best friend took me in. For over twenty years, the two sons of the Hayes family protected me and treated me like their own sister. Their care and affection for me were the envy of everyone around us. But when I finally wanted to settle down and start my own family, they both turned their backs on me. The older brother, Nathan Hayes, said, “A man has to build his career before thinking about marriage.” The younger brother, Ethan Hayes, laughed and added, “Come on, we were just messing around. You didn’t take it seriously, did you?” But at my graduation party, both of them proposed—not to me, but to Jessa, the adopted daughter of the Hayes family. Worse yet, to make her happy, they forced me, knowing I was allergic to cream, to eat an entire cake. As I gasped for air, suffocating from an asthma attack, they stood beside her, laughing and mocking me for “pretending to be dramatic.” That was the moment I realized I was done. The day I was discharged from the hospital, I sent a text to my mother. “Mom, I’ve made up my mind. I’m ready to move abroad and marry the man from the Cole family.”
Just as I finished my discharge paperwork, my phone wouldn’t stop ringing. “Leah, where are you?!” Nathan’s angry voice thundered through the receiver. “You think you can just avoid coming home and pretend nothing happened? If you’ve got the guts to leave, don’t bother coming back—ever!” Before I could respond, Ethan’s voice followed, sharp and accusatory. “This is your fault! You’re the one who made Jessa feel so guilty. She’s already self-conscious because of her status as an adopted daughter, and now, thanks to you, she’s been crying nonstop!” I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My swollen eyes, red and puffy, looked like they’d been punched. I could barely open them. I was always a sensitive child, and after being sent to live with the Hayes family, I’d become even more timid—like a frightened bird. Over the years, the Hayes brothers had done so much to make me feel at home. I remembered the first time I sat at their dinner table. I was too scared to touch the food, so Nathan would pile the best dishes onto my plate, coaxing me to eat. Ethan, too, would share his favorite snacks with me and invite me to play with his toys. For years, wherever I went, they were always nearby, protecting me. But when Jessa entered the picture, everything changed. Suddenly, I wasn’t the one they cared about anymore. I didn’t say a word. I hung up the phone and sent a message to my mother. “Mom, I’ve thought it through. I want to leave. I’ll marry the man from the Cole family.”
A moment later, my phone buzzed with a reply. “Leah, marriage isn’t something to take lightly. Are you sure about this?” My parents divorced when I was very young. My mother moved abroad, while I stayed with my father. When my father passed away, he entrusted me to the Hayes family. My mother returned to take me with her, but by then, I’d already grown attached to Nathan and Ethan. I refused to leave. Heartbroken, she left again but never stopped calling to check on me year after year. This year, she told me she’d found a good match for me—a man from the Cole family, a powerful and influential family abroad. She hoped I’d marry him and join her overseas. But more than her desire to have me close, I knew she truly cared about my happiness. Even though she wanted her only daughter to be by her side, she always left the choice up to me. For so long, I believed Nathan and Ethan truly cared for me, that I could eventually choose one of them to spend my life with. Now I realized their kindness had never been love—it was pity. I should’ve known my place from the start. I opened my phone, ready to book a flight to Atherton—the fictional country my mother now called home. But before I could finish, a message from Jessa popped up. “Leah, I’m not trying to take what’s yours. Nathan and Ethan insisted on giving it to me.” “They said you’re too old for this stuff anyway. Pink’s too youthful for you, don’t you think? At your age, pastel colors don’t suit you anymore.” Attached was a picture of her sitting in my room. She was wearing a pink dress and matching accessories—things Nathan and Ethan had spent a fortune on last year, promising they’d be my graduation gift. On her hand, she wore two pink diamond rings. I stared at the photo, my face expressionless. Then I blocked her and sent another text to my mother. “Mom, I’m serious. I don’t want to stay here anymore.” This hospital stay had forced me to see a therapist. The doctor told me I was showing signs of mild depression. She strongly recommended I leave this toxic environment before things got worse. If I stayed, I would only spiral further, sinking into hopelessness. I was only in my twenties. I had no intention of spending the rest of my life wasting away in the Hayes family’s shadow. My mother replied quickly: “Alright. I respect your decision.” “When you come to Atherton, I promise I’ll make sure my precious girl is happy.” Perhaps sensing my pain, she sent one last message: “Before you leave, make sure to say goodbye to Mr. Hayes.” I stepped out of the hospital. The drizzle outside soaked through my clothes as I stood there, staring at the gray sky. My college diploma wouldn’t arrive for another week. I’d use that time to say goodbye to everything—and everyone—here. It was time to move on.
I took a cab back to the Hayes estate. The moment I stepped into the yard, I was knocked to the ground by a massive dog. “Oh no, Leah! I’m so sorry,” Jessa said, standing nearby with a faint smile. But she made no move to pull the dog away as it tore at my clothes. It wasn’t until I started coughing uncontrollably that she finally called the dog back to her side, feigning innocence. Shaking, I got to my feet. My chest burned as I realized the garden I had lovingly tended for years was utterly destroyed—trampled beyond recognition. A giant dog crate now sat where the flowers used to bloom. Dog hair floated in the air, triggering my allergies. I fumbled through my bag for my medication, swallowed it, and leaned against a wall, gasping for breath. Nathan and Ethan Hayes were standing nearby, watching the entire scene unfold. They exchanged a glance, their expressions filled with disdain. “Leah, I thought you had more pride than this,” Nathan sneered. “Didn’t you say you weren’t coming back? Yet here you are, crawling home.” Ethan laughed, his voice sharp and cruel. “Where else would she go? She’s got no father, no family, no home. This place is the only roof over her head.” Their words cut through me like a blade. I thought back to the first days after my father’s death, when I’d come to live with the Hayes family. I was a scared, lonely child, crying myself to sleep every night. Nathan had been the one to comfort me, sitting beside me and wiping away my tears. “Leah, don’t cry,” he’d said, his voice warm and reassuring. “From now on, my dad is your dad. My home is your home.” Ethan had treated me like a treasure, giving me the best room in the old family house—the one with the perfect view of the garden. He told everyone, without a hint of embarrassment, that I’d one day be the only mistress of the Hayes family. But all of that changed the moment Jessa arrived. Jessa wasn’t just any girl. She was the Hayes family’s foster daughter, sponsored by their father through college. When she moved into the estate during her first year of university, she became the center of attention. She wasn’t content with simply winning over Nathan and Ethan. She went out of her way to make my life miserable. At first, I didn’t take it seriously. I thought of her as a younger sister and brushed off her antics. But then she smashed the porcelain doll my father had given me before he died. Furious, I confronted her. I demanded to know why she’d done it. Before she could answer, Ethan stepped between us and shoved me back. “It’s just a doll. If it’s broken, then it’s broken. Why are you making such a fuss?” he said coldly. “Jessa’s had a hard life. She deserves kindness, not this spoiled behavior from you.” Nathan chimed in, his tone dripping with mockery. “She’s only eighteen, Leah. You’re nearly thirty. Can’t you act your age? You’re embarrassing yourself.” I stared at the shattered pieces of porcelain on the floor, realizing for the first time how distant and unrecognizable they had become. From that moment on, everything changed. I was no longer the girl they cared for. Jessa became their priority, their princess. The household staff followed suit, treating her as though she were the true lady of the house. I was left behind, fading into the background, a shadow of who I used to be. And now, I had nothing left to hold on to. I tried to head upstairs to pack my things, but before I could make it to my room, I saw all my belongings being thrown down from the second floor. Startled, I looked up to see Ethan standing at the balcony, his arm wrapped protectively around Jessa. He smirked, his voice dripping with scorn. “Leah, stop pretending to be something you’re not. You’re just a stray dog we took in out of pity. Jessa’s the only real princess of this house.” “And from now on,” he added, “you’ll move into the storage room. I won’t be giving you a position in the company either. Let’s see how long it takes you to learn your lesson.” Nathan, standing nearby, picked up the porcelain doll I’d painstakingly glued back together and smashed it against the wall again, laughing as the pieces scattered. “Leah,” he said mockingly, “if you ever cause trouble for Jessa again, next time it won’t just be the doll I break.” Looking at the broken pieces on the floor, I felt… nothing. The old me would’ve screamed, cried, and demanded answers. I would’ve fought to make them see how much they were hurting me. But now, I just wanted to let it go. Squatting down, I carefully gathered the shattered fragments into my hands. “You win,” I said softly. “I’ll leave as soon as I can.”
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