Chapter 410
At first, Emily wasn’t chosen as a Stray Dog. After all, Charles had never given up on her, and the Bennett family didn’t realize they sent her into such a hellhole.
It was the first time she was forced to entertain a guest. She fought back and injured him. Deborah saved her.
By then, those labeled as Stray Dogs had banded together, ready to fight back against St. Gabriel Reform Academy. Since Emily was new, she was chosen as their representative.
They protected her from the academy’s abuse. They handed over all the dirt they’d collected that could threaten St. Gabriel, just so she could get out safely.
As long as she made it out, even if the academy tried their hardest to cover it up, it would let every “student” know: if they want to fight back, they can.
Emily’s voice was thick with emotion. “After I left there, nothing else mattered to me anymore. I just wanted to carry on for them, to live the life they wanted for me, and see their last wishes through.”
But she never expected everything that happened afterward, least of all that the guest who had haunted her nightmares would one day show up at her door. And that person was Calvin.
Austin had always suspected there was something wrong with St. Gabriel Reform Academy, but he never imagined it could be this dark and twisted.
He couldn’t even imagine what kind of pain Emily had endured during those two years, or how she could speak about it with such composure.
His hand was trembling as he held Emily’s. “Emily, I swear I’ll tear St. Gabriel Reform Academy down with my own hands. I promise you.”
Emily looked up at him. She didn’t cry, but her eyes were rimmed red. “The powers behind it are tangled and complex. Their operations reach all across the country. Do you realize just how little chance we have of bringing them down?”
‘I know,” Austin said. “But I’m going to destroy them, even if I have to spend my whole life doing it.”
Emily felt a sudden, sharp pain stab through her heart. All the pain she’d been bottling up shattered in an instant. She couldn’t hold back anymore. She broke down, throwing herself into Austin’s arms and sobbing.
Her anguished cries were like a giant hand, tearing at Austin’s heart again and again. All he could do was hold her, patting her back, whispering words of comfort. After what felt like forever, Emily’s sobs stopped.
Her eyes were bloodshot, her voice hoarse as she looked up at Austin. “Jackson is a genius hacker. He put all the dirt we gathered onto a chip. That’s the thing St. Gabriel has been after all along.”
Emily knew she wasn’t capable of much on her own. The only reason she made it out of St. Gabriel was because Jackson and the other eight risked their lives for her escape. It was a miracle.
So, she never thought about getting revenge on the academy. She just wanted to carry out their last wishes. But at that moment, she’d changed her mind.
Under Austin’s gaze, Emily picked up a knife. Without hesitation, she sliced through her pants, revealing her scarred thigh.
Austin’s eyes widened in shock. He grabbed her hand. “Emily, what are you doing?”
Emily didn’t answer. She pulled his hand away, pressed the tip of the knife against the inside of her thigh, and sliced down.
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The blade sank into her flesh, stirring the wound as it went.
The intense pain made Emily tremble, but she clenched her teeth, refusing to make a sound. Her face remained expressionless because she’d been through worse.
