Chapter 3
Emma gently held Lydia’s hand, her tone and expression full of affection. “You’re not fat at all. Why would you need to lose weight? If I saw you starving yourself, it would break my heart.”
Lydia leaned on her arm, acting cute. “Mom, do you think I’m the prettiest girl in the world?”
“Of course you are. My daughter is the most beautiful in the whole world,” Emma said with a loving smile, showing no trace of the concern she’d shown Emily just moments ago.
Gale’s stern face softened into something more fatherly. Lucas let go of his fury and looked pleased. Even Andrew’s always- serious face now showed a gentle smile.
They all gathered around Lydia like a perfect, happy family. No one remembered that today was the day Emily had come home after two years away.
Emily just stood in the doorway, watching the warm scene. Her empty eyes showed no emotion.
She had seen this kind of scene too many times before. Each time, she had gotten angry, jealous, unwilling to accept it.
She had tried to join the loving family again and again-but all she ever got were cold, annoyed looks from her parents and
brothers.
“Emily, why do you always have to be so petty and fight with Lydia?”
“Emily, you’re so annoying.”
“Emily, can you just stay away from us?”
“Emily…”
The Emily standing there now would never again try to force her way into a family that didn’t want her, no matter how much she used to hope for their love.
She lowered her head and shrank back, trying to make herself invisible-pulling away from a home that had never really been hers.
No one knew how long it took, but eventually, the Bennetts remembered Emily was still there. The smiles and warmth on their faces faded one by one.
Emma reached out again, her voice soft. “Emily, why aren’t you saying anything? Did someone bully you at St. Gabriel’s?”
Emily froze. Her arm, caught in Emma’s grasp, trembled without her meaning to.
She used to talk a lot-always trying to come up with things to say so her family would notice her. It felt like that was the only way to be seen.
But they had always found her too noisy, too clingy, too much. Not like Lydia-sweet, quiet, and easy to love.
At St. Gabriel Reform Academy, the more she spoke, the more beatings she got. So she learned to keep her mouth shut. Just like her family always wanted.
Emily pulled her arm back and stepped away, head still down. “Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Bennett. But no one bullied me. I’was doing just fine at St. Gabriel’s.”
Compared to the kids who never made it out, she was lucky to have walked away alive.
Emma stood frozen, unsure if it was the way Emily pulled away or the fact that she called her “Mrs. Bennett” that made her
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Chapter 3
eyes go red. “Emily, you…”
They used to be so close.
Lydia, standing nearby, was the first to notice Emma’s tears. She quickly stepped up and grabbed her arm, then looked at Emily with tearful eyes.
“Emily, Mom really does care about you,” Lydia said. “When you push her away like that, it hurts her feelings.”
“If you want to blame someone, blame me. I shouldn’t have come back and taken their love from you. I shouldn’t have told everyone that you pushed me down the stairs. This is all my fault…” Her voice broke as she started crying.
Lydia’s sobs drew Emma’s attention at once. Emma hurried to pull her into her arms. “It’s not your fault, Lydia. Don’t cry. How could it ever be your fault?”
Any guilt she’d felt toward Emily was now completely replaced by pity for Lydia. In her eyes, Lydia was just too thoughtful.
When Lucas saw Emma and Lydia crying, his face darkened. “Emily, you just got back and you’re already picking on Lydia right in front of us. That’s way out of line! Apologize to her. Now.”
Emily didn’t understand how she had bullied Lydia.
She hadn’t said a single word to Lydia since walking through the door. And even the things they used to say were her fault- she still didn’t get how any of that made sense.
But none of it mattered. She’d walked a long way today. All she wanted now was to rest.
Emily bowed toward Lydia, her voice calm and sincere. “I’m sorry, Ms. Bennett. It was all my fault. Please forgive me.”
She didn’t know what she had done wrong, but she knew how to offer the kind of apology that sounded the most genuine- and the most satisfying. If Lydia wanted, she could give the same apology in fifty different ways.
Lucas was still fuming. “I told you to apologize to Lydia and you’re still making excuses! I-”
But the moment he realized Emily had actually apologized, his words stopped short. His angry expression froze on his face, making him look a bit ridiculous.
Not just Lucas—everyone else stared at Emily, shocked to see her bowing like that, small and quiet.
No one expected her to give in so easily. Back then, even when Gale hit her with a whip, she still stood straight and insisted she hadn’t done anything wrong.
It was because she had pushed Lydia down the stairs and almost killed her-and had refused to admit it-that they’d sent her to St. Gabriel Reform Academy in the first place.
In the silence, Lydia suddenly stepped forward and helped Emily up, her face full of emotion. “Emily, this is the first time you’ve ever apologized to me. Of course I forgive you.
“Even though you used to always misunderstand me and did so many awful things, I believe you truly regret it this time. I’m sure you’re not just pretending to back off so you can hurt me later like before.”
Then she turned to the others. “Dad, Mom, Andrew, Lucas-you believe Emily too, don’t you?”
Her words seemed to snap them out of it. They all looked at Emily with disgust.
Lucas stepped forward, pulling Lydia behind him and glaring at Emily. “Lydia, why are you still believing this manipulator?
“Emily, don’t think I can’t see what you’re doing. You’re trying to act like you’ve changed so we’ll let our guard down-and then you’ll go after Lydia again.”
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You came back so late and made us all worry on purpose, just to make it seem like Lydia was the reason you didn’t come home sooner.
“Now you’re playing the victim to turn us against each other. Do you really think we’re as dumb as you?”
Faced with his angry yelling. Emily had no desire to argue.
But she figured if she didn’t explain this, they probably wouldn’t let her go rest anytime soon.
