Chapter 1
Fifteen years ago...
Thud!
Suddenly, from the doorway, a little girl of five was shoved out of the house with brutal force.
Her frail, slender body stood no chance against the strength of an adult man. The impact sent her stumbling hard onto the ground, her skin instantly scraped and bruised.
Yvette Kylie.
A pitiful child who lived with her uncle and aunt after losing both of her parents a year ago.
"You useless brat! Why didn't you just die along with your parents, huh?!" The man's furious roar echoed, his large frame looming over her like a monster.
Yvette trembled, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please, Uncle... don't throw me out~"
The cruel man, reeking of alcohol, grabbed her ear mercilessly and yanked it upward.
Albert Kylie.
Yvette's biological uncle. The younger brother of her late father, William Kylie.
"Ah, it hurts!" she cried out in pain.
It felt as though her ear would be torn off at any second.
"You'll sleep outside tonight!" Albert barked, shoving her small body out onto the porch once more.
The heavy rain that had been pouring since earlier drenched her instantly. The thin garment she wore could hardly be called clothing-it was more like a rag, patched over and over again.
Yvette collapsed under the relentless rain that night. Meanwhile, from inside the house, Albert's children laughed and mocked her.
"Poor little orphan!" they jeered.
The Kylie household knew no gratitude. The very house they lived in belonged to Yvette, yet because her custody had fallen into Albert's hands, he treated her however he pleased-even squandering her family's wealth for his own indulgence.
Yvette slowly pushed herself up.
She sat on the cold ground, hugging her body tightly.
"Hiks... hiks... hiks... Father, Mother... I miss you..." she sobbed.
She wiped her tears again and again.
But the more she tried to stop them, the more they flowed.
Her palms were covered in small scars.
The cold air pierced through her skin.
Once as pale and soft as snow, her complexion had now dulled, darkened like charred ash.
Growl...
Hunger crept in, gnawing at her stomach. She clutched it tightly, hoping the pain would somehow disappear.
Maybe I should just sleep... then I won't feel hungry anymore, she thought.
She squeezed her eyes shut with all her strength.
And slowly, those beautiful golden-brown eyes drifted closed.
-----
Splash!
"Hah?!"
Yvette jolted awake as cold water was suddenly thrown over her.
"Hahahaha..."
That irritating laughter rang in her ears.
She looked up.
A woman wearing a kitchen apron stood before her, accompanied by a boy and a girl.
Emily-Albert's wife.
And their children, Laura and Louis.
"Hey, wake up! Do you even know what time it is?!" Emily snapped.
"S-Sorry, Aunt..." Yvette stammered, fear evident in her voice.
Emily grabbed Yvette's clothes harshly, tearing the worn fabric at the shoulder.
She dragged the poor child toward the kitchen.
"Here. Wash all these dishes!"
"But... I'm hungry, Aunt..."
Emily narrowed her eyes. "Food, food, food! That's all you ever think about! Finish the dishes first, then you can eat!"
Sniffling, Yvette nodded obediently. "Y-Yes..."
"As if she deserves it! That's what you get for being poor and an orphan!" Laura sneered, despite being no different in age.
And so, Yvette began washing the dishes.
A towering pile of them.
A task far too heavy for a child her age.
"Father... Mother..." she whispered.
Her stomach continued to growl relentlessly. She hadn't eaten anything since the previous night.
It took a long time before she finally finished.
Once done, she hurried toward the cabinet where the food was usually stored.
Hope flickered across her face as she opened it.
But it vanished instantly.
There was nothing inside-only a few empty plates.
Tears welled up again.
She rushed to the refrigerator.
Maybe there would be something there.
But it was the same.
Empty.
"Hiks... hiks... hiks..."
The little girl cried once more, silently.
Her uncle's family was truly heartless.
"Why are you crying? No food left?" Louis mocked, the twelve-year-old chewing gum lazily.
Yvette looked at him, tears in her eyes-but there was something else too.
A sharp, piercing glare.
Louis frowned, annoyed by her gaze.
"You ungrateful brat! How dare you look at me like that?!" he snapped.
Annoyed, he pulled the gum from his mouth and deliberately stuck it onto Yvette's hair.
"Don't, Louis!"
Too late.
The sticky pink lump clung firmly to the top of her head.
Yvette tried to pull it off.
But it wouldn't budge.
"What? It's stuck? Here, let me help you!" Louis said, grinning as he grabbed a pair of scissors from the drawer.
"Don't!"
Louis, much bigger than her, grabbed her hair roughly.
Yvette had no strength to resist-especially on an empty stomach.
"Hiks... hiks... hiks..."
Her cries grew louder.
Her long, beautiful hair was soon cut short-uneven and jagged like a boy's.
Her late mother had loved her hair.
Yvette stared at the strands falling to the floor.
"Mother..."
"Hahahaha!" Louis laughed triumphantly at his handiwork.
Her hair was ruined-patchy and uneven.
Pathetic.
Yvette clenched her fists.
Summoning all her remaining strength, she shoved Louis hard.
Caught off guard, he stumbled and fell.
"You-!"
"Louis!" Emily shouted, rushing over.
Yvette's shoulders rose and fell rapidly.
She looked utterly exhausted.
"It was that orphan, Mom!" Louis complained.
Emily's face darkened instantly.
Her eyes burned with fury as she glared at Yvette.
"You ungrateful child!" she snapped, grabbing Yvette's arm harshly.
"It hurts!" Yvette cried.
But Emily didn't care.
She dragged her to the back of the house, where a large fish pond lay.
Without hesitation, Emily grabbed Yvette's head and shoved it underwater.
Seconds later, she pulled her up-
"Ahh-! Please-"
-and forced her down again.
Over and over.
Each time, Yvette gasped for air, her lungs burning.
It felt as if death itself was reaching out for her.
Emily continued until she was satisfied.
Louis watched with a grin.
"Hah... cough... cough..." Yvette collapsed, coughing violently. Her clothes were soaked, her eyes red, her breathing ragged.
"Remember this. Don't you dare do that to my children again," Emily warned coldly before walking away.
Louis lingered for a moment, flicking her forehead.
"Stupid orphan," he muttered before leaving.
-----
A small, dark room.
No-
It wasn't even a room.
It was more like a storage space filled with unused furniture.
Rats and cockroaches scurried about freely.
This... was Yvette's room.
She stood before a cracked mirror.
Her reflection was pitiful.
Her clothes were torn and soaked.
Her hair uneven, half-shaved like a boy's.
Her arms covered in scars.
"I have to leave this place."
Her voice was quiet-
But her resolve was absolute.
To be continued...
