Late at night, when everything was silent, Ylona quietly made her way to the pet room to retrieve her mother's bracelet.
But Coco—the dog—had long been trained by Rylee to attack her on sight.
She ended up kneeling on the cold floor, fighting a dog for her mother's keepsake.
In the end, she got the bracelet back—but her body was covered in fresh bite marks, blood soaking through her clothes.
Unfortunately, the noise Coco made had woken up Cyrus and Rylee.
The overhead light clicked on, and Cyrus' face twisted with fury.
“Fighting a dog for a bracelet? Ylona, how pathetic can you be?!”
Clutching her wounded arm, Ylona stared back at him stubbornly. “It belonged to my mother.”
“I'll pay you back the money. But the bracelet—I'm taking it.” She clutched the jewelry tightly, afraid that they would take it from her.
Annoyed, Cyrus ran his finger through his hair.
"Cyrus... I didn't expect my sister would do something like this. It's the dead of the night, but she still fought with Coco and disturbed our sleep..." Rylee butted in with teary expression.
"Since you don’t want to sleep, then stay outside! Don’t you dare step back in!" Cyrus thundered as he glared at Ylona.
Without waiting for her response, he turned his back and slammed the door shut.
Ylona's health was already fragile, and now it was the dead of winter. After a night exposed to the biting wind, she fell into a high fever.
But she didn't regret it—the bracelet was finally back where it belonged.
The world outside was pitch black. She could only rely on the faint glow of her phone to light the space around her.
Suddenly, a message came through.
[Hello, I've been sent by your grandfather to pick you up. Send me your address—I'll come get you tomorrow afternoon.]
Ylona's lips finally curled into a smile. She quickly sent her location.
The man replied shortly after.
[Got it.]
The night was cold, the darkness even deeper—but her heart was colder still. But after tomorrow, she would no longer have to endure days like this.
—
The next morning.
After spending an entire night outside, Ylona finally heard the heavy iron gates creak open.
Rylee appeared, wearing Ylona's pajamas, her lips curled in a mocking smile.
“You survived the whole night out here, huh?”
“You're really tough—didn't die from a dog bite, and even this cold couldn't finish you off.”
Ylona slowly pushed herself up, using the wall for support. Her voice was hoarse but firm. “You don't need to waste any more energy trying to get rid of me. I'll be gone soon.”
But Rylee didn't believe her. She leaned closer and whispered, “I don't trust anyone. I only believe in controlling my own fate.”
“And today—you will leave.”
Before Ylona could react, Rylee suddenly collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Cyrus rushed over, glaring furiously at Ylona.
“You bullied her again?!”
“Rylee is so kind—she woke up early just to open the door for you, worried you'd freeze out there. And how do you repay her? You hurt her again!”
“Ylona, you're heartless!”
He gripped her chin tightly, his words were cold and sharp. “You don't deserve anyone's kindness.”
Ylona looked him straight in the eye and clapped back, “Cyrus, did you see me push her? There are security cameras all over this house. Go check the footage and see who's really acting.”
He sneered, clearly not believing her. “Fine. I'll check it. Then you'll have nothing to say.”
But just then, Rylee reached out to stop him. “Cyrus, forget it. I don't want to make a big deal out of this. No need to check the cameras.”
“My sister is right. It was my fault—I wasn't careful. It has nothing to do with her. Please don't blame her. Otherwise, she'll hate me even more.”
Her words seemed generous on the surface, but every line dripped with passive aggression and manipulation.
Cyrus' heart ached for her even more. He pushed Ylona away without hesitation.
“Rylee, you're too kind. That's why people take advantage of you.”
Ylona was thrown to the ground. She let out a cold laugh as she stared at him.
'Cyrus...'
'One day, when you finally see Rylee's true face, will you regret all of this?'
Just then, a paper slipped from her pocket—her cancer diagnosis.
Cyrus caught a glimpse of the bold characters.
His expression changed instantly.
“Cancer?”
“Ylona—you have cancer?!”
