The funeral was set for three days later. I tried to escape the basement many times but failed every time. Unexpectedly, I was released the next morning.
Pale-faced, I squinted at the sun outside and instinctively curled up.
But the sight that greeted me was the drowsy Anne, who was wearing my treasure pajamas. She was leaning against Lucas's embrace, with the bite mark on the back of her neck, as a testament of their intimacy.
"Anne just woke up and wants breakfast. The house also needs cleaning and her things must be tidied properly. Thank you for your hard work, Nova.” With that, he prepared to take her back to her room.
“Yes, Sir,” my voice remained calm, even though I was treated like a servant.
To maintain superficial peace, I had no choice but to comply. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Anne's lazy expression on the sofa and I gritted my teeth in hatred.
Then by accident, I shattered an exquisite glass cup and the sound brought the two of them over.
“That was my favorite cup! How are you going to pay me back?” Anne’s shrill voice pierced the room and her fake sobs filled the air.
Lucas furrowed his brows and soothed her patiently, "She is probably just careless. She was just trying to cook for you …."
“So what! Lucas, you won't stand up for me and why do you still care about her?” Anne's eyes quickly filled with tears and she looked upset.
Lucas had no other choice but to comply. As punishment, Anne threw all my stuff into the basement and made me live there.
I stood frozen there, gritting my teeth and looked at him with fury. But he only looked at Anne lovingly. "Fine, you can do whatever you want. Are you satisfied now?"
He even had his assistant toss all my belongings into the basement. Seeing me frozen in place, he pulled me aside. “You know her temper. Anne's my only sister. We should give her some slack.”
"Don't worry, Nova. I'll promise to hold a wedding for you. After all, you're the only one in my heart."
After saying that, Anne tugged him away. The two of them sat at the dining table, feasting on the fruit of my labor.
I went alone to the bathroom to tend to the cuts from the broken glass. Blood flowed everywhere, but neither of them realized it.
As tears fell onto the pool of blood, my heart was still as the ripples it made. Once my father was buried, I planned to leave this place of sorrow.
On the day of the funeral, I arrived early. The funeral home was filled with sunflowers, my father's favorite flowers.
As I stared at my father's ashes, I broke down. All the pent-up frustration and pain in my heart poured out. I could not accept the fact that I had lost both of my parents and it was all because of Lucas.
When we were preparing to get engaged, my father thought I was still too young and only my mother gave her blessing.
She worked herself tirelessly to prepare for the wedding, while Lucas shirked every responsibility, leaving me and my mother to handle everything.
Then his career was booming. After rumors of his impending engagement spread, I faced relentless public and private criticism and abuse. I was even stalked and threatened. But he did not care. He only told me not to take it seriously.
And yet the real irony was that when Anne was abroad and threw a tantrum because her classmate gossiped about her rude act, his concern for her made him so moved that he shed tears for her.
