An elderly woman and a young girl, surrounded by wolves in sheep's clothing, struggled to keep their crumbling family afloat.
Because of this, I pushed myself to the limit, studying day and night to take on the family responsibilities as soon as possible.
Sandy, on the other hand, came from a poor background and was often ostracized at school.
When I learned she was also an orphan, I felt sympathy for her and took the initiative to befriend her.
I supported her financially, paid for her education, and encouraged her to face life’s hardships alongside me.
But she saw my kindness as condescension. She envied everything I had and used every means at her disposal to win over my two childhood friends.
Together, they ruined my entire life.
Lost in thought, I didn’t realize we had arrived at our destination.
The earlier events had clearly unsettled my two childhood friends. Both rushed to open the car door for me and even offered to carry my bag.
“Amelia, look! This is the park we used to visit as kids. Kristoff and I bought it. From now on, it’ll be our private secret base.”
Kristoff nodded, chiming in. “I’ve already arranged for your favorite yellow roses to be planted here. By this time next year, there’ll be a breathtaking sea of roses.”
“Then, the four of us can come here, take drives, and watch the stars together.”
Their faces were full of excitement and hope for the future, but I stood there in silence, staring at the familiar land.
This place really had been our secret hideout as kids, holding countless happy memories.
But I had never liked yellow roses.
In fact, I was allergic to all flower pollen.
While I was lost in thought, fireworks suddenly burst across the sky, spelling out my name in vibrant colors.
Amidst the magical display, Henry took out a jade bracelet and held it out to me. “Amelia, this is the heirloom bracelet of my family. My parents told me to give it to the future mistress of the Johnson family. I’ve wanted to give it to you for a long time but waited until today for the right moment.”
“Amelia, will you be with me? Don’t forget, when you nearly drowned as a child, I risked my life to save you. I can even give you my life, let alone a small jade bracelet!” He puffed his chest proudly, and looked at me with anticipation.
In my past life, I had been deceived by their seemingly deep affection.
Back then, I naively believed that our bond as childhood friends would lead to a happy ending, that my grandmother and the Nicolas family would find some solace.
It wasn’t until the day I died that I learned the truth. Even the deepest devotion could be nothing more than an act.
Just as I was about to reject him, Sandy suddenly spoke up.
“Amelia, why did you tell people I was spreading rumors about you? Now everyone’s cursing me...”
She held up her phone, showing me the screen.
On the school’s website, hundreds of comments accused me of being shameless, claiming I had used my body to secure my place at university.
A few comments defending me were twisted by Sandy into evidence of me attacking her.
Kristoff snatched the phone, his expression furious. “Amelia, how could you do something like this? Even if you’re reckless, why drag Sandy into it?”
Henry, though more composed, still looked at me with an accusing gaze.
I suppressed the storm of emotions within me and said firmly, “I didn’t do it. If you don’t believe me, you can investigate yourselves!”
But neither of them listened. They were too busy comforting Sandy.
“Don’t worry, Sandy. I’ll contact the PR team right away to handle this.”
“Let’s grab some dessert; ice cream always makes you feel better.”
With one of them on each side, they escorted Sandy away.
Neither spared me a backward glance.
I took a deep breath, my gaze fixed on the ashes left by the fireworks.
Compared to life and death, this humiliation was insignificant.
At the very least, I was alive, with a new life and future ahead of me.
