Chapter 4

“You wouldn’t dare!” I shouted as I hugged my arms tightly and staggered backward.

She kept closing the distance. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Justin rubbed his temples and stood up, reaching out to stop her. “Enough. Don’t do this.”

Her gaze flicked between him and me, and then suddenly, realization dawned on her face.

“Oh, I get it now. “That necklace? Justin gave it to me.”

She hooked a finger into the hem of his shirt, toying with it as if she owned him.

“You’ve been pursuing him for so long. Now that he’s about to get married, you’re trying to steal something as a keepsake?”

All the blood drained from my face. My whole body trembled uncontrollably as I said, “That’s a lie!”

Instinctively, I looked at Justin. He froze for a moment and then slowly withdrew the hand that had been holding her back. Right then, Lisa came downstairs. The moment she saw the scene, she hurried over, trying to smooth things over.

“I’m so sorry, Trish. Don’t blame your sister. This is all my fault. I’m getting old. My memory’s not what it used to be. I forgot to tell you that I had given your room to Dawn. So… why don’t you just return the necklace to her? I’ll buy you a new one, okay?”

My temples throbbed. I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms.

“I didn’t go into that room,” I said again.

“Stop wasting time talking to her. Just search her!”

Dawn’s patience snapped. The moment she said it, she lunged forward, tackling me to the ground and grabbing at my collar.

“Let go!” I screamed, grabbing her wrists.

Within seconds, we were struggling and grappling on the floor. When she realized she couldn’t overpower me, she turned her head and called out to Justin.

“Justin, come help me!”

I, too, lifted my head and looked at him. He didn’t move. He just stood there, head lowered, his expression serious.

For a split second, it ignited a little spark of hope in me. Even my cold fingertips began to warm. However, in the very next moment, I was let down.

“Trisha, just hand over the necklace.”

The humiliation hit all at once. Everything I had been holding back finally broke. With all the strength I had, I shoved Dawn off me, rushed forward, and slapped Justin hard across the face. At the same time, Dawn let out a sharp cry, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

“Dawn!”

Justin didn’t even react to the slap. He shoved me aside and ran straight to her. Pain exploded as the back of my head slammed into the corner of the table, and my vision blurred.

I shook my head, rubbing my eyes hard. When I looked up again, everyone had gathered around her. She, on the other hand, clutched her bleeding forehead with one hand and held the necklace in the other while saying something to me.

In the final second before everything went black, I made out the words.

“Trisha, you really did steal it.”

…

I had no idea how long had passed before I woke up, freezing. The TV was still playing some loud holiday comedy skit, but the house was empty. I pushed myself up from the floor and touched the back of my head. The blood there had already dried and matted into my hair.

I glanced at the time. It was past ten at night. Stumbling, I made my way out the door, planning to take a cab to the nearest hospital.

A neighbor was just stepping out to throw away some trash. When she saw the blood all over my head, she flinched in shock.

“Child, what happened to you?”

I felt a little embarrassed. “I hit my head by accident.”

“That badly? Why isn’t anyone from your family taking you to the hospital?”

“They’re busy. I can head there myself.”

I was about to leave when she grabbed my arm.

“It’s late. It’s not safe for a girl to go alone. I’ll go with you.”

I shook my head quickly. “No, really, it’s okay.”

Not wanting her to take pity on me, I turned and hurried away without looking back.

Even on the first day of the holidays, the hospital was crowded, but I was the only one alone there. Clutching my registration slip, I searched for the right consultation room. As I passed by a ward, I caught sight of Dawn lying in a hospital bed. Justin stood beside her, carefully watching as a nurse treated her wound, while Dad and Lisa sat at her bedside, feeding her a snack, one bite after another.

Without thinking, I stepped back and hid behind the door. A bitter laugh rose in my throat. Right now, I really did look like a thief, peeking in on someone else’s happiness.

No one remembered me. No one cared about me, and my home was gone.