Chapter 3

When Georgina saw me, she hurriedly got up from the couch and walked toward me, her eyes already turning red. "You little rascal. You still remembered you have a home here! You’ve been gone all these years without even coming back to see me."

I felt somewhat guilty about my earlier thoughts and said with a choked voice, "Georgina..."

Linda walked over to Georgina's side, gently patting her back. "The doctor said you can't get too emotional. How did you forget this so quickly?"

Then Linda turned to look at me with a sweet smile, saying meaningfully, "Welcome home, Mia."

Georgina interrupted Linda, beckoning me to sit at the dining table. "Mia, you must be starving after that long flight. Come and eat something."

Linda was not bothered by the interruption and pulled Ethan over to sit at the table with her, thoughtfully addressing me, "That's right, Mia. Georgina cooked all of this herself just for you. You wouldn't want to disappoint her, would you?"

Georgina looked at me with expectation written all over her face.

I took a deep breath and picked up a piece of meat, trying to hypnotize myself into eating it, but the moment I opened my mouth, I began to retch.

Georgina asked anxiously, "Isn't pork chop your favorite dish? Why are you feeling sick? Has my cooking gotten worse?"

I smiled bitterly. It was not that her cooking had gotten worse. It was that I had not eaten meat for an entire year.

During my year at the ladies' finishing academy, I never had a single bite of meat or a full meal. Because my body had gone so long without any meat, eggs or dairy, I could not control my retching the moment I smelled it.

God knew how much I wanted to eat this meal that Georgina had made for me with her own hands.

During all those days when I was so hungry I had no strength left, I survived by repeatedly recalling the meals Georgina used to make for me.

Georgina said regretfully, "Maybe I haven't cooked in too long, so my skills have deteriorated. It's okay, Mia. I'll practice hard these next few days and get my cooking back up to speed.

"Just look at you after all these years studying abroad. You've gotten so thin. You were much cuter when you had some meat on your bones before this."

My eyes began to sting, and I shook my head stiffly. "Georgina, as long as I'm healthy, it doesn't really matter if I'm a bit heavier or thinner."

Linda said with a smile, "You don't understand, Georgina. Mia's dieting to maintain her figure."

Georgina looked at me with mock anger. "Look how thin you've gotten. You're still dieting?"

She then pretended to be angry and raised her hand as if to pat my head. However, I instinctively crouched down with my arms protecting my head, trembling all over.

"Don't hit me..."

Georgina looked at me in shock and quickly pulled me up. "Mia, what's wrong with you?"

Only then did I realize that this was not the ladies' finishing academy. Georgina was not Alfred. No one would hit me at the drop of a hat anymore.

At the finishing academy, whenever the director raised his hand toward me, it would inevitably be followed by a brutal beating.

Electric shocks, needle pricks, urine poured over my head, being denied food; these were all as routine as daily meals for me.

The ladies' finishing academy's motto was that no matter how rebellious a girl was when she entered, after a year, she would become an obedient, well-behaved young woman.

Everyone only cared about the training results, but no one cared about what methods the finishing academy used to make them obedient.

This also enabled the director to use the excuse of reforming girls to exploit and humiliate every student who entered the place.

I stood up silently without explaining anything. This was because I knew that even if I explained what had happened, it would be useless. No one would believe me.

I also did not want Georgina, who had just recovered from a serious illness, to become upset because of me.

Besides, if Alfred found out that I had spoken about what happened at the finishing academy, he would probably make me lose even the courage to live.

I sat upright at the dining table with my head lowered like a child who had done something wrong.

Georgina looked at me carefully. "Mia, you look pale. Why don't you go to your room and rest for a while?"

I forced a smile and nodded, then hurriedly ran back to my room. As soon as I entered, I went to the bathroom and vomited violently. Sweet, metallic blood sprayed from my mouth and nose, instantly turning the toilet bowl red.

I hastily washed my face, rinsed my mouth, and wiped myself with tissues before coming out of the bathroom. That was when I saw Ethan standing in my room.

He asked somewhat awkwardly, "Mom asked me to come check what's wrong with you."

I instinctively took several steps backward.

Back then, Ethan had sent me to the ladies' finishing academy because he discovered my feelings for him. He wanted me to rid myself of those filthy thoughts about him.

Since he paid generously, Alfred was particularly zealous. Not only did he specially design a hellish training regimen just for me, but he personally took charge of teaching me how to eliminate these thoughts.

During those dark nights, Alfred would press himself against me while constantly cursing at me.

"You disgusting whore, how dare you have such filthy thoughts about your stepbrother?!”

"Look at yourself now, you pathetic wretch. Do you think you're worthy?”

"You're only good for pissing on."

Painful memories flooded my mind. I gasped for breath and took two more steps back before obediently answering, "Maybe I spent too long at the school and am not used to the outside world yet."

Ethan frowned slightly, seemingly wanting to ask more questions. However, he was interrupted by footsteps outside the door.

Linda pushed the door open and walked in. "Ethan, Georgina said to come downstairs once you've settled Mia in. We’re to discuss the details of our wedding."

When Linda first came to our family, she always liked to cling to Ethan.

At first, Ethan was as cold to Linda as he was to me. However, before long, he allowed her to cling to him.

He would even cheer her up when she was unhappy.

After hearing Linda's words, Ethan immediately responded, looking at Linda with indulgent affection.

"I'll be right down."

Linda blinked at Ethan. "Then Georgina and I will wait for you downstairs."

Ethan smiled and nodded. Only after Linda's footsteps gradually faded away did he turn to look at me.

He pondered for a moment, then said slowly, "Linda and I are getting married soon. I don't care about whether you've gotten rid of those filthy thoughts or not, but keep them buried in your heart.”

"If Mom or Linda are hurt because of you, even a little bit..."

I instinctively straightened my body and loudly recited the words that Alfred made me memorize every day.

"I really have gotten rid of them. I'll never dare to think that way again.”

"Someone disgusting like me could never be worthy of you. Only lowly people would lust after their stepbrother."

Ethan's expression immediately turned ugly.

Footsteps sounded outside the door again. Linda appeared at the doorway, biting her lip with a pale face. "Mia, you actually have those kinds of feelings for Ethan?”

"Even though you're not blood-related, he's still nominally your brother. How could you do this?"

Ethan quickly stepped forward to support the swaying Linda. "Linda, don’t dirty your ears with this."

Then he turned to glare at me viciously.

"Mia, you'd better have rid yourself of these filthy thoughts, or I don't mind sending you back to the ladies' finishing academy for additional training!"

Ethan's words exploded like a bomb in my brain.

Thinking of the miserable fate of students who had been sent back to the finishing academy by their families, fear and nausea instantly invaded my brain and heart.

I froze in place, trembling violently all over. A warm stream flowed down my pants leg onto the clean marble floor.

I looked down blankly at my wet pants, then looked up at Ethan and Linda standing across from me, their faces full of shock.

I had lost control of my bladder in front of Ethan and Linda. The next second, darkness consumed my vision, and I completely lost consciousness.