Chapter 4 A Promise Meant to Be Broken

After the homeroom teacher resubmitted the application, my overseas spot was approved shortly afterward.

She called me into her office, her eyes full of approval. "You've always been an excellent student. I knew this spot would only be yours."

I took the letter from her. It was just a thin sheet of paper, yet it felt heavy enough to make my fingers tremble.

There was still more than a month before the final exams. So, I decided to leave the country once summer break started.

I went to class during the day, while I shut myself in my room and took online courses to prepare for studying abroad as night fell.

The account they'd given me access to also started seeing more transactions. $10,000 today. $20,000 two days later.

My parents received a text alert for every transaction I made, no matter how frequent or how pricey it was.

The first time I withdrew money, my mother called me within ten minutes. "Why did you spend $10,000 all at once?"

"I hired a private tutor. He's pretty expensive," I lied.

There was a brief silence on the other end before her tone returned to normal. "Okay. It's good that you're studying. Let me know if you need more money."

Then, she hung up.

Not once did she ask if I was scared living alone or how I was faring health-wise.

It was like I didn't even matter.

After that, I started withdrawing money more and more often, and the amounts kept getting larger.

I came up with excuse after excuse without hesitation, citing private tutoring, study materials, and competition expenses.

For parents as neglectful as them, it really figured that they wouldn't bother asking questions as soon as they heard that the money was for my studies.

A week before the final exams, I withdrew $100,000 all at once.

This time, my father called almost immediately, his voice edged with displeasure. "What kind of tutor did you hire that costs $100,000?"

I answered calmly, "It's not a private tutor. It's a summer program. Room and board are included, and the instructors all have PhDs, so it's expensive."

My father immediately objected. "No. You're coming back to Ashford this summer. Your sister hasn't been doing well on her exams lately, and she's been down all the time. I'm worried something might be wrong with her.

"Come back and help her with her studies. Spend some time with her. You two need to build a better relationship."

I gripped my phone until my knuckles turned white.

When Cecilia did poorly on her exams, they were afraid something might be wrong with her.

When I did poorly, all I got were cold looks and a swift barb of, "You didn't work hard enough. Who else can you blame?"

In Cecilia's world, the slightest disturbance was enough to send the whole family into a panic.

Meanwhile, they wouldn't even notice when my world fell apart.

"Okay. I'll come back for the summer." I pretended to agree over the phone.

However, I immediately booked a flight out of the country for the first day of the summer break the second I hung up on them.

This time, I followed their example and made a promise I had no intention of keeping.

The final exams ended at the end of June.

When I returned home, I began removing every trace of myself from the villa.

There were so few clothes in my walk-in closet that they fit neatly into a single suitcase with room to spare.

I also took the certificates and awards I had kept tucked away in the drawers. I would need them later when I applied to college.

Then, I contacted a real estate agent.

A tenant came along quickly enough. A young couple soon came to take a tour of the house and signed the lease that same day.

They paid a year in advance at $10,000 a month, immediately transferring the full $120,000 into my account.

Coupled with the money I had saved over the years from holiday gifts, scholarships, and the tutoring fees I had withdrawn from the card, I had $600,000 in total.

$600,000. That was enough to settle my relationship with my parents.

On the first day of summer break, I dragged my suitcase out through the villa's front door when the sun was barely peeking from the clouds.

By the time I arrived at the airport, there was one unread text waiting on my phone.

"We're driving out tomorrow. We should reach Belmont in about five days. Get your luggage ready and wait for us. We'll pick you up on the way back once we're done."

Another "on the way."

I didn't even have the energy to pretend anymore.

So, I deactivated WhatsApp, pulled out my SIM card, snapped it in half, and replaced it with a new one.

Then, I shouldered my bag, lifted my head, and walked toward the gate.

They said home was always the place we couldn't bear to leave. Alas, I'd learned the hard way that that kind of longing belonged to people who had somewhere to return to.

If I were lucky, mine would be waiting ahead.

…

Five days later, an SUV pulled up outside the villa.

Cecilia was the first to jump out, a carefully wrapped pink gift box in her arms.

She looked at my mother, her eyes bright. "Mom, do you think Flora will like this?"

My mother gently patted her head and smiled. "She will. You spent so long picking it out. Of course, she'll like it."

My father locked the car and walked over with a snort. "She'd better like it. It's the thought that counts, Cecilia."

The three of them chatted and laughed as they walked to the villa.

My father entered the passcode, but the lock kept flashing an error.

"What the hell?" His expression darkened as he muttered under his breath and knocked on the door.

The door opened. A sleepy-looking man stood on the other side.

My mother's eyes widened in shock. "Who are you? Why are you in our house?"

The man flinched at her sharp voice and frowned in annoyance. "I rent this place. You're not the landlord, are you?"