Chapter 1

Dalton Scott, my second-oldest brother, opened the car door and said to me with a smile, "Come on. We're taking you home."

I had barely taken half a step when Tina Lewis poked her head out from the back seat.

"Wait!" She called out to stop me before turning to my brothers. "Dad gave me this car for my birthday last year..."

She glanced at the stained prison clothes I was wearing and frowned, her expression reluctant. "That stench coming off Isabel… It might seep into the leather seats. I won't be able to get rid of it…"

I slowly withdrew my foot, which was still hovering in midair.

Ashton Scott, my eldest brother, frowned as well. "Then we'll call her a cab. She can take a cab back to the house."

Tina immediately waved her hands frantically. "No, no! Isabel has been locked up in there for almost seven years now! She only just regained her freedom. How could we let her take a cab home by herself?"

She tilted her head, thought for a moment, then clapped her hand in realization before pointing at the trunk.

"Isabel can sit back there! It's only a 30-minute drive. She just has to put up with it for a bit, and we'll arrive in no time."

For a moment, my brothers' expressions turned awkward. Dalton opened his mouth to speak, but Tina's eyes had already turned red.

"Oh, forget it… Isabel can sit in the car, I guess. I'll just take a cab home myself. After all, whenever she comes back, I'm the one who always has to step aside for her."

Ashton's face darkened. He looked at me and said, "Get in. It's not that far. Just make do for now."

I walked to the back of the car and opened the trunk. A black shadow suddenly lunged at me. Sharp canine teeth sank into my forearm, instantly tearing through my skin, digging right into my flesh.

I let out a muffled groan of pain as blood trickled down my wrist.

Tina cried out from the front. "Oh! I forgot Rex was back there! I'm so sorry, Isabel. He usually doesn't bite people."

Then she paused and cocked her head to the side. She glanced at the collar around my neck and blinked innocently. "Oh. Maybe he saw your collar and… assumed you're like him? He's always been very territorial."

Before I could say anything, Dalton called out from the front, hurrying me. "What are you waiting for? Get in already!"

I had no choice but to curl up inside the trunk, pressing my bleeding arm beneath me. At that moment, the system sent me a countdown to my departure.

"Time remaining: 10 hours and 9 minutes."

When we arrived at the Scott residence, I went upstairs and stopped outside my old bedroom. The moment I opened the door, I froze. Torn dog toys were scattered across the floor, while the bookshelves were filled with dog food and chew toys.

A huge dog bed sat in the corner, embroidered with the words "Rex's Home".

My bedroom had become Rex's room.

My eyes fell on the corner of the room, where I spotted a stuffed bunny. One of its ears had been bitten down to half its original length. Cotton stuffing had been pulled out of its belly and tossed beside the dog bed.

Ms. Watson, the orphanage director, had given it to me the day the Scotts arrived to take me away. She'd made it herself, just for me. She'd embroidered into one of the ears the words "Izzy's Bunny".

She told me that whenever I looked at the bunny, it would be as if she were still by my side. If I ever felt hurt or wronged, I could tell the bunny about it.

When I was first brought back to the Scott residence, everything felt foreign to me. They were all ridiculously expensive—and nothing belonged to me.

The bunny was the only thing that was truly mine. Whenever I hid in my room to cry after being bullied or wronged, I would hug the bunny and pretend that Ms. Watson was with me.

But now, it was no different from a piece of trash.

Behind me, Tina said softly, "Sorry about this, Isabel. After you got locked up, the room sat empty for so long. Rex needed more space to move around, so I..."

My brothers said they hadn't expected me to get out of prison early. They would start changing the room back tomorrow, so I would just have to make do for one night.

I crouched down and picked up the bunny. I stuffed the cotton back into its belly.

"You don't need to change it back," I said.

I knew perfectly well that I was leaving. I wouldn't be here "tomorrow".

Ashton's expression hardened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Preston Scott, my third-oldest brother, sneered. "After almost seven years, you still haven't changed that nasty temper of yours, huh?"

Ashton took a deep breath and snapped, "Tina has already prepared a guest room for you! Why are you still throwing a fit?"

Tina tugged on Ashton's arm and gently tried to calm him down. "Don't be mad at her… It's my fault."

She flashed me a smile. "The guest room is on the second floor. I just cleaned it up a couple of days ago. Go take a shower, Isabel. We're having a party tonight to welcome you home.

"Put on the dress I prepared for you. We'll have a proper celebration tonight."

Clutching the ruined bunny, I walked into the guest room.

The moment I saw the neatly folded outfit lying on the bed, I stiffened. It was a gray-colored maid's uniform, complete with a gold-colored dog tag that matched the collar around my neck.