Chapter 3

I've never been a magnanimous person. The nanny tore me away from my family for over twenty years—and she raised me poorly on top of it.

I had always carried a grudge against her, and naturally, I could never warm to Lindsay, the beneficiary of her schemes.

Back then, Jason had casually said, "Lindsay didn't do anything wrong. She was just a child who didn't understand anything."

I had been angry with him for two whole days over that.

In the end, he had come to soothe me, and a single bag of candy had been enough to calm me down. That episode now felt like a dividing line between us. Life went on as usual, but looking back, I realize that moment marked the path I didn't take.

I popped the candy into my mouth. It melted on my tongue, but the sweetness quickly turned cloying.

I pulled out my phone and dialed a number.

"Hello? Wendy! Why are you calling me? I thought you’d totally drowned in Jason’s little love bubble!"

It was my best friend, Gina Buckley.

She had been the only one at university who saw through all my pretenses and still chose to be my friend. After graduation, she went abroad, but we kept in touch.

"Gina," my voice was hoarse, "I'm planning to divorce… and leave the country."

She paused awhile as if thinking, then said, "Wendy… are you serious? You've finally made up your mind?"

"Yes. I've made up my mind." I stared out at the gray, overcast sky.

"But Gina, I need your help."

"Help? Just tell me! Through fire or water, I will follow without question!"

The day I was discharged, I didn't notify anyone.

When I dragged my unsteady steps across the threshold, the living room rang with laughter and cheer.

My breath caught, and I froze.

The full moon hung high outside, its soft silver light spilling over the four joyful figures inside.

All that was left for me was a thin sliver of cold, creeping into my chest.

When they saw me, the laughter cut off abruptly. The air turned thick with awkwardness.

I tugged at the corner of my mouth and deliberately asked in a detached tone, "Excuse me, where is my room?"

My mother's face stiffened.

Lindsay jumped up, eagerly pointing to the smallest, most tucked-away door at the top of the stairs. "Wendy, your things… we packed them all and put them there."

It was a cramped little room meant for the nanny.

In just a few days, every trace of me had been swept away and shoved into that tiny corner. Meanwhile, Lindsay's belongings had taken over the bedroom Jason and I had once shared.

I let out a bitter laugh.

"I thought you were conspiring together to deceive me. Now seeing where I live, I realize… I really am just an adopted daughter."

"Wendy…" Jason's face was etched with awkwardness as he stepped forward. "Why didn't you tell me you were being discharged? I could've picked you up."

I looked at him coldly, mocking, "How could I possibly trouble my brother-in-law for something so small?"

My mother's expression soured.

"Wendy! Don't be rude. Lindsay helped pack your things, and you can't even show gratitude? You're being sarcastic and rude!"

Lindsay's eyes instantly welled up, and she clung to my mother, looking pitiful.

Charles shouted at me, "You bad woman! Don't bully my mommy! Get out of our house!"

I couldn't help but laugh bitterly at the irony. Pain twisted through me, spasming, and my body trembled uncontrollably.

Jason had remained silent all this time. Now, his dark, bottomless eyes locked on me as he asked, "You don't have amnesia… do you?"

I looked at him and suddenly laughed.

My mother's face flickered with unease, but Lindsay still stood there, chest out, unashamed.

Charles seemed to sense something from the adults' reactions. He shouted at me viciously, "I don't want you as my mommy! You're not my mommy! You should never remember! You should never come back to our home!"

"Charles, shut up!" Jason finally barked.

Seeing my pale expression, he took my hand, holding it reassuringly. "Wendy, Charles is still a child. He doesn't mean it—don't take it seriously."

I pulled my hand back, smiling.

"A child? He's not a child anymore. He can tell right from wrong. Are these words something a child's thoughtlessness can just excuse?"

Seeing Jason waver, Lindsay's face went pale. She feigned weakness and collapsed into his arms.

"Jason… my head… it's spinning…"