Chapter 3: Dad, I’ll Take Care Of Myself

Nigel finally lost all his patience. “The psychiatric hospital is right there. If you don’t want to come home, then go back inside!”

With that, he turned and got into the car. The driver, Carlos, hesitated. “Mr. Nigel, are we really leaving Ms. Rogers behind?”

Nigel made sure Allison could hear him. “I was too good to her, that’s why she turned into an ungrateful brat! Let her suffer a little. Maybe then she’ll finally understand what kindness means.”

He rolled up the window and said coldly, “Drive.”

As the Rogers family car sped away, Allison didn’t even look at it. She forced her aching body to move and turned to glance at the psychiatric hospital one last time. She would never, ever go back there.

She knew the way home. Even without a ride, she could walk back. But two hours after Nigel had returned home, there was still no sign of her.

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At the cemetery, Allison knelt on the ground, pressing her face against the cold tombstone as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Dad, I miss you so much… If you knew your daughter had no home to return to, you’d be heartbroken. Dad, please hold me… Nigel, Toby, and Mom don’t love me anymore. They only hug Sherrie. They only smile at Sherrie…”

Clutching the tombstone, Allison buried her forehead against her father’s photo. But the stone remained silent, just like how she would never receive the comfort she longed for.

She didn’t know how long she had cried. Only when her tears finally ran dry did she begin to calm down.

Wiping her face with the back of her hand, she used her sleeve to gently clean the dust off the tombstone. “Dad, I’ll take care of myself. Don’t worry.”

With that, she started digging in the ground in front of the grave. When her hands couldn’t manage anymore, she picked up a rock and used it to dig up one of the tiles.

Beneath the stone was a hollow space with a box inside.

The Rogers family came from a long line of apothecaries, but when they moved into the hospital business, traditional medicine was slowly abandoned. Still, the family’s old medical notes had been passed down through generations.

When Allison was a child, her father had noticed her love for ancient medicine and left all the books to her. After he passed away, ten-year-old Allison secretly hid them here. Back then, she had thought that if her father ever got bored underground, he would at least have something to read.

She never imagined that her childish act would one day become her last remaining lifeline. Inside the box wasn’t just an old medical research file, it also contained a genuine BlueCore Vitality Capsule.

A genuine BlueCore Vitality Capsule could mean the difference between life and death in a critical moment. The original formula once relied on a now-banned animal derivative, and later versions replaced it with a legal synthetic substitute, drastically reducing its effectiveness.

The one Allison had, however, was the rare original formula. Her body was in terrible shape. She had no money, no ID, no way to get treatment, and no access to medicine. So, she bit off a piece of the capsule and swallowed it. She then carefully put away the remaining chunk.

She quickly looked around. No one was nearby. She buried the remaining items back in the ground.

Sherrie should never find out about this. If she did, she’d just sweet-talk Nigel into taking everything away.

Just as Allison finished covering the grave, a familiar yet distant voice came from behind her.

“I knew you’d be here.”

Allison’s back stiffened, but she didn’t turn around.

It was Ronan Lopez, her childhood playmate and fiancé.

She kept her back to him, but Ronan reached out, grabbed her shoulder, and turned her to face him with a grin. “You always run to your dad’s grave whenever you’re upset…”

Ronan’s smile quickly vanished. When he finally saw Allison’s face, it was pale and frail. Her eyes, partly hidden beneath her long black hair, were hollow and lifeless.

A chill crept up his spine, and he instinctively pulled his hand back. That was when he remembered that she was a lunatic. Lunatics could do anything. He’d even heard rumors that she smeared filth on herself for fun.

The thought that he had just touched her made Ronan’s skin crawl. He secretly wiped his hand against the tree trunk behind him. His movements were subtle, but Allison still noticed them.

She and Ronan had been engaged for years, and everyone had always assumed they were a couple; even Allison herself thought the same. Because of that, she had always felt possessive toward him.

Being rejected by someone she liked deeply hurt, but Allison maintained a normal reaction.

Ronan hadn’t visited her even once during the three years she spent in the psychiatric hospital. She already knew there was no future between them.

Too much time had passed. Ronan no longer knew how to act around her. To him, she felt like a familiar stranger.

Awkwardly, he said, “Ever since you stabbed her in a fit of madness, Sherrie’s health has been poor. Now that you refuse to go home, she’s so worried she can’t even eat. We’re all really concerned about her.”

Allison scoffed. She’s been skipping meals, yet she’s still alive, isn’t she?

Seeing that Allison didn’t respond, Ronan frowned. His tone hardened as he said, “I’m telling you to go home and apologize to Sherrie immediately. If you don’t, then forget about ever seeing me again.”

Allison had once been obedient to Ronan, making him believe she couldn’t live without him. But after spending years in the psychiatric hospital, and waiting for someone to save her from that hell that never came, her hope slowly faded away. She’d given up on expecting anything from anyone. Pleasing them no longer mattered to her.

She’d let go of her longing to be loved; all she wanted now was to live for herself.

Allison opened her palm and stared at the burn mark on her hand. The pain reminded her that, without power, being stubborn or acting tough would only lead to more suffering.

So she decided to go with Ronan.

She had planned to return to the Rogers family to take back her identity anyway, and riding in his car was better than walking.

Ronan walked ahead and pulled out some wet wipes from the car to clean his hands outside the door.

When he got into the car, he noticed Allison was sitting in the backseat. She used to always sit in the front passenger seat as it had always been reserved for her.

Why wasn’t she sitting there now?

Then he saw the sticker on the dashboard that read: “Princess’ Exclusive Seat. Other Girls, Sit in the Back.”