Chapter 4

Lucas let out a light laugh, his eyes filled with contempt, as if he were looking at a piece of trash.

"Who does your grandfather think he is? What right does he have to come after me?

"The Pierce family only has you and that old man left, doesn't it?

"You even managed to bring death to your own parents, and he still wants me to marry a woman as unlucky as you? What a joke."

My pupils shrank suddenly.

The words "brought death to your parents" stabbed into my heart like a dagger.

On my eighth birthday, my parents had planned to take a cruise back from overseas to celebrate with me.

But fate had other plans. That day, fierce winds suddenly rose over the sea. The captain of our family ship advised them to stay docked for a day before setting sail again.

But I called them.

Crying into the phone, I told them I missed them.

So my parents gritted their teeth and decided to take a small boat back themselves.

Just as they were about to reach the shore, a violent storm suddenly swept across the sea. A massive wave—five meters high—crashed over them.

Right before my eyes, their boat overturned and disappeared into the water.

Now, as Lucas's words echoed in my ears, that scene replayed again and again in my mind.

I curled up in the boat, trembling in agony. Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.

The only words I could manage were broken whispers.

"Dad… Mom… I'm sorry… I don't want you to come back for my birthday anymore…"

Watching my miserable state in the boat, Queenie clapped her hands with delight.

"So you're a jinx! No wonder you're so unlucky! Lucas, we should stay far away from her—what if her bad luck rubs off on us?"

When I was abroad, no one knew about this past, so I had never mentioned it.

Back at the Pierce family estate, my grandfather had forbidden every servant from bringing it up, afraid it would hurt me again. He had even ordered the lake on the grounds to be filled in.

This guilt had been buried deep inside me for years.

Now, it erupted completely, leaving me with a sudden urge to jump straight into the pond and join my parents in apology.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

It was the special ringtone I had set for my grandfather.

For a brief moment, clarity returned to my mind.

In the entire Pierce family, only Grandpa and I were left to rely on each other.

When my parents died, Grandpa had endured the pain of a white-haired man burying his own children. The grief he carried was no less than mine.

If I were to leave him too… I didn't dare imagine the consequences.

I took a deep breath, forcing down the turmoil inside me as I struggled to reach for my phone.

But Queenie immediately ordered someone to throw a stone at me.

The sudden flare of depression sent tremors through my body. My hands shook uncontrollably.

The stone struck my phone, knocking it straight into the pond. The screen flickered twice before going completely dark.

Two large holes were also smashed into the old canopy boat.

Freezing water began seeping through my clothes, and the icy chill made me shudder.

"Sabrina, didn't you once say you wanted to die and go down there to be with your parents?" Queenie sneered. "Now I'm giving you that chance. You should be thanking me!"

Lucas crossed his arms and watched coldly as I slowly sank into the water.

"And that old man you call a grandfather—when he gets here, I'll send your whole family down there to reunite."

I struggled weakly, but it was useless.

In my heart, I could only whisper, 'Grandpa… I'm sorry…'

Just as the water rose past my nose, familiar footsteps sounded from ahead.

A sandalwood cane swung through the air.

"I'd like to see who thinks they can send my whole family down to reunite!"