Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 8

Ever since Mom and Dad found me and brought me home, Melina Langston had treated me as a thorn in her side. She deliberately asked to meet me by the pool, gripped my hand tightly, and violently hurled herself backward. I was scared out of my wits. Before I could process what was going on, I was shoved into the pool. My older brother, Elio Langston, immediately jumped in and pulled Melina out of the water. Melina wept. "I didn't mean to upset you, Mae!"Before I could even catch my breath, Elio roared, "You're going to stay in there tonight and reflect on your actions!" The moment I broke the surface, he kicked me right back under and ordered the housekeeper, "Keep an eye on her. Don't you dare let her out!" With that, he scooped Melina into his arms and hurried off.Noticing the triumphant smirk playing on Melina's lips, I couldn't help but shudder. "It wasn't me." I could only mutter the words under my breath.However, Elio couldn't care less. So long as Melina was involv

I was absolutely ecstatic. Counting down the days, I realized I only had one week left. Right then, Melina barged in. "Come party with me, Maeve!"Looking at her skimpy outfit and full face of makeup, I instinctively refused, "No, I'm busy."I had to earn money. Establishments like the ones she visited were beyond my means. Melina, however, closed the distance between us. "Is that so? Are you really busy, or are you trying to sever ties with me? Oh, you're actually planning to study abroad?" Realizing she had seen my laptop screen, I hurriedly closed it. Meeting her mocking smile, I confessed, "Yes, I'm going to study abroad and leave your family! That way, you don't have to worry anymore. I won't do anything to upset you."Melina stared intently at me. "I hope you keep your word." With that, she spun on her heel and left.I breathed a sigh of relief. However, half an hour later, the door to the attic was kicked open. Elio stormed in, followed by Melina, whose eyes were t

A split second later, Melina scrolled past it. If the siblings had lingered for even a second longer, perhaps they would have seen that among the personal effects displayed by the search and rescue personnel was a platinum ring that belonged to me. Mom had given it to me shortly after I returned home. She'd told me she was sorry for all the hardships I'd been through, and since I had spent so many years away from her, she wanted me to have it. She'd explained that all the children in the Langston family owned one, and mine even had my name engraved on it.I'd accepted her goodwill, only for Melina to dissolve into tears, sobbing about how guilty she felt. At the time, I was rooted to the spot in sheer awkwardness, while everyone rushed to comfort Melina, completely leaving me out in the cold. As soon as Elio wrapped up his work, he took Melina to the performance, and I had no choice but to tag along. To be honest, I wasn't all that interested in stage plays, but Melina loved the

When the officer handed them the video, Elio's expression darkened more than everyone else's. It was the surveillance footage from the swimming pool. Melina had deliberately jumped into the water, only to turn around and frame me. The very next second, Elio kicked me into the pool. Because I was on my period and I was forced to spend most of the night freezing in the water, I eventually passed out. Confronted with the truth, his composure cracked. "Melina… Why did you lie to me?"After watching the footage, Mom and Dad were enraged. Both of them dragged Melina over and slapped her more than a dozen times before kicking Elio out of the living room. "Monsters… Both of you are literal monsters! Oh, my poor Maeve!"The officers stepped in and immediately took Melina into custody. Ever since I suffered at Melina's hands the first time, I had walked on eggshells every single time I interacted with her. It was just a shame that when I finally caught her on camera the first time and sh