All Chapters of Time's Up: My Aunt Adopts Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Even the janitor nearby couldn't watch it anymore. He quietly tipped me off."Miss, you should take your parents inside now. Everyone will be off work soon. I've never seen the people in there stay late," he said.Inside the hall, an attendant raised his voice again. "Is anyone else need to file anything before we close? The system locks at 5:00 pm sharp. Once it shuts down, none of today's transfer applications can be entered," he said.The moment he finished speaking, Ivana, Hugo, and Clara finished taking photos.Ivana didn't even glance my way. She just kept her head down and scrolled her phone."Mom, let's take another one. The light and angle were bad just now," she said.Clara agreed at once."Okay."Hugo stood beside them and didn't rush her.I checked the time. It was 4:39 pm.We only had 21 minutes left.I walked over to them and asked, "Mom, Dad, can we go in now?"Ivana apologized before they could speak."I'm sorry, Yvette. I didn't mean to stall. You're the

Over the phone, Hailey continued, "Oh, Ms. Warren took half a day off to come too. She even skipped the school's faculty meeting. She said she had to see you join your real family with her own eyes."When I heard that Kate Warren had come as well, my grip tightened on the phone, and a lump formed in my throat.In the years after Ivana’s birth parents, Martin Ewart and Emma Boyd, swapped us, I lived a life worse than a stray.When Martin and Emma lost at cards, they took it out on me.They wouldn't give me a thick coat in winter. They didn't even want me to finish high school. They wanted to marry me off early for money.If Hailey hadn't shared her meals with me, I wouldn't have made it.I only survived because Kate came to the house again and again to look after me. She secured my financial aid and paid my tuition herself. Without her, I wouldn't have finished high school and survived long enough for Hugo and Clara to find me.Compared with my birth parents, who favored Ivana, H

Victoria was Hugo's younger sister.In the three months since they found me, she was the only one who actually cared.On my first day back, Hugo and Clara were busy comforting Ivana, who was crying the whole time.Victoria was the one who came over, took my hand, and led me to a hot shower. Then, she brought me a fresh change of clothes.She didn't look at me with pity or prying curiosity.She only smoothed my hair and said, "Yve, this is your home from now on."But the truth was simple. Anywhere with Hugo, Clara, and Ivana in it would never be my home."We're here to add her to our household," Victoria told the clerk.The clerk was already typing.Hugo and Clara finally caught on.Hugo strode in, his expression dark."Victoria, what do you think you're doing? This is our family matter. Who are you to stick your nose in?" he scolded.Victoria turned and looked at him calmly. "A family matter? Has Yve officially joined your family? Are her records even under your household?

Water dripped onto the leather seats. Clara immediately started complaining from the back of the car."Yvette, why didn't you wipe off with a tissue before you got in? These seats are expensive. They're hard to clean once they're stained."Don't you have any manners? Look at Vana. She keeps herself so clean."Ivana was wrapped in the oversized coat, leaning against Clara. Her voice was soft and sweet."Mom, don't blame Yvette. She probably just hasn't ridden in a nice car before. She doesn't know what to do."Hugo snorted coldly and hit the gas. He drove us home.Back at the house, Clara bustled around making tea for Ivana, terrified she'd catch a cold.I went back to the cluttered guest room alone.Clara even made me wait to shower until Ivana was done.She said she was afraid there would not be enough hot water for her."What are you thinking about? You look like you're miles away." Victoria's voice pulled me out of the memory.She took the bottle from my hands. Then, she

I didn't say anything. I just kept eating.The ribs were savory and a little sweet. The chicken soup was rich and hot. Every bite was warm.No one brought up Hugo or Clara at that meal. No one brought up Ivana either.Everyone steered around the people and things that'd ruin it for me.Hailey told me funny stories from college and complained that the cafeteria food was bad.Kate cut in now and then to ask me about my plans.She told me that if I ever needed any books, I could come to her anytime.Off to the side, Eugene sat with a smile, pouring tea and water for everyone.I sat between Victoria and him, listening to Hailey and Kate laugh.My stomach was full, and my heart felt at peace.The next morning, after I went home with them, my phone rang right after breakfast.One word lit up on the screen—"Dad."I stared at it but didn't answer. Once the call ended, I changed the contact name to "Hugo".The ringing had barely stopped for three seconds before it started again.T