Chapter 4

That evening, William didn't stay for dinner.

Olivia laughed coyly, saying she wanted to take him to a new French restaurant, claiming their foie gras was exquisite.

I sat alone in the vast dining room. Mrs. Johnson had made me a bowl of noodles.

Plain boiled noodles with two pieces of green vegetables floating on top, not even a drop of oil.

I ate silently, the pain in my stomach growing more intense.

I remembered the times in prison when life got unbearably tough, I would think of William.

I remembered how he had saved his allowance for half a month to buy me a pack of fruit candies from town.

He had handed them to me like a treasure, smiling and saying, "Lily, when I make big money, I'll let you eat candy every day."

I remembered when the village kids made fun of me for not being able to speak, it was William who beat them up one by one, then turned to me with red eyes saying, "Don't be afraid, Lily. Even if you can't speak, you're still my girl."

For fifteen years, these memories had kept me alive.

Night fell, and I was curled up on the bed, my stomach pain so severe that cold sweat soaked through my thin clothes.

I couldn't bear it anymore. I stumbled out of the mansion in the dark, relying on my faint memory to find a 24-hour convenience store.

I searched the shelves for a long time before finding the cheapest fruit hard candies, colorful and exactly like the ones in my memory.

I clutched that pack of candy like a lifeline.

The next day, I saw William coming downstairs. He was dressed casually but still looked elegant.

I gathered my courage, walked up to him, and opened my palm. In it lay a translucent orange candy.

I looked at him expectantly, perhaps with a light in my eyes that I wasn't even aware of.

I wanted to tell him, "William, look, I found our candy."

He froze.

Before he could say anything, Olivia came downstairs in her slippers. Seeing the candy in my hand, she laughed dramatically:

"Oh my god, Will, you still eat this stuff? It's all artificial colors and sugar, so unhealthy."

William's face instantly turned red. He seemed to have been reminded of some embarrassing past, and suddenly swatted my hand away.

The candy rolled from my palm, scattering across the floor with a series of tiny clinks.

I stood there, frozen, looking at those colorful candies on the expensive floor, feeling how cheap and ridiculous they looked.

I silently crouched down, reaching out with my rough hands to pick them up one by one.

But my hands were shaking so badly, I couldn't grasp them.

I heard Olivia cooing nearby, "Will, don't be angry. Your cousin meant well. Mrs. Johnson, please clean up this mess, it's an eyesore."

I finally managed to pick up one candy, clutching it in my palm. The cheap sweetness seeped through my skin, but it felt bitter in my heart.

Days passed. William was busy with his business and with Olivia.

He would occasionally ask me if I was "settling in okay," but wouldn't wait for my nod before being called away by another phone call.

I was like a weed forgotten in a corner, silent and unnoticed.

Later, Olivia's friends came to the mansion for a party. They decided to play hide and seek.

I had played this as a child. They invited me to join.

But someone, as a prank, pushed me into the second-floor storage room and locked the door.

The small, enclosed, dusty space instantly pulled me back into the nightmare of those fifteen years.

In prison, because I refused to "pay respect" to a new top dog, she and her gang had locked me in solitary confinement.

No windows, no light, just endless silence and the scratching sounds of rats gnawing on things.

That time, I was locked up for three days and three nights. When I came out, I was half dead.

I opened my mouth silently, immense fear gripping my throat.

But I could only tremble, curled up in the corner, my arms tightly wrapped around my head. My stomach churned, and I started to dry heave uncontrollably.

I don't know how long it was before I heard Olivia's impatient voice outside the door: "Who locked this? The game's over!"

The door opened, and blinding light poured in.

William and Olivia stood in the doorway, both stunned to see me curled up on the floor, my face streaked with tears.

"What's wrong with her? It was just a game, why is she crying?" Olivia complained, her tone full of disgust. "Such a mood killer."

William's brows furrowed tightly. He walked over and roughly pulled me up, his grip so tight it hurt my wrist.

"Lily, what the hell are you doing? Can't you stop causing trouble for everyone?"

"I'm already stressed enough with my business. I don't have time to coddle you like a child every day!"