Chapter 4

The moment Liam saw me, his smile instantly vanished, replaced by pure disdain in his eyes.

"How dare you show your face here again? You're like a persistent shadow!"

His tone was sharp, his words laced with venom:

"Don't think that blocking my path here will change my mind about you. Dream on!"

"Mila?!"

Chloe's voice suddenly chimed in, filled with surprise and delight.

She came trotting over, her fluffy skirt swaying, her eyes bright:

"Wow, I really didn't expect to run into you after leaving the orphanage! What a coincidence!"

She took the kitten from my arms, then turned and saw the black sedan parked behind me, asking curiously:

"That car… is it here to pick you up?"

The moment her gaze swept over it, she froze, her expression changing completely.

"Oh my God! You didn't actually get adopted by the Caldwells next door, did you?"

I was about to speak when my gaze inadvertently fell upon her neck – the key pendant hanging there, so familiar it made my heart tremble.

Chloe noticed, instinctively raised her hand, and tightly clutched the pendant in her palm, completely hiding it.

I pretended not to notice anything, just nodded calmly:

"Yep, I'm living with the Caldwells now."

"So now you're Mila Caldwell?"

I calmly glanced at Liam, who stood there looking awkward, as if he'd just misunderstood something.

"Something like that."

"The Caldwells are pretty intimidating, aren't they?" She leaned closer, lowering her voice, "I heard their son has some kind of mental issue, that he can't speak. Is it true?"

She secretly pointed towards the Caldwell mansion, her face full of gossip, barraging me with questions.

I had just started to frown, about to offer an explanation, but she continued to babble on.

"Hey, these clothes you're wearing… are they for horseback riding and archery? You're actually learning that?" She tilted her head, scrutinizing me from head to toe.

"I have things to do, I'm leaving."

I was about to pull away when Liam coldly cut in:

"Chloe, why waste time with someone like her? Let's go."

Chloe acknowledged him, then mischievously stuck out her tongue at me:

"Don't mind him, my brother is usually so gentle, he's probably just in a bad mood today…"

"Brother, wait for me!" She lifted her skirt and chased after him.

I stood there, silent for a second, then also turned and left. The wind gently carried their words to me.

"Brother, the Caldwells are really harsh, aren't they? Mila is about my age, and she has classes every day. I saw her arms, black and blue; she must be training so hard."

"Hah, what's the point of learning all that? A girl doing all these useless things will only suffer sooner or later."

"Our Chloe doesn't have to suffer like that. She just needs to be pretty and act like a princess."

"Mhm! Dad, Mom, and Brother spoil me the most!"

Suffering?

So, in their eyes, this is considered suffering?

I twitched my lips, not saying a word.

In my past life.

The Taylors truly poured their hearts into me, providing me with good food and drink.

But whenever I wanted to learn real skills, I was always stopped. I wanted to practice horseback riding and archery. They would panic:

"What if you ruin your face! How will you get married later!"

I was being stalked and wanted to enroll in a self-defense class. They immediately objected:

"A daughter of the Taylors learning how to fight? How disgraceful! Aren't our bodyguards enough?"

Later, I wanted to learn about business and bookkeeping. They still shook their heads:

"Your brother is handling everything at home. Why bother yourself with it?"

They'd say they loved you, but secretly they raised you like a flower that would wilt at the slightest breeze.

But Mrs. Caldwell was different. She only said one thing, which I remember to this day:

"In the Caldwell family, no one lives by relying on others. If you can learn, you must learn; if you can fight for something, you must fight for it."