The Home That Broke Me

I came home after six months abroad—and my home was gone. The bedroom I’d lived in for twenty years had become my foster sister’s room. My trophies, photo albums, and keepsakes had been stuffed into cardboard boxes and dumped in the hallway like trash. My brother said, “She’s had a hard life. Can’t you give her some space?” My childhood sweetheart and fiancé said, “You have everything you need. Can’t you be a little more generous?” Later, when they tried to force me to apologize to my foster sister, they even pinned me down and shoved a birthday cake that had been moldy for half a month into my mouth. It was only then that I finally understood— There had been no place for me in this family for a long time. Lily POV The autumn rain in London still seemed to cling to the hem of my trench coat. Dragging my heavy suitcase behind me, I pushed open the front door of the house I hadn’t seen in six months. The living room was brightly lit, and the familiar scent of lilies lingered in the air. The exhaustion from the long flight made my temples throb. All I wanted was to return to my room at the end of the second-floor hallway, take a hot bath, and sleep for three days straight. But when I dragged my suitcase upstairs, I froze in front of my bedroom door. The little wooden bear that had hung on the door—a birthday gift Julian had carved for me when he was seventeen—was gone. In its place hung a cheap plastic dream catcher. My heartbeat skipped. I reached out and pushed open the half-closed door. The sight before me made me feel as if I’d fallen into an ice bath. This wasn’t my room anymore. My favorite minimalist gray-and-white bedding had been replaced with glaring pink floral sheets. The architectural blueprints and textbooks that had once been neatly arranged across my desk were nowhere to be seen. In their place were piles of makeup and several stuffed animals. What hurt my eyes the most was the lamp beside the bed. It was an antique brass lamp my grandfather had left me—a family keepsake. Now it had been replaced with a cheap star projector flashing tacky rainbow lights. I turned sharply toward the hallway. That was when I noticed several huge cardboard boxes piled in the corner. I walked over stiffly and tore open the tape on the top box. My clothes, photo albums, textbooks, and every trophy I had earned growing up had been shoved inside without care. The traces of my twenty years of life had been packed up like garbage, swept out of the way, and dumped in this dark corner where no one would see them. “You…you’re back early?” A timid voice came from the top of the stairs. Nora was wearing my silk pajamas. She held a glass of milk in her hands and stared at me nervously. I had only worn those pajamas once. They were slightly too large, so I’d left them at the back of my closet. On Nora, they made her look even more fragile and pitiful, like a paper doll that might be blown away by the slightest breeze. I ignored her, walked past her, and went downstairs. Then I pushed open the door to my brother Ethan’s study. Ethan was reading documents. He looked up at the sound, surprise flashing briefly across his face before irritation replaced it. “Ethan, what happened to my room?” I asked, my voice trembling. He set down his pen and frowned slightly. “Why didn’t you tell us you were coming back? That room gets plenty of sunlight, and Nora’s health isn’t great. She needs the sun. Besides, Nora grew up poor, in a dark, rundown house. She’s never lived in a room this nice. You’ve been abroad for six months. The room was sitting empty. Couldn’t you let her have it?” “Why?” I stared at my own brother. “That’s my room! I lived there for twenty years! My personal belongings were thrown into the hallway like trash, and you’re telling me to let her have it?” “Lily, when did you become so petty?” The study door opened again, and a clear, gentle male voice drifted inside. Julian stood there in a perfectly tailored suit, holding an elegant dessert box. When he looked at me, there was no joy at seeing me again. Only faint reproach. Julian walked over and placed the box on the desk. It was Nora’s favorite cheesecake. Then he turned toward me. My eyes were red, but his voice remained gentle. The words that came out, however, were cold. “Lily, Nora’s had a terrible life. Her parents treated her like an ATM. They even tried to sell her for money. She doesn’t feel safe here. Having a sunny room is the only thing that makes her feel a little better. You’ve never lacked anything. Can’t you be a little more generous? Why do you have to throw a tantrum now?” I looked at the two men in front of me. One was my brother, who had promised to protect me for the rest of my life. The other was my boyfriend, who had promised to marry me when we grew up. Three years earlier, on a night of pouring rain, I had found Nora beside the trash cans outside our house. Her whole body was bruised, and she was shivering violently. She had knelt in the muddy water, clutching my pant leg and sobbing, “Please, save me. My parents are going to sell me to a sixty-year-old blind man…” Back then, my heart had broken for her. I brought Nora home with me. I bought her clothes, paid for her education, and treated her like my own sister. At the time, Julian had dried my rain-soaked hair for me. He’d gently tapped my nose and said, “My Lily is the kindest girl in the world.” Back then, Ethan had brought me hot tea and proudly ruffled my hair. “Lily’s just too softhearted. But it’s fine. I can support you. You’re the best person in the world.” But three years later, that “kindness” had become evidence that I wasn’t being “generous” enough toward Nora. They looked down from their high horses and pitied her. They played the heroes in front of her so they could appear generous, while making me look selfish. I didn’t know when Nora had followed us, but she was now standing behind Julian, tears streaming down her face. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have wanted that room just because it gets sunlight. I’ll move out tonight. I can sleep on the living room sofa. Please don’t fight because of me…” “Listen to her!” Ethan slammed his palm against the desk and pointed at me furiously. “Nora is so considerate! Look at you! You’re being cruel and spiteful! When did you become so heartless?” Julian sighed softly. He pulled a tissue from his pocket and handed it to Nora. “Nora, this isn’t your fault. You don’t need to move out. Lily’s just tired from traveling. She’s not herself right now.” I stood in the middle of the study, watching the three of them form a picture of a happy family. And I was the unreasonable intruder. My nails dug deep into my palms. I did everything I could to stay calm and hold on to the last scrap of my dignity. “Fine. I won’t fight over it,” I said quietly. Then I turned and walked, one step at a time, toward the pile of cardboard boxes. The hallway light stretched my lonely shadow longer and longer. I didn’t know when it had happened, but somehow, I had suddenly become homeless.Lily POV The night grew darker. The villa was so quiet that the only sound was the ticking of the clock. I sat on the living room sofa, staring at the suitcase that had temporarily been placed in a guest room downstairs. I hadn’t eaten all day. The exhaustion from the long flight, combined with the violent emotional upheaval, had left my stomach cramping in waves. I took a deep breath and stood. My legs felt weak as I made my way toward the kitchen. Even though this house had become completely unrecognizable, I still needed food to keep my body functioning. The motion-sensor lights came on as I entered the kitchen. I opened the door of the enormous side-by-side refrigerator. The instant it opened, a strong, sour, rotten stench hit me in the face. It was the smell of severely spoiled food, mixed with the cold, trapped air inside the refrigerator. It rushed straight into my head. My stomach churned. I immediately covered my mouth and nose. Then I saw it. In the exact center of the refrigerator sat a large cake box. Inside was a cake that had completely collapsed. Gray-green mold covered the cream. The strawberries had turned black and were leaking juice. A strange sour odor rose from it. “Lily, are you hungry?” The voice behind me made my whole body stiffen. Nora stood barefoot in the kitchen doorway, still wearing my silk pajamas. Her eyes were red, and she nervously twisted the hem of her shirt. But her gaze was fixed on the cake inside the refrigerator. “That cake…is spoiled.” I forced down my nausea and reached for the box. “I’m throwing it away.” “Don’t!” Nora suddenly screamed and rushed over, shielding the box with her body. Tears spilled instantly from her eyes, dripping onto the counter. “Lily, I made that birthday cake especially for you!” I froze. A birthday cake? My birthday had been half a month ago. “You weren’t home on your birthday. I got up before dawn to bake it and whip the cream. It took me three hours. I thought you must miss homemade cake while you were abroad, so…I kept it for you.” She was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. Her voice was full of unbearable grief. “I know you look down on me. You think I took your room. You think I stole Ethan and Julian’s attention. You definitely don’t want to eat this cake. You must think anything I make is dirty…” “What are you talking about?” I found the whole thing absurd. A cake that had been sitting in the refrigerator for half a month was practically poison. “What’s going on? Why are you making so much noise in the middle of the night?” Ethan came hurrying downstairs in his pajamas, his brows drawn tightly together. Julian had stayed in the guest room that night, and he came out when he heard the commotion. “Ethan…” The moment Nora saw him, she rushed over as if he were her savior. Pointing at the cake, she cried so hard she nearly collapsed. “I made Lily a birthday cake and she said it was dirty! She said eating it would make her sick! I only wanted to celebrate her birthday again. I didn’t know she hated me this much…” Ethan stood in the kitchen doorway and stared at the cake for a long moment. He must have smelled the stench too. But in the end, his eyes fell on the back of Nora’s hand. There was an old scar there—the burn she’d gotten from a baking tray. His expression slowly changed. His frown became something I couldn’t identify. He looked at Nora, then at me. His lips pressed into a thin line, as if he had made a decision. Ethan strode forward, walked past me, and took the foul-smelling cake out of the refrigerator. He placed it heavily on the table. “Lily, are you done?” His voice was harsh. “Nora got up before dawn half a month ago to make that cake for you! She burned her hand doing it! And you? You’re not only ungrateful—you’re standing here calling it dirty?” “Are you insane?” I stared at him in disbelief and pointed at the cake. “Look at it! Do you see what’s growing on it? That’s mold! It’s rotten, and you want me to eat it?” “It’s Nora’s gesture of love! Even if it’s spoiled, you still have to eat it! You have to apologize to Nora for being arrogant and heartless!” Ethan picked up a spoon. “I’m not eating it!” I backed away, fear and disbelief filling my eyes. “I said eat it!” Ethan lunged forward. One hand clamped around my shoulder like an iron vise. With the other, he grabbed the spoon. Ignoring my frantic struggle, he forced the moldy cake toward my mouth. “Mmph—let me go!” I fought desperately, but after the long journey and a full day without food, I couldn’t resist the strength of a grown man. Ethan roughly smeared the cake across my lips. The cold, sticky cream reeking of sour rot streaked my face. Some of it slipped into my mouth as I struggled. In that instant, nausea and violent stomach cramps exploded through my body like a bomb. I shoved Ethan away and rushed to the sink. “Ugh—!” I bent over and vomited violently. My stomach had been empty, so there was almost nothing to bring up. Only the two mouthfuls of green-furred cake came out. My throat burned as if it had caught fire. Tears streamed down my face from the uncontrollable nausea. I clung to the sink, gasping for breath. My entire body shook. Ethan’s hand went slightly rigid. Then Nora, standing behind him, lightly tugged on his sleeve. In a tiny voice, she said, “Ethan, look…does she really think I’m dirty? Even after eating it, she had to throw up the cake I made right in front of me…” Julian frowned and walked into the kitchen. “Lily.” His gentle voice was now cold as ice. “You’ve really disappointed me. You’re even hurting yourself just to humiliate Nora. Don’t you think you look pathetic right now?” I remained bent over the sink, listening to the two men behind me. Then I let out a quiet laugh. I didn’t lift my head. I simply turned on the faucet and washed the sour liquid from my mouth, along with the tears from the corners of my eyes. The sound of running water covered the noise of something inside me snapping for good.Lily POV In the end, I couldn’t make it through the night. The two bites of moldy cake, combined with my already weakened body and emotional turmoil, triggered severe acute gastroenteritis. By the time I was carried into the ambulance, my body had curled into a tight ball. My face was pale as paper, and cold sweat soaked through my clothes. In a daze, I saw Ethan standing beside the stretcher. For the first time, panic flashed across his face. The emergency ward smelled strongly of disinfectant. An IV drip flowed silently through the transparent tube into my veins. The cold liquid eased the burning pain churning through my stomach. I stared at the pale ceiling above me. The patient in the neighboring bed was being gently coaxed by their family to drink some water. My brother stood beside my bed. The regret on Ethan’s face was obvious. He rubbed his hands together and spoke hoarsely. “Lily…I acted impulsively. I lost my temper when I saw Nora crying like that. Your stomach has always been sensitive. I shouldn’t have forced you to eat it. I’m sorry. You can hit me or yell at me if you want.” I turned my head and looked at him without saying anything. Before I could respond, the ward door opened. Nora walked in behind him. She hadn’t even changed clothes. She was still wearing the silk pajamas, with Ethan’s coat draped over her shoulders. Her eyes were swollen. The moment she saw me in bed, she began to cry. “This is all my fault…” Nora sniffed. Her voice sounded especially pitiful in the quiet ward. “If I hadn’t insisted on saving that cake for Lily, if I hadn’t made something so awful, she wouldn’t have ended up in the hospital. Ethan, hit me if you want. I caused all of this. Someone like me doesn’t deserve to stay with the Bennett family…” As she spoke, she shrank behind Ethan, looking as if guilt had nearly broken her apart. Ethan immediately turned around and instinctively shielded her. He patted her back. “What are you saying? How could this be your fault? You meant well. Who could have known the cake would spoil? Lily’s health is weak. You can’t blame yourself. Stop crying. Your eyes are already swollen.” I lay in the hospital bed, watching the absurd scene before me. My brother had nearly let a spoiled cake take my life. Yet here he was, standing beside my bed and comforting the person who had caused it all. A deep sense of helplessness and absurdity swallowed me whole. I suddenly felt so tired. Too tired to say another word to either of them. Trembling, I reached beneath my pillow with the hand that wasn’t connected to the IV and took out my phone. Then I called Julian. He hadn’t come to the hospital that night because of an unexpected international meeting at work. The phone rang for a long time before he answered. His voice sounded tired but still gentle and polite. “Hey, Lily. Are you feeling better? Ethan told me you were admitted.” The moment I heard that familiar voice—the voice that had comforted me countless times when I was vulnerable—the tears I had been holding back finally burst free. I tried to keep my voice down, sobbing through my tears. “Julian…I’m in so much pain. Ethan forced me to eat that rotten cake. I threw up, and now I’m in the hospital on an IV. But he’s still comforting Nora…” I thought my boyfriend—the man who had once looked heartbroken if I got even a tiny paper cut—would soothe me like he always had. I thought he would rush to the hospital and stay by my side all night. There was a brief silence on the other end. Only his faint breathing traveled through the phone. A few seconds later, Julian spoke again. But the warmth I had been waiting for was gone. His voice held a lofty judgment and weary impatience. “Lily, are you done?” My breath caught. “Nora meant well.” His pace was calm, but every word cut like a knife. “Her family was poor. She doesn’t understand expiration dates. All she knew was that it was the best thing she could give you. Why are you being so cruel? Why do you have to make everything so ugly?” “She ate plenty of spoiled food before, didn’t she? She got through it every time. She was just trying to save money. She didn’t know any better. She’s suffered so much. You need to be more understanding.” “She had a difficult life. Can’t you show her a little compassion?” There was a hint of sternness in Julian’s voice. “It’s only gastroenteritis. A few days of IV fluids and you’ll be fine. But you threw up in front of her. Do you have any idea how much that hurt her pride? Lily, when did you become so selfish?” The tears in my eyes dried instantly. I gripped my phone so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Listening to the man on the other end, I suddenly felt as if I didn’t know him at all. “She’s pitiful? She didn’t know any better? What about me? Don’t you know me? You watched me grow up. Don’t you know I can’t eat spoiled food?” My voice was hoarse from weakness and anger. “That’s enough.” Julian finally seemed to lose patience. His voice turned cold, filled with complete disappointment. “You’ve changed, Lily. You weren’t like this before. You used to be kind and generous. You never attacked people like this. Stay in the hospital and reflect on yourself.” The call ended. I sat there in a daze, holding my phone. Its screen flickered on and off in the darkness. I looked at Ethan, still speaking gently to Nora, and listened to the cold dead tone in my phone. So in their eyes, my protest—one that had cost me my health, almost even my life—was nothing more than an ugly tantrum. I didn’t cry again. When pain reaches its limit, there are no tears left. I slowly lowered my phone and closed my eyes. That was when I heard it clearly. The fortress in my heart called “home” and “love” had collapsed with a deafening roar, crumbling into dust.Lily POV I spent the entire night in the hospital bed. The IV dripped steadily, as if counting down the twenty years of my youth that had already slipped away. I stared silently at the pale ceiling. The tears that had fallen from the corners of my eyes had long since dried into the pillow, leaving two hard trails on my skin. Memories replayed in my mind like an uncontrollable film. I remembered being seventeen, when I accidentally cut my index finger with a utility knife. It had only drawn a tiny bead of blood. Julian had turned pale with worry. He ran three blocks in the middle of the night to buy me a bandage, held my hand, and blew on it for a long time. His voice had trembled. “Lily, let me handle things like this from now on. I can’t stand seeing you get hurt.” But now, after being forced to eat rotten food and developing gastroenteritis, I had curled up in bed in agony while he coldly told me over the phone: “It’s only gastroenteritis. Why are you being so cruel?” Love and indifference could change so quickly. The next morning, sunlight poured through the hospital blinds. I pulled the needle from the back of my hand and forced my weak body upright. Then I picked up the phone beside my bed and made a call. “Professor Smith, hello. This is Lily Bennett.” My voice was hoarse but strangely firm. “About the offer you sent me earlier—I’ve decided to accept it. Yes, I’ve prepared all the paperwork. I’ll be in London to start in one month.” After hanging up, I looked at the morning light outside the window and released a long breath. This one month would be the final countdown to my life in this place I had once called home. Around noon, the ward door opened quietly. Nora walked in alone. She had changed into an old, faded shirt. In her hands was a pink thermos. Without Ethan or Julian present, the timid look on Nora’s face had faded slightly. In its place was a subtle confidence. “Lily, are you feeling better?” She walked to my bedside with red-rimmed eyes, her voice soft. “I know you’re still angry with me. I felt so guilty last night that I couldn’t sleep. I went out early this morning and bought the best ingredients. I made soup for you myself.” I leaned against the headboard and looked at her coldly. I felt a visceral disgust toward this woman now, but the weakness brought on by gastroenteritis left me without the energy to even lose my temper. When Nora saw that I didn’t refuse, she carefully unscrewed the lid of the thermos and poured out a steaming bowl of soup. She held it in both hands and offered it to me, her posture humble to the point of submission. “Try a sip. If you drink even one sip, that means you forgive me, okay?” I stared at the bowl. My stomach churned faintly, but hunger and weakness had dulled my thoughts. I didn’t want to argue with Nora anymore. I only wanted to get rid of her as quickly as possible. So I took the bowl without expression and forced myself to swallow a small mouthful. The moment the soup touched my tongue, I frowned. The meat tasted strange. I was about to set the bowl down when I noticed Nora standing beside the bed. The corner of her mouth curved into a strange smile. It was the malicious smile of a victor. “Does it taste good?” Nora’s voice suddenly changed. The timid, delicate tone was gone. In its place was a sick, almost cheerful lilt. She leaned closer and whispered in a voice only the two of us could hear. “Do you know what it is?” My heart clenched. An ominous premonition slithered up my spine like a poisonous snake. I raised my head and stared at her. Nora’s smile deepened. Slowly, she added, “It’s the meat from your little white rabbit.” Clatter— The bowl slipped from my hands and smashed against the metal cabinet beside the bed, breaking into several pieces. Scalding soup splashed across the back of my hand, but I couldn’t feel the pain. “What did you say?” My entire body trembled, and fear warped my voice. “Your little Snowball.” Nora watched my face turn deathly pale, her eyes glittering with the pleasure of revenge. “Ethan said he was old and useless. He was shedding fur and losing teeth everywhere. I told Ethan rabbit meat was good for your health. You’re weak from being in the hospital, so it was perfect for making soup. He even praised me for being considerate.” Boom— Something exploded inside my head. Snowball used to nuzzle my palm when I was sad. When I was happy, he would hop around me in circles. He was old now and couldn’t jump very well anymore, but he was family. And now… “Ugh—!” I lunged over the side of the bed and began vomiting violently. I shoved my fingers down my throat, desperately trying to force out the mouthful of soup I had swallowed. Tears, mucus, and stomach acid mixed together. “You’re an animal… You’re a monster!” I collapsed onto the floor, my entire body shaking violently. My eyes were bloodshot as I glared at Nora with enough hatred to kill her. But Nora only looked at me coldly. “Lily, you forced me into this. Who told you to have so much and still refuse to give me one room? Don’t worry. This is only the beginning.”Lily POV Smack! The sharp sound of a slap exploded through the hospital ward. I didn’t know where I found the strength. I struggled up from the floor, raised my hand, and poured all the hatred and despair inside me into a single blow across Nora’s face. The slap was hard enough to knock her off balance. She screamed and crashed into the medical equipment behind her. Half her face swelled instantly, and a thin line of blood appeared at the corner of her mouth. “You killed him… You killed my rabbit!” My eyes were red as I lunged at her and clamped both hands around her throat. “I’ll make you pay with your life!” Bang! At that moment, the ward door was violently thrown open. Ethan rushed in carrying a bag of fruit. “Have you lost your mind?” He dropped the fruit and charged forward. Grabbing my collar, he yanked me away from Nora and threw me aside. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he swung his hand and slapped me across the face. Smack! I was already barely standing. The blow sent me crashing to the floor. My forehead struck the edge of the bedside cabinet, splitting the skin. Blood slid down my pale cheek. My ears rang. My vision went black at the edges. “Lily, are you insane?” Ethan roared, standing protectively in front of Nora. “She went out of her way to make food for you and brought it all the way here! You could have refused, but you actually hit her! You’re an incurable, poisonous witch!” Nora immediately hid behind him. Covering her swollen cheek, she began to sob loudly. “Ethan, don’t hit Lily… She didn’t mean to. I didn’t know that was her rabbit. You said it was unwanted, didn’t you? I only saw how weak she was and wanted to help her recover. I really didn’t know she’d get so angry…” “Rabbit?” Julian arrived at the ward just then. He pushed open the door and saw me lying in a pool of blood, while Nora trembled behind Ethan. He paused. Then he walked over to Nora and looked down at me with disappointment and exhaustion. “Lily, you’ve really disappointed me.” His tone remained polite, but it was cruel beyond words. “It was only a rabbit. It was old and nearly dead anyway. Nora was only thinking about your health. You attacked her, and then you made yourself look like this. How much longer are you going to keep causing trouble?” Only a rabbit. I lay on the cold tile floor, blood from my forehead blurring my vision. Through the red haze, I looked at the three people standing together before me. One was my brother, who had once sworn to protect me for the rest of my life. The other was my boyfriend, who had once promised to marry me. Now they stood like two guardian angels protecting the cruel killer who had murdered my rabbit, accusing me of being vicious. It was absurd. So absurd. I suddenly started laughing. The sound shook up from my chest, filled with a tearing pain. In the silent ward, it sounded especially eerie. Julian frowned and took a step toward me. “What are you laughing at?” Using the edge of the bed for support, I slowly and painfully got to my feet. I didn’t wipe the blood from my face. I simply swept my dead, empty eyes over the three of them. “I’m laughing at myself for being blind.” My voice was so soft it could have been scattered by the wind, but every word was a blade coated in ice. “Ethan. Julian. Remember this. Snowball wasn’t some unwanted old rabbit. He was my family. Today, you killed my rabbit for this woman. And you hit me.” I lifted my trembling hand and pointed toward the door, speaking each word slowly. “Now take your precious Nora and get out.” “Lily, don’t be so ungrateful—” Ethan started. “Get out!” I grabbed the remaining shards of the bowl from the bedside table and hurled them at Ethan’s feet. The ceramic shattered with a sharp crack, and one piece sliced into his calf. Ethan flinched. Finally, he gritted his teeth and grabbed Nora by the wrist. “Fine. Since you’re determined to be ungrateful, stay here and reflect on yourself! We’re leaving!” Julian looked at me deeply. Something complicated flashed through his eyes, but in the end, he turned and followed Ethan. The ward door opened. Just before it closed, I clearly heard Nora’s tearful voice from the hallway. Yet beneath the tears, she couldn’t hide her satisfaction. “Ethan, Julian… Does this mean she’ll never forgive me? Did I do something wrong?” The door slammed shut. The world finally fell silent. My strength gave out. I slid down beside the bed and collapsed among the shards and blood. I buried my face in my arms like a desperate beast abandoned by the entire world. Then I let out a broken sob.Lily POV The voices outside drifted faintly through the crack beneath the door. It was the two nurses who had come to change my dressing earlier, before Ethan had rudely interrupted them. “Oh my God, that guy was so sweet to that girl. He kept holding her protectively the whole time and barely dared to raise his voice, like he was afraid of frightening her.” “Yeah. Her face was all red, and she looked so helpless. But the girl in the hospital bed with blood on her head is the one who’s really pitiful. She’s all alone. That guy looked like her brother, and he hit her so hard. Then he told her to get out.” “It must be some kind of family drama. That girl’s eyes looked like they were about to shatter…” The nurses’ voices gradually faded. I remained motionless on the floor. The blood on my forehead had already dried, sticking to my eyelashes and tinting my vision a horrifying dark red. I thought I had cried myself dry the night before. But when I heard the words “she’s all alone,” hot tears still broke through the dam and silently struck the floor. Alone. Was I really the only person left in this world? I braced myself against the cold wall and struggled to stand. I didn’t call for a nurse. Instead, I walked into the bathroom and rinsed the blood from my face again and again with cold water. The person in the mirror looked as pale as a ghost. A vicious wound split her forehead, and her hollow eyes were terrifying. I took a deep breath, left the bathroom, picked up the phone that had fallen onto the bed, and called a lawyer. It was the number my grandfather had given me before he died. “Mr. Carter, it’s Lily Bennett.” My voice was surprisingly calm, hoarse but filled with the resolve of someone burning every bridge behind her. “I need you to prepare the documents immediately. I want to sell all my shares in Bennett Enterprises, along with every piece of real estate I own that can be liquidated. Yes, as quickly as possible. I don’t care if the price is lower. I want cash. Transfer everything into my overseas account.” Mr. Carter was shocked. “Ms. Bennett, please think this through! Those shares are the trump card your grandfather left you. Didn’t you say they were meant to—” “That was before.” I closed my eyes and cut him off. “I don’t need them anymore. Get it done.” After hanging up, I slid weakly onto the hospital bed. The shares amounted to fifteen percent of Bennett Enterprises’ core ownership. My grandfather had secretly transferred them to me before his death without telling anyone. I had never touched them. Ethan didn’t even know they existed. I had planned to use them to help Julian when he took over his family’s business, or to help Ethan if his company ever faced a crisis. I had also planned to give half of them to Julian as a wedding present. But now, everything had become a joke. I wrapped my arms around my knees and buried my face in them. Memories of Julian and me cut into my heart like sharp blades. I remembered being eight years old, when I accidentally broke an antique vase in the house. Terrified, I hid inside a cabinet and cried. Julian had stepped forward and taken the blame when the adults scolded me. He’d smiled at me. “Don’t be scared, Lily. I’m not afraid of getting yelled at.” I remembered the winter when I was fourteen. I suddenly developed a high fever, and the family driver wasn’t home. Julian had carried me through snow that reached above his knees, stumbling three miles to the hospital. By the time we arrived, his hands were blue and stiff from the cold, yet he had continued shielding me inside his coat. I remembered my eighteenth birthday celebration. Julian had worn a white suit and knelt before me like a real prince. Beneath the dazzling fireworks, he kissed the back of my hand. His eyes were so gentle they could drown me. “Lily, once you graduate from college, we’ll get married. I’ll make you the happiest woman in the world.” I remembered six months ago, when we had been about to part at the airport. Julian had held me tightly, his eyes red, his voice trembling. “Lily, six months is too long. I’ll miss you every day. You have to take care of yourself. If you lose even one strand of hair, it’ll break my heart.” The boy who had once been heartbroken over a single strand of my hair now stood beside another woman and watched me bleed from the head. “It’s only a rabbit. You’ve really disappointed me.” The warmer the memories were, the crueler reality became. I bit down hard on the back of my hand, suppressing the sob that threatened to tear through my throat. I took those five unforgettable memories, along with more than a decade of wholehearted love for him, and ripped them apart inside my heart. I crushed them flat and burned them to ash. From this day forward, I had no brother. And no lover.