Chapter 2
She knew she couldn’t escapir. Owen, once the person she trusted most, was now the one she hated the most and le..
wanted to face.
Rather than dealing with Owen, she would prefer to settle for the next option–going with Harry. At least Harry had always despised her from the very beginning.
From the first day she entered the Jackson family, Harry had warned her, “Even if you’re my blood relative, the only sister I have in my heart is Agnes. You’d better behave yourself. If I find out you’re bullying Agnes, I won’t let you off.”
He never gave her any hope, so she never had any real expectations. In front of Harry, the psychological wounds she suffered were easier to bear. It was better than being hurt by the person she trusted most.
Prison had taught her one crucial lesson: when you had no power, no connections, and no one to rely on, the only way to survive was to minimize harm and stay safe.
So, when the other inmates made her choose between being disfigured or slapped across the face, she chose the slap. When she had to decide between being beaten or begging, she chose to beg
When faced with the choice between drinking toilet water or barking like a dog, she chose to bark.
She had tried to fight back, but the more she resisted, the worse the beatings became. To stay alive, she had to abandon her pride and let herself be controlled.
Even when thrown into a pit of ruthless criminals, she survived by her ability to “avoid harm and seek safety.”
Camila walked toward Harry’s black Bentley. As she passed Owen, her face remained blank, and she didn’t even give him a glance.
The oversized T–shirt brushed against his fingertips, and the empty sensation felt wrong–like the fabric wasn’t worn by a person but hung on a clothes hanger.
Owen’s hand hung motionless in the air. In that instant, it felt as if the air around him had frozen, leaving only the cold and hollow feeling on his fingertips.
Pain and loneliness flashed in his eyes. His heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, every beat sending a dull ache through his chest.
Once, her gaze had always followed him, full of trust and dependence. They had grown up together in the orphanage, always there for each other. Whenever he called out her name, “Camila,” she would smile brightly and reply, “Owen, I’m here.”
But time had passed, and now she treated him as if he were invisible, not even sparing him a glance.
Owen’s lips trembled, and he opened his mouth to speak, but found his throat constricted, unable to make a sound. Camila climbed into the car and sat in the back seat. Everywhere she looked, there were signs of a woman’s presence. The passenger seat was covered with a soft pink cushion, and the center console was lined with a row of cute strawberry bears. The rearview mirror held a pendant of a woman who looked more mature and alluring than she had been five years
She smiled brightly, a picture of a pampered, well–loved daughter from a wealthy family. The expression on her face seemed to mork Camila, the so–called “false daughter”
Camila had thought she could remain indifferent to all of this, but seeing it with her own eyes still made her heart ache
the unfairness she had suffered.
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She turned her gaze away, but ir inevitably fell on the handbag beside her. Inside was a pristine white gown, its full beauty hidden, but the feathers adorning it suggested it was exquisite.
Her fingers absently traced the rough denim of her jeans. Every detail inside the car reminded her how out of place she was here. From head to toe, she wasn’t worth as much as the handbag holding the gown.
She turned her gaze to the window, watching the scenery blur by.
Harry, still behind the wheel, didn’t forget to lecture her. “Mom and Dad have missed you terribly these past five years. They’ve cried every day, their hair has turned gray, When we get hack, leave your spoiled princess attitude behind.
“I don’t want to see you scheming or causing trouble with Agnes, making things difficult for Mom and Dad. If you just stay in line, the Jackson family won’t treat you unfairly.”
His words hung in the air, and the silence stretched on.
When she didn’t respond, Harry frowned, clearly irritated, and glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “Camila, I’m talking to you. Are you even listening?”
Finally, Camila turned to look at him, then spoke the longest sentence she had since her release. “According to the rules, prisoners can meet with family members or guardians during their sentence.
“Prisoners are allowed one visit a month, usually between half an hour and an hour.
I’ve been in prison for five y single one.
years, a total of sixty months. That means I could’ve had sixty visits from my family, but not a
“If your parents missed me so much, why didn’t they come visit? Were they too busy to spare even half an hour a month?” Her voice was calm, but every word hit with the force of a blade, cutting through his lies.
For a moment, Harry’s eyes flashed with panic and guilt. The reprimand he had planned was swallowed by the knot in his throat
He instinctively looked away from her calm yet piercing gaze, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned
white.
“…It’s because you’re so hard to handle. Mom and Dad didn’t visit you because they wanted you to focus on changing your bad habits in there. They’re doing this for your own good,” he said finally.
For my own good? Carmila thought bitterly. For my own good, they made me take the fall for Agnes and suffer in prison. This is the ‘good‘ they want for me?‘
She felt utterly drained. She had no desire to look at Harry anymore, so she turned her attention back to the window.
The car soon pulled into the Jackson family’s garage.
Harry seemed pleased with himself. He grabbed the handbag from the back seat and quickly turned to leave.
After walking a few steps, he suddenly seemed to remember Camila, pausing and stiffening. The awkwardness on his face hadn’t fully faded when he turned around.
“Go change into something proper. We’re heading to the banquet hall,” he said, then turned and left without looking back. Five years later, the Jackson family home still felt foreign to Camila, She had never felt warmth here; it had never truly been a home. Life here was even worse than in the orphanage.
In the orphanage, though she didn’t have a private room, she stayed in a sunny dormitory. When the sun rose, its light filled the entire room, creating a warm, comforting atmosphere.
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She’d always loved the scent of the blankets warmed by the sun; it gave her the feeling of home.
Butt
But now, standing in what was supposed to be her home, she realized that it wasn’t the scent of sun–warmed blankets she felt
-it was the musty, damp smell of a place that the sunlight never touched.
She opened the door. The small room had no windows and was piled high with clutter. The only furniture was a single folding bed and an old desk. This was the storage room that had been her bedroom for three years in the Jackson family.
Harry had told her to wear a proper gown. But she thought, ‘When have I ever owned one?
Through all the years, she had only ever had her high school uniform. The T–shirt and jeans she wore now were bought with money she earned working part–time during the holidays, purchased in some second hand market for a total of 15 dollars.
She remembered how excited she was when she first wore them and asked Harry for his opinion.
He barely even glanced at her before furrowing his brow. What are you wearing? Why can’t you dress like Agnes–graceful and appropriate? Take it off, throw it away. Don’t wear that outside and embarrass the Jackson family.”
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