My Bully Is My Fated Mate

CHAPTER 4

BREAKING POINT

Wonderful. Just when I thought life was cruel enough, even worse happens.

I sat as far away from Kael as possible.

Silence stretched between us heavily, then Kael suddenly spoke.

“You really think I’m obsessed with ruining your life?”

I stared straight ahead. “Aren’t you?”

He didn’t answer immediately, and when I finally looked at him, something unreadable sat in his expression again, tense and confusing. And I didn't know if that was him or me imagining things.

“You have no idea what I think about,” he muttered quietly.

Before I could process that strange answer, Principal Arden’s office door opened again.

“You’re both free to go. But if I hear one more complaint, suspension would be the last thing you'd have to worry about."

We stood immediately, and I grabbed my bag quickly and walked out without waiting for Kael. By the time I got home later that evening, exhaustion weighed heavily on my entire body.

I paused outside the kitchen after hearing my parents talking inside.

“…we can only afford to prioritize the twins right now.”

My chest tightened instantly.

Then my mother sighed softly. “Ellie just needs to be realistic about her future.”

I didn’t move from the hallway long after hearing my parents’ voices.

The words kept echoing inside my head like something sharp scraping against bone. I stood there silently digging my sharp nails into my palms so tightly they started to bleed.

Prioritize the twins. Again, it was always

the twins.

My mother's sigh came from inside the kitchen again. “Ellie needs to understand that Crestfall isn’t realistic for us financially.”

“She’s smart,” my father replied distractedly. “But we have to think practically.”

Practically. That word alone nearly made me laugh. Practical meant Emily’s dance competitions, it meant Ethan’s tutoring lessons, and practical meant sacrificing anything connected to me because I was the one expected to understand.

I stepped away from the kitchen before they could notice me standing there. By the time I reached my room, my chest felt unbearably tight.

I shut the door quietly behind me and leaned against it, then slowly slid to the floor. I stared at nothing for a long time.

I wasn’t even surprised anymore, that was probably the worst part.

A notification suddenly appeared on my laptop screen. Draft Saved Successfully.

My unfinished story remained open from the night before. The heroine stood on the edge of a kingdom she was never meant to belong to, waiting for someone to finally choose her. I almost laughed bitterly at the irony. Even my fictional characters have abandonment issues now.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard, feeling the need to type away angrily. But I shoved the urge and moved away from the door.

A knock sounded lightly against my bedroom door before Veronica walked in without waiting. “You ignored my texts for two hours,” she announced dramatically. “Which means you’re either dead or about to kick the bucket.”

I quickly shut my laptop halfway. “I’m fine.”

“That is the saddest lie I’ve heard today.”

She dropped beside me on the floor, holding a paper bag that smelled like fries. “Emergency emotional support food.”

Despite everything, my chest loosened slightly. “You’re weird.”

“And yet you love me," she said, grinning.

Veronica nudged my shoulder gently. “What happened?”

I hesitated, before the words spilled out quietly. “They’re not going to help me if I get into Crestfall.”

Her expression softened immediately. “What?”

“They said they could only afford to prioritize the twins.” Even saying it out loud somehow hurt more.

Veronica instantly looked furious on my behalf. “That’s complete bullshit.”

I shrugged weakly like it didn’t matter, but it did. God! It mattered so much.

“I just…” My voice cracked embarrassingly. “I really wanted this.”

“You can still have it.”

“How?” I laughed bitterly. “Crestfall costs more money than my family probably makes in five years.”

“You’ll get a scholarship.”

“What if I don’t?”

Silence filled the room for a moment.

Then quietly, I admitted the truth I rarely said aloud. “I can’t stay here forever, Veronica.”

She looked at me carefully. "I know.”

“No, you don’t.” My throat tightened painfully. “Every single day in this house feels like I’m borrowing space that belongs to somebody else.”

Veronica stayed silent, because there wasn’t really anything comforting to say.

“I just want one thing that’s mine,” I whispered. “One thing nobody can take away from me.”

For a second, emotion flashed across Veronica’s face before she covered it quickly with humor.

“Well,” she said lightly, “when you become a famous author, don’t forget me during your billionaire era.”

I smiled faintly. “That’s assuming I survive senior year.”

“Barely," she said, shoving fries into her mouth.

She stayed with me for another hour before leaving. And somehow, the silence afterward felt even heavier.

Later that evening, dinner felt like walking directly into a disaster I already knew was waiting. Emily sat at the table talking excitedly about some competition while Ethan showed our father something on his phone, and nobody noticed when I walked in. Typical.

I sat quietly and pushed food around my plate without eating much.

Then my father looked up suddenly.

“Ellie.”

I froze slightly. “Yeah?”

“You received another email from Crestfall today.”

“What?," I said, balling my eyes as my heart stopped.

“It’s probably another promotional message,” my mother said dismissively. “Those schools send emails constantly.”

But my pulse had already started racing.

Another email? Could it be—

“I think she should stop obsessing over that school,” Emily interrupted casually while sipping her drink. “Crestfall is insanely competitive."

I stared at her. She didn’t even mean to sound cruel, and that ruined everything even more.

Ethan nodded. “Plus the tuition is crazy expensive.”

“There are plenty of affordable colleges nearby,” my mother added immediately. “Perfectly good schools."

Something inside me took its time to c***k, like glass breaking under too much pressure in slow motion.

“I don’t want nearby schools," I finally said, and the table went quiet.

My father frowned slightly. “Ellie—”

“I want Crestfall.”

“You need to be realistic,” my mother replied.

“There it is again,” I said, laughing bitterly.

My parents exchanged confused looks.

“That word. Realistic!” I pushed my plate away completely. “You say it every single time I want something.”

“Ellie,” my father warned.

“No, seriously.” My voice trembled now. “Tell me one time you actually believed I could do something.”

Nobody answered, why? Because they couldn’t.

Emily suddenly looked uncomfortable. “We’re not saying you can’t—”

“You don’t have to say it,” I snapped. “I already know.”

Silence crashed heavily across the dining room. Years of hurt rose violently inside my chest all at once. Every forgotten birthday, every achievement ignored, and the moments I stood quietly beside this family feeling like extra furniture in someone else’s house.

“I work harder than everyone in this family,” I whispered shakily. “I get perfect grades. I stay out of trouble and I never ask for anything.”

“Ellie, calm down,” my mother said.

“No!” The word exploded out of me unexpectedly. “I’m tired of being calm!”

Everyone stared at me in shock. Even I stared at myself as my breathing turned uneven.

“You always choose them, the twins,” I continued, tears burning painfully behind my eyes. “Every single time.”

“That’s not true,” my father argued immediately.

“Then why does it always feel true?”

Nobody spoke then, because it was true and they knew.

My mother’s expression hardened slightly. “After everything we’ve done for you, this attitude is unbelievably selfish.”

Selfish. The word came like she'd slapped me. I laughed shakily because if I didn’t laugh, I would cry even more. No, I'd wail.

“You know what’s selfish?” My voice broke. “Making someone feel unwanted for years and expecting them to be grateful for surviving it.”

“Ellie!” my father barked.

But I was already standing, because tears blurred my vision now.

“I didn’t ask to be adopted into a family that never actually wanted me!”

The silence afterward felt monstrous. Emily looked horrified, and Ethan stared down at the table.

My mother’s face tightened with anger. “How dare you say that, after all we sacrificed for you.”

“There it is,” I whispered brokenly. “You always make me feel like loving me was some kind of burden.”

My chest hurt that minute, followed by everything else. And suddenly I couldn’t breathe inside this house anymore.

I grabbed my hoodie and rushed toward the front door.

“Ellie, come back here!” my father shouted, but I ignored him.

The cold night air hit my face immediately as I stumbled outside, and tears streamed down my cheeks while I walked blindly down the sidewalk.

I didn’t even know where I was going, I just needed to escape. I needed air, needed silence, and needed one place in the world where I didn’t feel unwanted.

The streets were mostly empty now, lit only by dim streetlights and passing headlights.

My breathing came out uneven as I wiped angrily at my tears.

Then I suddenly stopped walking. A few feet ahead, just beneath a flickering streetlight, stood an old woman watching me quietly.

The moment our eyes met, a strange chill crawled down my spine.

And my heart began to race when she headed my direction.