Bound by Fate

Chapter 11: Shadows of Thunder

“Stupid girl, you got my doll dirty! Admit it, you did it on purpose, didn’t you?” A pretty girl, about five or six years old, shoved a smaller girl, only three or four, to the ground. Her eyes were filled with disgust and contempt, along with undisguised jealousy.

The girl who had been pushed to the ground was delicate and beautiful, like a porcelain doll, evoking pity in anyone who saw her. Her eyes welled with tears from the injustice, but she bit her soft pink lips, stubbornly refusing to let them fall. Her voice, however, betrayed her emotions as she choked out, “It wasn’t me… It wasn’t…” The truth was, the other girl had thrown the teddy bear onto the ground herself, yet she was blaming her for it.

“Hmph! Stop pretending to be so pitiful, like I’m bullying you. Don’t think I don’t know—you’re just like your mother, a born seductress who’s only good at stealing other people’s husbands!” Even though she was just a child, these words had been drilled into her by her mother, so she naturally repeated them.

“Don’t you dare talk about my mommy like that!” The little girl who had been wronged now puffed out her cheeks, glaring angrily at the older girl.

“Hmph! I’ll say what I want. What are you going to do about it?”

The little girl’s face turned bright red with anger. She got up and lunged at the taller girl, but the maid behind the older girl stepped forward and pushed her to the ground. The maid sneered, “How dare you, you little brat! How dare you try to hit the young miss!”

The force of an adult was no match for a child. The earlier push hadn’t hurt much, but this time, the little girl fell hard. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she still didn’t cry. Instead, she glared stubbornly at the person in front of her—her sister.

The pretty girl suddenly smiled maliciously, looking down at the little girl on the ground. “You really like this teddy bear, don’t you?”

The little girl looked at her warily, unsure of how she would be tormented next. Although they were both daughters of the same father, their treatment was completely different. She didn’t understand why, but she knew that their father liked her sister more. Her sister always had new clothes to wear and new toys to play with, while she had nothing. But she didn’t mind—except for that teddy bear. She really, really loved that bear.

The pretty girl walked over to the teddy bear and then stepped on it.

“No!” Ignoring the pain in her body, the little girl lunged forward to grab the bear.

“What’s all this noise in the middle of the night?” A woman’s irritated voice called out. The pretty girl’s eyes lit up, and she turned to call out, “Mommy…” With her mother here, the brat would definitely be punished!

The little girl took advantage of her sister’s distraction to snatch the teddy bear and hold it tightly in her arms.

The woman glanced at the little girl on the ground, her eyes filled with disgust and hatred. She instructed the maid, “Lock this brat in the dark room. I’m sick of looking at her.”

In the pitch-black room, the little girl curled up into a ball, trembling as she hugged the teddy bear to her chest. Her voice quivered as she spoke softly, “Teddy, does it hurt? Belle’s sorry… Don’t be scared, Teddy. Belle will protect you!” But her trembling voice betrayed her own fear.

Suddenly, the room, which had been pitch dark, was illuminated by a bright flash, only to plunge back into darkness. The little girl screamed in fright, curling into a corner with the teddy bear clutched tightly in her arms. She trembled violently, muttering over and over, “Don’t be scared, Teddy… Mommy will come save us… Mommy will be here soon…”

Before she could finish her sentence, a loud clap of thunder shook the room, making her ears ring.

With a gasp, Lily Thompson sat up in bed, her breath coming in heavy gasps as her chest heaved. She clutched the teddy bear tightly, trying to calm herself.

But just as she began to catch her breath, a flash of lightning lit up the room, revealing the terror in Lily’s eyes. It was as if she instinctively knew something worse was coming. In a panic, she quickly dove under the covers with the teddy bear, but the loud boom that followed penetrated the blanket, echoing in her ears.

“Ethan…” Lily whimpered, trembling uncontrollably as she clutched the bear, too scared to move.

Yes! She needed to find Ethan… She had to…

As soon as the thunder subsided, Lily scrambled out of bed with the bear and ran for the door. But just as she reached it, another flash of lightning lit up the entire villa. Lily immediately dropped to the floor, curling up into a ball with her hands covering her ears, her eyes filled with tears.

When the thunder passed, she quickly got up and ran forward again, pounding on the door in sheer panic. “Bang! Bang! Bang!” At this point, Lily was too scared to think about anything else—she just kept pounding on the door.

The second floor was considered a restricted area in the entire villa, and even David West rarely went up there unless necessary. Ethan Blackwood, of course, knew exactly who was at the door. Hearing the frantic knocking, he jumped out of bed and quickly opened the door. The next moment, Lily had thrown herself into his arms, clutching him as if he were her lifeline. “Ethan… It’s so scary…”

Holding her trembling body, Ethan felt a pang of sorrow. Just then, another flash of lightning lit up the sky, and Lily trembled even more, trying to bury herself deeper into his chest as if she wished she could disappear.

Ethan held her tightly, his voice gentle as he comforted her. “It’s okay, I’m here… Don’t be scared…” Lily seemed to calm down a bit, trembling less violently, but she still kept her face buried in his chest, too scared to come out.

Ethan scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the large bed, soothing her as he went. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay with you…”

“Mm… I’m not scared…” Though she said she wasn’t scared, her body continued to tremble.

Ethan lay down with her, pulling the covers over both of them. He kissed her gently on the forehead and whispered, “Don’t be scared, I’ll stay with you…”

“Mm.” Lily nestled into his chest, clinging to him tightly, feeling slightly less afraid, though she still couldn’t fall asleep.

“Ethan…”

“Mm?”

“I had a nightmare just now.”

Ethan gently stroked her arm, trying to soothe her fear. “Are you still scared?”

Lily tilted her head, thinking for a moment, then shook her head. “I can’t remember.” She knew it was a nightmare, but she couldn’t recall what exactly she had dreamed about.

“Then don’t think about it.” He hugged her closer, glancing at the window, his brow furrowed. He hoped the storm would end soon. Although she wasn’t as terrified as before, her body was still trembling, making his heart ache. With her, he found himself feeling many unfamiliar emotions, yet he didn’t mind them at all.