Chapter 3
868 Words
I stood frozen in place, staring at him dumbfounded.
Did he like me?
I almost laughed out loud.
The experiences of these past years couldn't be fake, the suffering I endured wasn't a dream. If this was what Anthony considered liking someone, then being liked by him was simply the cruelest torture in the world.
"What kind of joke is this, Anthony? How could someone like you possibly know what it means to like someone? You're selfish, childish, and weak. When faced with difficulties and setbacks, you just shrink back like a turtle, afraid to face reality."
Anthony chuckled coldly. He straightened up, as wicked as a demon crawling out of hell. "I didn't fool you, did I?"
There it was again. Anthony, who would never face reality, was nothing like Addison. What right did he have to replace Addison and enjoy all the good things?
Eight years ago, during summer vacation, Addison, who rescued me from that dark and damp alley, died forever the summer I wanted to confess my feelings to him.
I didn't know he was part of the Reed family, and I never imagined such a dramatic coincidence would happen to me.
My parents didn't have time for me, so I spent years alone in the old city's urban village.
Bullied by the local hooligans, I didn't dare to fight back. Until one day, they went too far, attempting to physically violate me.
I fought back with all my might, but ultimately, due to the disparity in strength, I was beaten bloody and unconscious.
Addison, who was back in the country for vacation, passed by and heard my screams from the alley.
Like a god descending from heaven, he rushed in. He carried me on his back to the hospital. When he left, he even gave me his email address. He was positive, cheerful, and a truly good person.
Though busy with his studies abroad, he was diligent and motivated, often studying late into the night.
Yet, he still often found time to reply to my meaningless emails.
Those long, warm words once guided me through long and desperate years.
Time waited for no one, and time changed everyone. Such a good person, yet he was forever frozen in that gruesome and bloody memory.
My dad was the Reed family's driver, and my mom was their housekeeper. But I truly entered the Reed family seven years ago.
The day Anthony's older brother returned from studying abroad, my dad went to pick him up. On their way back, they saw my mom hugging another man. The man was my mom's first love.
My father, enraged and ignoring Addison's attempts to stop him, crazily rammed the car into the two people by the roadside. At the same time, due to his sudden lane change, a truck that couldn't brake in time crashed into their car.
An indecent affair, four vibrant lives.
*****
When I arrived at the scene, all I saw was bright red blood on the ground. It was a horrifying sight.
That night, Addison's grandma, Alice had someone forcibly take me to the Reed family's ancestral hall.
Looking at the wall full of ancestral tablets, she said to me, "Claire, your family owes the Reed family a life. Addison was the most outstanding child of his generation, and now, because of such an absurd reason, he lost his life. It's your parents who owe him this debt, and now, you have to pay it back."
I knelt silently on the ground, unable to shed a single tear. I just numbly nodded, agreeing to Alice's harsh conditions and signing that "unequal treaty" that would last for seven years.
Addison's younger brother, Anthony, suffered severe psychological trauma due to the car accident, resulting in memory confusion and other issues.
She wanted me to stay by Anthony's side for seven years, accompanying him as he grew up, at his beck and call, becoming an outlet for his emotions.
From then on, I became Anthony's most obedient "dog." No emotions, no resistance.
But no one knew the real reason I agreed to Alice's terms so readily. I saw that face, identical to Addison's.
I had to do something for Addison. If I couldn't protect him, I could at least protect his family.
But as it turned out, I overestimated myself.
When I left Anthony's villa, I only took my identification.
Although Anthony had tormented me all these years, he had provided me with the best in terms of food and clothing.
After all, he couldn't afford to lose face. I didn't take any of the clothes and jewelry he gave me.
Walking down the empty street, the brilliant sunshine felt like a different world.
Passersby, seeing my disheveled appearance, avoided me.
A kind-hearted woman couldn't bear to watch and hurried over, supporting me by the shoulders.
"Girl, are you hurt? What happened? Do you need me to call the police?"
I smiled at the woman. It felt like it had been a long time since I had felt such genuine kindness.
"No need, I just accidentally fell. I'll buy some medicine and treat myself later."
But just as I finished speaking, my vision went black, and I fainted.
- Writer
