Chapter 3
Was that really how he saw me? Like I was some villain. A murderer/
My heart hurt, and my stomach twisted with hunger. I wandered into the kitchen, hoping for something–anything–to eat. Nothing, except for half a dried–out bun on the table –
I grabbed it and cracked a couple of walnuts to go with it, but it barely touched the emptiness gnawing at me.%
A maid walked by, rolling her eyes so obviously I almost laughed. She spotted the bun in my hand and gasped, all fake concern.8
“Oh no, Miss Louisa, you’re not actually eating that, are you? That was supposed to be thrown out.”2
She glanced at me, feigning worry. “Master Tim and Miss Yvonne always wake up so early–we made breakfast too soon today. If you’d like something fresh, I can cook for you now.“%
She put on such a show of distress that I couldn’t help frowning. I kept my face blank and turned her down, swallowing the ache in my stomach and heading back to
my room.
There was no space for me in this house. Not even the staff bothered to hide their contempt.2
The pain in my stomach made my hands shake. I fumbled open a bottle of painkillers, tossed one in my mouth, and washed it down with cold water. The edge dulled, just barely.2
I changed clothes, fixed my makeup, and forced myself to look somewhat alive.%
My first stop was the funeral supply shop. I only had a day left–no time for a custom urn. So I picked one with a design I liked, thinking, Guess this will be my “home” one day?
left the store clutching the um. People stared–some curious, some freaked out–but I didn’t care. I just kept moving.2
I wandered for a while and ended up near Tim’s school. Classes had just let out, and the air was full of laughter. I watched the students, a little envious. They looked so alive.
1 hadn’t set foot in a school since I was ten.%
Just as I was about to leave, I saw Tim getting out of a car, heading for the entrance. With only one day left, I mustered up some courage and jogged over.
But before I reached him, I saw his face–brow furrowed, lips tight as he talked on his phone. When he noticed me, there was a flicker of suspicion in his eyes.
He spoke sharply into the phone. “I know” Then he hung up and walked straight toward me.!!
I opened my mouth to ask if he’d come home for dinner, but his glare stopped me cold.
“Louisa, if you want to stay in this family, you’d better keep your petty tricks to yourself. If I ever find out you’ve done anything to Yvonne, I’ll make sure you suffer for the rest of your life“%
I froze. Yvonne again.
I could guess who’d been on the other end of that call–Robert, of course.
I’d always been the unlucky one, the so–called curse of the family. Maybe that’s why they believed I could bring death to the people I loved.
Thinking of what Tim was capable of made me shiver.
After my mom died, a kind doctor brought me home. Tim locked me in the little storage room for three days. No one came. No food, no water. That memory has haunted me ever since B
On the third day, when I thought I was going to die, James showed up. He let me out, like some guardian angel. He never really looked after me, but over the years, he was the only one who showed me any kindness.
I was sure Tim had already heard about what i’d said this morning &
He must’ve taken my silence for fear, because he leaned in close, voice low and almost gentle at my ear–but there was nothing kind about it?
