Chapter 7 She Refused to Stay in This House
Aurora’s resolute gaze swept across their faces one by one.
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Joshua, Celeste, and Bertha all avoided her eyes, unable to meet her piercing stare.
Even the visibly annoyed Barnett dropped his gaze under the weight of her sharp glare.
“You won’t speak? Fine, I’ll say it for you.
“Mr. Elvador, the dress was intact when you picked it up. The surveillance footage can confirm that I didn’t touch it during the whole journey. If the dress was damaged once it got into Bertha’s hands, isn’t it obvious who ruined it?
“That’s why you won’t check the footage. Because once it’s played, you can’t pin this on me. You can’t force me to take the blame for someone else’s mistake. Isn’t that the truth?”
Her words were like knives, slicing straight into Joshua and Celeste’s hearts, forcing them to face what had happened five
years ago.
Celeste’s tears streamed down her face.
“Aurora, it’s not like that. Let me explain. You and Bertha are
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If Aurora were still the girl she had been five years ago, longing for her mother’s love, she might have softened at Celeste’s tearful plea.
But now, after five years in prison, those words only made her feel sick.
“Say whatever you want. It doesn’t matter to me anymore.”
With that, she turned and walked away without sparing them another glance.
At the corner, Aurora unexpectedly ran into Hubery.
He stood silently, having evidently witnessed everything that had just unfolded.
Her chest tightened, but she didn’t falter. Pretending not to see him, she kept walking, her steps resolute.
Every step felt like a stab to her own heart. She wanted no interaction with him and just needed to escape this suffocating place as quickly as possible.
Just as she was about to pass him, his familiar yet distant voice rang softly but firmly in her car. “Aurora, I believe you didn’t do it.”
His words didn’t comfort her. Instead, they struck her as laughable.
Chapter 7 She Refused to Stay in This House Hearing “I believe you” from his mouth felt like the cruelest
irony.
She paused briefly, then quickened her pace.
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Her limp made her hurried steps seem clumsy, almost as if she were fleeing.
Watching her retreat, Hubery felt his heart clench painfully as if pierced by countless needles. The ache spread through him, making it hard to breathe.
He wanted to call out her name, but his throat tightened, refusing to let out a sound.
Aurora dragged her weary body back to the storage room.
She sank onto the old, creaky folding bed, her entire being drained of strength. Exhaustion crashed over her like a tidal wave, leaving her hollow.
Her vacant eyes stared at nothing. The bitter disappointment she felt for this family had reached its limit. A cold numbness crept over her heart, devouring the last shred of affection she had for them.
The three years she’d spent in this house had been an endless nightmare. Every second had been marked by neglect, humiliation, and pain. Those memories, etched deeply into her bones, were scars she could never forget.
Chapter 7 She Refused to Stay in This House
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to sit up and start packing her things.
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A glance around the tiny, cluttered space reminded her how little she had. There was barely anything here that belonged to her. The only item she could take was the set of clothes she’d just changed out of. She stuffed them into a plastic bag.
She knew it was time to leave.
As she reached for the door, her fingers hadn’t even touched the handle when it swung open from the other side. Standing there was an older woman, perhaps in her late fifties.
The woman’s face lit up with joy the moment she saw Aurora. Her voice trembled with excitement. “Ms. Elvador, you’ve really come back?”
Aurora froze for a moment, then murmured, “Daisy?”
Looking at Daisy, a complex mix of emotions surged in Aurora’s heart.
In the entire Elvador Villa, Daisy had been the only one who treated her like family. The other servants were cold and indifferent.
To them, the real Elvador heiress was Bertha. Aurora was just an unwelcome outsider.
During sweltering summers, when Aurora broke out in heat rash. from the stifling storage room, Daisy had used her own money
Chapter 7 She Refused to Stay in This House to buy her a fan.
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In freezing winters, when she shivered in the cold, it was Daisy who gave her a hot water bottle to keep warm.
Thinking of these moments, Aurora’s eyes reddened.
Daisy’s gaze fell on the plastic bag in Aurora’s hand. Her voice was laced with concern. “Ms. Elvador, are you leaving?”
Aurora hesitated, unsure how to respond. After a moment of silence, she nodded.
Daisy looked at her with sorrow. It seemed like she wanted to ask her to stay, but the words wouldn’t come.
She knew too well how precarious Aurora’s life in the Elvador family had been. All the cold shoulders, injustices, and indignities Aurora had endured were clear as day to her. Daisy couldn’t bear to see her suffer any longer.
Sighing heavily, Daisy said, “Ms. Elvador, I won’t stop you if you’ve made up your mind. But at least let me help you treat your injuries first.”
Aurora brushed it off. “It’s just a scratch. I’m used to it.”
Hearing that, Daisy felt a pang of sorrow.
She knew Aurora must have suffered so much to treat her wounds with such indifference.
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Daisy felt a surge of anger on Aurora’s behalf, but as a mere servant, there was little she could do. Facing the injustice of the Elvador family, she was powerless.
Daisy suppressed her emotions and forced a kind smile. “Ms. Elvador, you haven’t eaten anything since you came back. Let me cook you some pasta before you go.”
Aurora refused again. “No need.”
Then, feeling her words were too cold, she softened her tone. “The sooner I leave, the sooner I can find a place to stay.”
In truth, she simply couldn’t bring herself to eat food from the Elvador family.
She was penniless, weak, and utterly destitute, and she had nothing left except her last bit of dignity.
She would rather beg on the streets than stay here and endure their condescension.
She could take insults from anyone, but not from the Elvador family.
The Elvador family owed her. They had no right to be arrogant to her.
“Daisy, I’m leaving now.”
Daisy’s eyes filled with tears. She pulled out a wad of cash from her pocket and pressed it into Aurora’s hands. “Ms. Elvador,
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take this for the road. You’re out there on your own. Please take care of yourself.”
Her tears finally fell as she spoke.
Aurora wanted to refuse, but Daisy was firm. “You’re a young woman on your own. You can’t live under a bridge, can you?”
Aurora bit her lip, her silent tears rolling down her cheeks.
She couldn’t understand why someone unrelated to her could care so deeply, while her own parents and brother refused to show even the slightest kindness to her.
