Chapter 43
Rowena tiptoed out of the room , carefully closing the door behind her .
The camera angle shifted back to Elysia .
Torinâs previously numbed expression sharpened into focus , unwilling to miss a single detail .
The rain on the screen had lessened considerably â no more thunder , just the rhythmic patter of raindrops .
Yet , Elysia remained curled up in front of the front door , lifeless , as if she had been swallowed by the storm .
If not for the faint rise and fall of her chest , one might think sheâd succumbed to the downpour .
Thank goodness she hadnât .
Their kindhearted little sister was still alive .
Surely fate wouldnât be cruel enough to take her away .
She was meant to live .
But something strange caught their attention .
On the ornate black wooden door of the villa , a strange liquid seemed to be dripping .
Looking closer , they noticed Elysiaâs hands , her fingertips pressing against the door , seemingly smeared with rain â like droplets .
â Could it be the rain sheâd left behind while knocking ? â Torin thought .
But no one inside had responded to her knocking .
The sound had been drowned out by the thunder .
That must have been why .
Torin comforted himself with this thought .
It was as if the fate wanted to give them clarity , for at that moment , the storm clouds parted , and a ray of sunlight pierced the sky .
And then they saw it .
The liquid on the door and her fingertips wasnât rain .
It was crimson , stark , unmistakable blood .
Elysia , during the thunderstorm , had been knocking desperately â no , pounding â on the door .
But after getting no response for so long and terrified by the thunder , sheâd resorted to clawing at the door with her fingers , scratching until her hands were soaked in blood , leaving smears on the door .
Torin had no more excuses to comfort himself .
Combined with Rowenaâs earlier remarks , he could already predict the unfolding events .
Just like before , it would all turn out to be another misunderstanding .
Another damn misunderstanding .
For twenty years , heâd misunderstood Elysia because of the kidnapping .
For another ten years , heâd misjudged her due to the accusations that followed .
Torin couldnât bear to think any further .
He had to address what was happening now .
Right now .
The moment he made up his mind , he leaned toward the camera and said , â Elysia , are you watching ? I want to apologize to you .
Let me make this right .
Iâll help you punish them , Okay ? â
Without hesitation , Torin took out his phone and dialed Julian .
â Julian , find out who the maids living on the first floor were ten years ago .
Track them all down .
â
â Iâm going to sue them for child abuse , and Iâll make sure they never find another housekeeping job for the rest of their lives .
â
After hanging up , his shattered composure seemed to mend slightly .
It was as if he had convinced himself that Elysia had seen his apology and forgiven him .
That was until he glanced at the live chat .
[ Whatâs the point of dealing with it now ? Where were you back then ? And have you forgotten whoâs really to blame ? ]
[ If youâre going to act all regretful , at least show us some real action â like dealing with Rowena instead of going after a bunch of irrelevant people .
]
[ And what about yourself , huh ? How about cutting off a finger right now , Mr.
Drayton ? Ten years too late â gotta pay some interest , donât you think ? ] â No ⦠â A faint voice broke the tension .
It was Elysia .
Her fingers trembled , and then , against all odds , she stood up again .
1/2
272
10:52 AM
Chapter 43
Her drenched hair clung to her pale face , and her oversized school uniform , soaked through , stuck to her thin frame , making her look even frailer -barely comparable in size to her younger sister Rowena .
The dried blood on her fingertips painted a heartbreaking picture , like a cracked porcelain doll .
Before she could collapse again , she steadied herself against the door , her gaze hardening as she said , â Absolutely ⦠cannot ⦠let Torinâs test admission ticket be destroyed ⦠â
She resumed pounding on the door , slamming with her palms until they hurt , then switching to her elbows .
When her elbows turned red , she used her head .
All the while , Rowenaâs voice rang in her ears .
Rowena had sneaked into Torinâs room and stolen the backpack hanging on the wall .
â Stupid Torin .
Itâs all your fault ! Your grades are so good , and Mom and Dad praise you all the time .
Iâm just as good , but they never say anything nice about me ! â
â You deserve this ! Letâs see how you do after I rip up your test admission ticket ! Huh ? Why is it wrapped in plastic ? â
The live chat erupted into laughter as Rowena struggled with the laminated ticket .
Even shoppers who had paused to watch the livestream couldnât help but chuckle .
Some malls even set up chairs for viewers to sit and watch the drama unfold .
â Damn it ! â Rowena fumed .
â Looks like Iâll have to get some scissors to cut it up before Torin wakes up ! â
Rowena started walking downstairs , test ticket in hand .
Thatâs when she heard it â the faint knocking sound from outside .
The noise that had plagued her all night .
â Damn Elysia , canât even kneel properly without making a fuss .
Perfect .
Now I donât have to return this test admission ticket .
Elysiaâs always so useful ⦠â
X
SEND GIFT