But as I was going into their neighborhood
that day, I saw the car that my brother had
gotten for Sarah.
I knew it too well, it was her personal chariot.
I once got yelled at for getting into it to avoid
being late to school.
My brother had dragged me out and threw me
on the ground, “Why do you always try to
take your sister’s things? Can’t you act like a
decent older sister?”
I ended up walking to school alone and got a
lecture from the teacher for being tardy.
<
Sarah sat in the audience, enjoying the show.
Now, she sat in the passenger seat, coldly
staring in my direction.
“You know them?”
Dean narrowed his eyes at the neighborhood
entrance.
Ever since he saved me from the stalker, he
paid close attention to people around me.
I waved it off, “They’re just some kids from
high school. Don’t worry about it, you should
focus on your practice test for today.”
He chuckled with an attitude, “I’m here to
protect you. I’m not here to be tutored.”
<
I looked at him, “That’s not fair!”
Dean was always like that, completely
impossible.
He was always so gentle, but once you were
just about to lose it, he’d charm you back to
sanity. It was impossible to stay mad at him.
It was only when I was trying to fall asleep.
that it all came back to me, I’d get so angry I
couldn’t sleep.
I vented on the internet:
“If I don’t get him to study tomorrow, I’m a
dog!”
Then I saw a comment on my post from a
user called “AboveTheFray“:
<
“If you make progress with him, then I’m a
dog.”
I was too angry to sleep that night.
But when I went to the neighborhood the next
day, I was met with the same car blocking my
way.
Before I could react, my brother had come
out of the car and slapped me so hard across
the face that I fell to the ground!
It was the hardest he’d ever hit me.
The tight bandage on my face came loose
from the blow, blurring my vision.
“Claire Bennett! How can you be so trashy?
Hanging out in rich neighborhoods, being a
<
“Are you that desperate for money?!
“If you’re going to degrade yourself, go do it
somewhere else! Cut ties with our family,
don’t disgrace our parents!”
I held my face, feeling dizzy. I managed to
speak through clenched teeth,
“Are you so sure that I’m here to be
somebody’s mistress?”
Another familiar figure came out of the
passenger seat.
Sarah held out several photos, her eyes red
as she looked at me, “Claire, my brother just
wanted to teach you a lesson, he didn’t really
want to hurt you. How could you do this?
How disappointed would Mom and Dad be?”
<
Her tone made it sound like she was our
parents‘ real child.
I looked at the pictures on the ground.
They were photos of Dean and me walking
into the neighborhood together.
Even though he was only a year older than
me, Dean was tall and handsome with a
powerful physique. And the black shirt he had
on gave him a vibe like a successful CEO.
It made my student look even more young
and innocent.
But that wasn’t the point.
The point was a photo taken at night.
く
In the picture, Dean was holding me tightly,
with our bodies pressed close together.
It was… the night of the stalker!
How did Sarah get that picture?!
I stared at Sarah, my eyes wide.
Her gaze wavered before she regained her
composure.
