Chapter 2

Stepping back into Grace Manor, I felt like I was returning from a different lifetime.

When Charles reached out to grab the backpack from my shoulder, I recoiled in a blind panic, scrambling backward.

"Emily, what's your problem now?" Charles barked, barely holding back his anger.

My lips were trembling hard, and all those horrible memories came rushing back. There was a metallic taste in my throat. I began frantically reciting the Harmony Institute code in my head, over and over, until the terror finally subsided.

Charles frowned as he barked, "Emily, listen up. My mom just recovered—she can't take any stress right now. If you dare pull any stunts in front of her, I won't let you off."

Just thinking about Margaret's illness made my chest tighten with pain. I shook my head hard. "I won't do anything to upset her, I promise."

Charles snorted, "You'd better keep your word."

I followed him into the house and saw Margaret sitting on the sofa. Sophie Lane was right there with her, clinging to her arm, being all doting and clingy. Margaret was laughing at Sophie's adorable antics, her eyes full of nothing but pure affection.

I clenched my fists for a moment, then let my hands drop, feeling utterly powerless.

Sophie was my cousin, and she was about the same age as Charles. Eight years after my father and Margaret married, Sophie's parents were sent to prison for illegal business dealings. With nobody else to look after her, she moved in with us.

Sophie was pretty and had a sweet tongue. She quickly became the apple of my father's and Margaret's eyes. Even Charles—the guy who was supposedly "slow to warm up"—treated Sophie with a kind of patience and gentleness he never showed me.

But one day, I caught Sophie hiding a pinhole camera in Charles' bedroom. When I confronted her, she finally admitted she wanted to trade Charles' privacy for cash.

I was furious and gave her a piece of my mind. In the end, I couldn't hold back and slapped her across the face.

Although I was angry, I didn't use much force. Somehow, Sophie lost her footing and cracked her head against the corner of the table.

Charles walked in right at that moment. He shot me a glare before scooping Sophie up and rushing her to the hospital without looking back.

Later, Charles finally realized how I felt about him. After he made it big in business, the first thing he did was send me off to Harmony Institute.

It felt like a knife to the heart; Sophie was the one trying to stab him in the back, and I was only trying to look out for him. Yet, somehow, Sophie was the one who ended up with his protection, and even Margaret doted on her.

When Margaret saw me, she scrambled up from the sofa and rushed toward me, her eyes welling up with tears. "Emily, did you forget you had a home? You've been gone all these years and didn't even bother to check in on me."

Guilt washed over me for my earlier thoughts. "Margaret..." I choked out, my voice thick with emotion.

Sophie stepped up beside Margaret, gently patting her back. "The doctor warned you not to get too worked up, remember?"

Then, Sophie turned to me with a sweet smile. "Welcome home, Emily," she said, her voice dripping with hidden meaning.

Margaret cut her off and ushered me toward the dining room. "Emily, you must be starving after that long flight. Come, sit down and eat."

Sophie didn't seem bothered by the interruption. She pulled Charles toward the table and played the perfect hostess. "That's right, Emily. Margaret made all this herself just for you. You wouldn't want her hard work to go to waste, would you?"

Margaret looked at me, her face full of anticipation. I took a deep breath, picked up a piece of meat, and kept trying to psych myself up. But as soon as I opened my mouth, I couldn't help but gag.

"Is something wrong?" Margaret asked, her voice laced with worry. "This slow-roasted brisket used to be your absolute favorite. Why are you feeling sick? Don't tell me I've lost my touch in the kitchen."

I forced a bitter smile. It wasn't that she'd lost her touch. It was that I hadn't touched a piece of meat in over a year. During my time at the Harmony Institute, a square meal—let alone meat—was a luxury I never saw. My body had gone so long without protein or dairy that the mere scent of it made me gag uncontrollably.

Heaven knows how much I had craved a home-cooked meal from Margaret. On those days when I was so weak from hunger I could barely move, I survived by playing back the memories of her cooking in my mind, over and over again.

"I must be out of practice," Margaret said, looking dejected. "Don't worry, Emily. I'll brush up on my skills over the next few days and get back into the swing of things. "Just look at you—so skinny after studying abroad. You used to be so adorable and lovable with those chubby cheeks."

My eyes stung. I shook my head stiffly. "Margaret, it's best for girls to keep their weight down. I'm just right now."

Sophie chimed in with a playful grin, "Margaret, you don't get it. Emily is just watching her figure. She's on a diet."

Margaret gave me a look of mock annoyance. "A diet? Look at the state of you." She playfully raised her hand, as if to give me a gentle swat on the head.

But I instinctively crouched on the floor, shielding my head with my arms, shaking violently. "Please, don't hit me."

Margaret stared at me in total shock, rushing over to pull me up. "Emily, what's wrong with you?"

It took a moment for reality to sink back in. I wasn't at the Harmony Institute anymore, and Margaret wasn't Henry. No one was going to beat me at the drop of a hat.