Chapter 4
I lunged for the cash without thinking.
"I earned that myself working all summer!" I blurted out.
"Give it back! That's for my college tuition!"
Emily held the money way up, out of my reach.
"Stolen money and you still want it back? Dream on!" Emily scoffed.
We ended up tugging and fighting over the cash.
Just then, I heard Lucas's footsteps coming from outside the door.
"Sophie, let's talk," his voice called from the hallway.
Before I could answer,
Emily suddenly burst through the door and flung herself onto the shattered piggy bank, blood instantly streaming down her legs.
She wailed in pain,
"Sophie, don't push me!"
I stared at Emily, sprawled on the broken pieces and bawling, then at Lucas walking in from the doorway.
I was completely stunned.
Lucas rushed over, pressed down on Emily's bleeding wound, and scooped her up in his arms.
He shot me a cold, furious glare.
In that instant, I saw pure hatred in Lucas's eyes.
My parents came running at the noise, not even bothering to yell at me. They just crowded around Emily, following Lucas as he rushed her out the door.
I just stood there, completely dazed.
Before I could even process what was happening, my mom's hand came flying at my face, and then my dad jumped in, punching and kicking me.
They beat me while screaming at me the whole time.
"Emily just came into your room to check on you, and you hurt her like that! How could you be so heartless?" my mom shouted.
"Worthless brat! Stealing money wasn't enough for you—and now you're hurting people too!" my dad yelled.
"Get out! Go back to that backwater town! You're no daughter of the Grant Family!" my mom screamed.
*****
They beat me so badly I could barely move.
Every part of me ached, and I didn't even have the strength to get up.
Just as my vision was fading, a pair of shoes stopped right in front of me.
Lucas reached down and pulled me up.
He motioned to my parents, his voice sounding almost gentle.
"Mr. and Mrs. Grant, that's enough. Sophie probably didn't mean it," he said.
"How about I take her out for a drive and we talk things over? Maybe we can clear the air."
I looked up at him, gratitude welling up inside me. I wanted to thank him for stepping in.
I wanted to tell him it really wasn't me who pushed Emily.
But when I finally met his gaze, I froze.
All I saw was a deep, bottomless disgust in his eyes.
He truly hated me.
As Lucas led me out, we passed through the living room.
Emily was sprawled out on the couch, getting her wound tended to by the family doctor.
She shot me a smug grin and waved.
Then she mouthed at me:
"Goodbye, bitch."
The sky was pitch black, like a storm was about to hit.
Lucas was driving like a maniac, and I was clutching the seatbelt for dear life—I didn't even have a second to explain myself.
He finally pulled over on some deserted road, and it was so dark I couldn't even tell where we were.
That was when Lucas finally spoke to me.
"Sophie, go grab something from the trunk for me," he said.
I got out of the car obediently.
Raindrops started to fall, cold against my skin.
I had just reached the back of the car.
Click.
A sharp click.
It was the sound of the car locking.
I whipped around.
Lucas rolled down the window, mockery and contempt written all over his face.
"Honestly, when you called off the engagement, I actually felt a little sorry for you."
"But I didn't expect you to keep playing the victim and go after Emily the moment you got back! Sophie, you're seriously ruthless!"
"You brought this on yourself. Stay here and think about what you've done!"
The next second, the car sped off.
Thunder boomed, and the rain came down in sheets.
I stood there, frozen in the rain.
That was when it finally hit me what Emily meant by "goodbye."
I felt like I'd just been abandoned out here, left behind in the pouring rain.