Chapter 3
I thought I could have spent my whole life in the orphanage.
But barely two months had gone by, someone came to adopt me again.
Crystal's birth parents had come looking for her.
It turned out that Crystal was actually the daughter of the Scott family, which was the richest family in the city.
The Scott family's rival, bent on revenge, bribed their nanny. That was why Crystal was abandoned at a remote orphanage.
Ever since Crystal disappeared, the Scott family had never stopped looking for her.
By chance, a friend mentioned they'd seen a little girl here who looked just like Judy Scott, Crystal's mother. So, the whole family came together to see this girl.
The moment Crystal's parents and brother saw her, they knew she was the child they'd lost.
They pulled Crystal into a tight hug, tears streaming down their faces.
"Lily, I finally found you," Judy sobbed.
Crystal, terrified by what happened, pulled away from her and rushed over to me.
"Summer, I don't know them. Please take me back to our room," Crystal pleaded.
Judy was so devastated by Crystal's words that she nearly collapsed in tears.
Since Crystal was still so young and resistant to anyone getting close to her, the Scott family didn't force her to go home with them.
That was when I realized the difference between the Scott family and the Shaw family.
The Scott family learned from Alice that I'd saved Crystal.
They were especially grateful to me.
They also realized why Crystal always clung to me.
"Summer, would you like to come live with us?" the Scott family pulled me aside to ask.
"Thank you, but I'd like to stay at the orphanage," I shook my head and said.
"Why? We can give you a much better life."
"Alice has always been good to me. I don't want to leave her."
Judy gently patted my hand.
"You're such a kind-hearted kid, but have you ever thought about what comes next?
"If you come live with us, you'll get the best education, and someday you could do even more for the orphanage.
"If you're uneasy, we'll not make anything official.
"Your records are still kept at the orphanage. There's no need to change your name, either. You can keep it—Summer James, following Alice's last name.
"If you come with us with Lily, you'll have access to the same educational opportunities as she does.
"Summer, why don't you think about it a little more?" Judy asked.
Her words made me waver.
I was still just a little kid.
If she decided to adopt me by force, she could do it as easily as snapping her fingers.
But she regarded me as an adult and left the choice entirely at my disposal.
It was unlike my old life, when my fate had been decided by a single word from Eric.
Maybe the Scott family was really different from the Shaw family.
"Alright, I'll go with you," I said.
In the end, I said yes to Judy.
Crystal was really happy, and she gradually started to open up to the Scott family.
Crystal and I went to live with the Scott family together.
Judy arranged for Crystal and me to attend the same school.
Crystal, who was Lily now, was placed in the pre-kindergarten. I started the first grade, and her brother Charlie Scott was in the fourth grade.
It wasn't until I lived with the Scott family that I witnessed the cultivation and bearing expected of true high society.
They showered us with love, but never coddled or pampered us. Their care was genuine, but they never let it turn into indulgence.
Their acceptance had boundaries. Their tenderness came with clear guidance.
Every day, the driver took us to school and brought us home afterward.
I settled in pretty quickly here.
I threw myself into my books, soaking up every bit of knowledge I could find.
Because I knew knowledge was the one thing that truly belonged to me, and nobody could ever steal from me.
I had to think back to the days I spent in the Shaw family in my old life.
After Jessica's face was ruined, she was too worried about her classmates' laughter to go back to school.
And of course, I wasn't allowed to go to school.
I was at her beck and call, like her personal servant around the clock.
I didn't even have a room of my own.
Every night, I had to sleep on the couch outside Jessica's bedroom, waiting for her orders.
Later, Lucy hired a tutor for her.
Jessica didn't value it at all, but I cherished every lesson like it was a priceless treasure.
At first, when she caught me secretly studying, she flew into a rage and smacked my hands with a steel ruler.
But when she didn't finish the homework her tutor assigned, Lucy would look at her with disappointment.
So, she stopped getting in the way when I studied with her.
She did whatever she wanted even more wildly.
Because I would do all her homework for her.
One time, Eric found out the truth.
He didn't say a word about it; he just warned me with an icy stare.
"It's your luck to be able to share Jessica's burden. Don't get any foolish ideas about things that were never meant for you," he said.
I hadn't told anybody at all.
But Lucy somehow knew it. She couldn't stand to punish Jessica, so she ended up punishing me instead.
"Jessica's just a kid who likes to play, but you didn't even try to guide her. You helped her cheat. You should be punished," Lucy said.
She threw me into the storage room and isolated me from any food or water for three whole days.
But Jessica and I were the same age.
Those three days became my nightmare, and since then, I had always been terrified of small and dark places.