Chapter 3

Hayden had always called me Zoe.

I'd never heard him call me by my full name before."

I stood frozen.

Though it was a sweltering summer evening, I felt an icy dread rising from my feet.

By the time I snapped out of it and tried to explain, Hayden was already out of sight.

He refused to talk to me anymore. From then on, we went to and from school alone.

Once again, my meal was just half a bun.

Hunger gnawed at me until my head spun—I could barely focus in class, feeling dizzy and out of it.

After school, just to get some food, I scrambled for bottles with an old scavenger woman—she pointed right at my face and cursed me out.

I wrestled with stray dogs for scraps of bread and got bitten on the calf.

That night, my wound was inflamed. I lay shivering, half-conscious.

Hayden passed by my bedroom. When he saw me curled up on the floor, shivering, his face remained expressionless as he uttered coldly, "Serves you right."

Strangely, the pain didn't hurt anymore.

Despite everything, I somehow managed to survive.

But there were only so many bottles I could collect, and leftover bread wasn't something I could count on every day.

Hunger still blurred my vision in class.

My grades took a nosedive in the final exams.

As usual, Hayden came in first in the exams. Sitting under the shade of a tree with the roast chicken leg Mom had given him as a reward, he smirked at me.

"You want it? Then limp over here like you always do," he said.

"Zoe, after faking it for so many years, you must be quite the expert by now."

Starving and desperate, I limped over amid the boys' mocking laughter and jeers.

As I reached for the chicken leg, Hayden's expression turned cold and he abruptly changed his mind.

"Did I say you could have it just because you came over?" he said.

Hunger and humiliation consumed the last shreds of my reason.

I lunged forward in a desperate grab for the chicken leg.

The moment I snatched the chicken leg, Hayden's lips curled into a cold smirk. Then, he suddenly staggered and toppled into the nearby pond.

For a moment, I couldn't understand why he fell in.

Just then, my father stormed over and, for the first time in my life, gave me a vicious slap across the face.

After that, I became infamous throughout the town—the one who nearly killed her own brother, a bad seed by nature.

*****

I stood frozen outside the office next door, lost in thought for what felt like an eternity.

Memories I couldn't suppress came flooding back, pulling me into a long, unwelcome reverie.

"Ms. Lynn, the files?" A colleague of mine popped out of the office, sounding surprised to find me spacing out, and called out to me again.

I snapped back to reality with a start. "Sorry," I muttered, hastily thrusting the documents forward.

The colleague looked amused and teased, "Ms. Lynn, you've always been a famous workaholic."

"So why are you daydreaming at work today?"

"Is it because you're about to move abroad? Too excited, or can't bear to leave?"

I just smiled and didn't answer.

My colleague took the files inside.

As I turned to go, I noticed Hayden still sitting in his wheelchair in the hallway—he hadn't left yet.

He must've overheard what my colleague said just now.

I guessed he would be excited that I was finally leaving.

He had hated and gotten back at me for years.

In the end, he won.

Sure enough, he let out a laugh. "You're moving aboard? Good news."

I looked at his face and fell silent for a moment.

I remembered the brother who used to stand in front of me, hiding fudge and ham slices for me.

There was no trace left of the person he used to be.

I nodded, not denying it. "Yeah."

The cold mockery in Hayden's eyes deepened. "Is immigrating really that easy? You can just go whenever you want?"

I hesitated, then told the truth. "I got married, and he has citizenship there."

I had never told anyone about this.

When people asked me about immigrating, I just vaguely said a relative was helping.

But the truth was, I didn't have any relatives to help me.

I didn't know why I was telling Hayden any of this.

As soon as I said it, my heart started pounding.

I waited for Hayden's response. For some reason, a bit of hope came over me.

I wasn't even sure what I was hoping for.

Hayden looked stunned for a second, then quickly caught on. "With Brian Jennings?"

I stayed silent.

Disgust flashed in his eyes. "You're still the same."

"Shallow and calculating, willing to do anything to get what you want."

I didn't bother to explain.

He had always thought of me that way.

Ever since he found out my legs had healed, he believed I'd been faking it for years.

He thought I pretended so he'd feel sorry for me, so he'd want to take care of me and protect me.

Whatever he thought.

I had explained myself a thousand times—there was no point anymore.

I walked toward my office.

Behind me, Hayden's voice finally broke with a hint of emotion.

"Getting married is such a big deal, and you didn't even tell your parents or your brother."

"They were right about you. You really are heartless."

I paused.

After a moment, I couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

I turned back to look at him and said, "I don't have a brother or parents anymore."

"My parents are gone. I have no family."

"Don't you remember?"

Hayden's face went rigid.

He knew those things better than anyone.