Chapter 4

I couldn't hold it in anymore. I rushed in, crying my eyes out. "I don't want to go to the orphanage. I won't do anything bad. I'm not a bad kid. Please, don't send me away."

I was so panicked that my voice came out loud and shrill.

Andrew was getting irritated and suddenly jumped up from his seat. "Shut up. Lily was terrified all night and barely slept. She's still resting. Do you want to wake her up now?"

I instantly covered my mouth, too scared to make another sound.

So, Lily had been staying with him.

Lily was his fiancée, not me.

I kept promising over and over that I'd never do anything bad again, and finally, Andrew relented. "You don't have to go to the orphanage, but you'll be restrained at night.

"Who knows what you might do in the middle of the night?"

I nodded desperately, as if I was clutching at a lifeline.

As long as I could stay, I'd do anything.

After that, I was even more careful, barely daring to speak above a whisper.

I knew they didn't like me because I tricked Lily.

So, I went out of my way to be extra nice to her.

Whenever the housekeeper secretly gave me candy, I'd never eat it myself. Instead, I'd offer it to Lily like I was showing off a treasure, hoping she'd be happy.

During meals, I'd awkwardly serve all the tastiest dishes into Lily's bowl, hoping she'd like them.

At first, Andrew kept his guard up around me, always frowning and watching my every move.

But after seeing me go out of my way to please Lily like a fool, he finally started to let his guard down.

My parents slowly started to treat me like their daughter, and even began buying me cute new outfits.

I thought they were finally going to care about me, that I'd finally have a place to call home.

That night, I picked up some food for Lily, as I always did.

Lily smiled at me and put the food in her mouth.

But in the very next moment, she suddenly covered her mouth, her eyes wide with shock as she looked at me.

Bright red blood gushed through her fingers, staining the white tablecloth.

"Charlotte... you..." Before she could finish her sentence, she went limp and collapsed.

Mt mom screamed and rushed over. "Lily, what's wrong?"

My dad roared at me, "Charlotte, what did you do?"

"It wasn't me... I swear I didn't do it..." I grabbed a tissue from the table, my hands trembling, wanting to help wipe the blood from Lily.

"You bitch, still trying to hurt her?" Andrew yanked my hair and smashed my head against the table with all his strength.

My head crashed into the porcelain bowl in front of me, shattering it. Porcelain shards stabbed deep into my skull.

A sharp, agonizing pain tore through my whole body. Warm blood poured into my mouth, filling it with a strong, rusty taste.

As my consciousness faded, I saw Lily, who should've been out cold, flash me a chilling, icy smile.

That smile was just like Carter's.

My heart clenched up, hurting way more than any beating I'd ever taken.

*****

It was late at night when Andrew helped Lily, supporting her as they walked into the house. My mom and dad followed behind, worry written all over their faces.

My mom spoke up, her voice weary. "Andrew, you should explain things to Charlotte. About the orphanage..."

Andrew nodded. "Yeah, we'll send her away first thing tomorrow. We can't let a troublemaker like her stay here any longer."

They searched all over the house for ages, but I was nowhere to be found.

The housekeeper came out of the kitchen, drawn by the commotion, still clutching a rag stained with blood.

She let out a deep sigh, her voice heavy with sorrow. "Mr. Shepherd, her bleeding wouldn't stop.

"We called an ambulance, but the doctor said she was already dead by the time they got here. They took her straight to the funeral home."

The house was dead silent.

Andrew stared blankly. "I just gave her a gentle shove. How could she die like that?"

The housekeeper's hands shook as she looked down at the blood-soaked rag, the crimson stains almost too harsh to bear.

"Mr. Shepherd, you slammed her head into the bowl. The shards went straight into her skull.

"We old servants watched Charlotte grow up. She couldn't even bring herself to step on an ant. How could she possibly be a bad child?"

My mom and dad looked extremely uncomfortable, their faces pale and tense.

After a long, awkward silence, my mom finally spoke, her tone flat and dry, "Andrew, don't blame yourself. It was an accident. You never meant for any of this to happen."

My dad nodded, almost as if a weight had been lifted. "Charlotte wronged you when she ran away from the wedding back then. Maybe this is just karma coming back around."