I began having nightmares every night, dreams of my childhood when I was bullied, they said I was the cause of my parents' deaths, that no one wanted me.
"Carlee" sounds like a warm name, doesn't it? But I'm an orphan.
Until I met Cornelius, it was him who gave me a home, it was him who was a light, illuminating my world.
But in the end, they were right.
I will bring harm to the people around me.
From the beginning, I should never have been with Cornelius.
So when Charlie came to see me, I was cold to her and avoided her.
Charlie has been my best friend since college.
No matter how much I avoided her, she still found ways to stay with me.
I couldn't hold back my emotions and yelled at her: "Don't come near me, I will harm the people around me…"
Charlie only hugged me tightly, comforting me, saying over and over, "Carlee, it was an accident, it's not your fault!"
I still sat every day on the cold stone steps outside, waiting for Cornelius to come home.
I couldn't tell if it was to see him or to punish myself.
I was burning with fever, the cold wind stinging me.
I thought, as long as our home still stands, as long as I stay by Cornelius's side...
But when Cornelius came home this time, he brought another girl with him.
I froze at the door, staring blankly at their intertwined hands.
Those hands, which once were used to protect me, now held another girl's hand.
I had seen this girl before. Her name was Greta, the one who had relentlessly pursued Cornelius, the one he hated the most.
And now, he would rather hold Greta's hand than take revenge on me.
They walked into our house as if no one was there. As they passed by me, Greta covered her mouth and giggled:
"Cornelius, how come you still dare bring me here when your sister is here? Aren't you afraid she'll get angry?"
My fingers were clenched in my sleeves, turning white, but Cornelius never even glanced at me.
He said to Greta, "Ignore her, she'll just bring bad luck."
They went in intimately, and my fragile body seemed ready to collapse in the wind.
The person who once loved me most, the one who understood me best, was also the one who knew how to hurt me the most.
I was locked outside, listening to Greta's laughter echoing from the room, trembling uncontrollably.
If my pain made Cornelius feel better, then I suppose that was my atonement?
So I couldn't leave.
I knocked on the door for a long time before the butler finally came to open it.
He looked at me awkwardly: "Ma'am, would you like to find somewhere to rest?"
Perhaps it was because my face was too pale and unwell.
I said, woodenly, "This is my home, why can't I be here?"
Inside, Cornelius was laughing coldly.
Greta was cuddling up to him, just like I used to, acting coquettishly.
"Cornelius, you were so rough just now, you made me twist my ankle!"
I could no longer face their closeness, even though I knew Cornelius was doing this to punish me, but just seeing it made me want to escape.
But at that moment, Cornelius called out to me.
He said, "Carlee knows how to handle this, let her apply the medicine to you."
My heart ached, the butler helped steady me as I almost collapsed, but Cornelius Gentry didn't seem to care that I could barely stand.
I took a deep breath and went to get the medicine box.
Greta extended her foot, smiling sweetly.
But her foot was perfectly fine.
"Sorry, sister, but Cornelius is so worried about me that he didn't want anyone else to treat me, so he asked you to help!" she said with a smile.
I tried to control my trembling hands, applying the medicine and massaging her foot.
If this was what Cornelius wanted to see, then I would do it for him.
But Cornelius still seemed dissatisfied, an obvious look of frustration on his face.
"Ah, it hurts!"
I hadn't even applied pressure, yet Greta suddenly kicked my hand away, knocking the medicine over.
"I'm sorry, sister, I know you're angry with me, but it really hurts."
I didn't say anything, and Cornelius suddenly stood up, walking upstairs.
Greta followed him.
In the large house, I was left alone, kneeling on the floor, picking up the spilled medicine.
But the tears wouldn't stop falling, and no matter how hard I tried, the floor just wouldn't get clean...
At dawn, Charlie came to visit me, and she saw Cornelius and Greta walking down the stairs together.
Charlie had a fiery temper, and she immediately shouted:
"Cornelius, what's the meaning of this? Carlee is still here, and you bring this dog woman home? Aren't you disgusted?"
Greta, using Cornelius's influence, tried to lash out at Charlie.
I couldn't stop Charlie, so I stepped in between them and took a slap from Greta.
My pale face turned red in an instant, and I even had a red mark from Greta's ring.
When Charlie saw me get hit, she became even angrier, but Cornelius said nothing and just led Greta away.
"Butler, escort Miss Charlie out. She's not welcome here," he said coldly.
He used to protect me unconditionally.
But now, he wouldn't even look at me, even when I was being slapped.
He hated me this much.
