Synopsis
After five years of being the forgotten child, my parents finally came to take me home. I thought the nightmare was over—that I would finally be loved like a daughter should be.
Instead, the first thing waiting for me was a blade in my sister’s hand.
As blood soaked through my clothes, I heard my mother’s trembling voice. “Lily, Charlotte is a genius. She’s extraordinary… but she has a tendency to hurt people. You have to protect her.”
From that moment on, I became my sister’s shield.
Scalding water. Sharp knives. Bruises I couldn’t explain. None of it mattered. Because after every injury, my mother would gently clean my wounds, cradle me in her arms, and blow softly on the pain. My father would pat my head and press a piece of candy into my palm.
And in those small, fleeting moments of tenderness, I convinced myself it was love.
