/I could no longer read the latter part of the message, as it had been destroyed. I looked at the shredded paper and couldn’t
hold back my tears, causing large drops of tears to land on the paper, each one leaving behind a watery stain.
Yet, Tina remained unrelenting, her laughter echoing from behind. “You’re not seriously going to blame the dog, are you? I know how much you valued those worthless old notebooks, Kiara. How are you going to gain admission into Riverside High School without them now?”
I felt my blood run cold upon hearing her mocking remarks. It turned out that she already knew that I had contacted Riverside High School, even though it just happened recently.
I was under the impression that after seizing everything from me, Tina would cease her relentless plotting. It was only now that I truly grasped my grave miscalculation. I had been utterly wrong.
I whirled around, my gaze burning with anger as I faced Tina. Tina, however, responded with a sweet smile, her hair styled in two charming braids, meticulously crafted by Karen earlier that day.
I recalled how, in the past, even a simple desire for her to speak a few words to me would be met with an angry dismissal, as if I were a monumental waste of her time.
“You should just voluntarily return to the White family back in the countryside, Kiara. Your parents really ‘miss‘ you,” Tina added.
Although her tone was sweet and gentle, the sheer malice in Tina’s words sent a cold dread through me. She was clearly suggesting that going back to the countryside would be an experience more dreadful than death itself.
I painstakingly gathered the scraps of paper in my hand, then looked directly at Tina and reached for her. Tina tried her usual trick of falling backward, but I was ready this time. I endured the searing pain in my arm, held her firm, and pointed toward Hiccup. “The way those papers are torn isn’t something a dog could possibly do, Tina. You can drop the act now, since no one’s here”
It was clear that my remarks rattled her, as a flicker of fear crossed her face. She still managed a smile in the end, though. She retorted, “Who said we’re the only ones here, Kiara?”
Having said that, Tina let out a sharp cry, then fell straight backward, collapsing like a broken kite in a gust of wind as she tumbled heavily down the stairs.
I looked up and met Liam’s eyes, blazing with unmistakable fury, locked directly on me. “Have you lost your mind, Kiara?”
I was spared from physical assault this time, as the entire family, in a state of extreme agitation, converged rapidly from
Chapter 8
+25 BONUS
various points to transport Tina to the best hospital in the city.
I had already gathered my belongings, poised to depart. There must have been surveillance cameras throughout the Johnson
residence, but I was certain that the Johnsons wouldn’t bother checking them.
Henry simply snapped, “I swear I’ll make you suffer just as much if anything happens to Tina!”
What manner of suffering did he refer to a fall down the staircase? I had already endured such an incident, though, with the
scar on my forehead serving as a permanent reminder.
They shouted furiously, insisting I kneel at the hospital entrance to apologize to Tina. I simply regarded the deranged family with cold contempt, then collected my belongings and left the place.
I sneered inwardly, thinking that though Tina’s theatrical display was commendable, I simply refused to be a part of it any longer.
