When I was five years old, the neighbor kid, Raymond Devlin, and I were kidnapped.

They aimed the needle at him, but I stepped forward.

The drug hit me instead, leaving my mind forever hazy.

That day, his parents swore I would one day be their daughter-in-law.

But years later, Raymond returned from university with a beautiful classmate—Regina Sloane.

Compared to her, I was nothing but the fool everyone mocked.

Even Raymond told me the promise meant nothing now.

It was then I finally understood—he didn't want me anymore.

Heartbroken, I went to my father’s grave, seeking comfort.

There, a man with a dangerous smile appeared, his presence stealing the air from my lungs.

"Do you want to come with me?" he asked.

I whispered, "Okay."

And the moment I left, Raymond shattered into pieces.

***

"Remy, are you sure you'll marry me after I drink this?" I asked.

Raymond was sitting in the dark, so I couldn't see his face clearly, but he still looked as handsome as ever.

He was flicking a lighter, and I knew he was getting upset again.

I quickly gulped down a glass of wine. A searing taste of fire ripped through my throat, and I coughed uncontrollably.

Everyone in the private room laughed.

One of his friends said, "Raymond, after all these years, isn't it about time you married that little fool?"

"Yeah, and she's only gotten prettier."

"If you don't want her, we're more than happy to step in."

Raymond's eyes turned cold, and the crowd went silent.

He asked, "You like her?"

The guy hurriedly shook his head. "She's fine for a fling. But to marry her? Let's be serious. She's a fool."

Except for Raymond, no one would want me.

Ever since that childhood incident, I'd been scared of being alone in the dark. I didn't want to be alone.

Ignoring the burning pain, I kept drinking. My insides felt like they were on fire.

I drank until I lost count, and suddenly Raymond's face wavered into view, blurred before my eyes.

He seemed angry. "Enough."

Regina grabbed my hand. "Stop drinking," she said. "He's not going to marry you, even if you finish it all."

I stared at her in shock.

She went on, "Can't you see? He doesn't like you at all."

Raymond didn't like me?

I turned to him, confused.

Back then, while all the other kids hated me and refused to hang out, he not only stayed but also promised he would never hate me.

"Remy, have you always hated me?" I bit my lip so hard until it bled, holding back my tears.

He hated seeing me cry.

The people around us started teasing. "The little fool is crying again! Raymond, hurry and comfort your bride!"

Raymond stood up and swung his suit at the guy. "Bride? What nonsense!"

Then he started to walk out of the private room, holding Regina's hand.

A dull ache filled my chest as I followed him in a daze.

When we reached the club entrance, Raymond declared it was out of his way, telling me he had to take Regina back to her hotel first.

He instructed me to wait by the door.

I waited for a long time, gradually sobering up. Yellow leaves fluttered down from the trees, brittle and dry, and I tore them apart piece by piece.

Raymond had once told me he would appear after I counted every leaf.

But now I'd torn so many that the ground was littered with fragments, my hands were freezing—and he never came.

Even when the sun rose, its warmth never reached me.

I ended up walking home alone.

The servant was busy tidying up.

I walked along the hallway and saw that the house had been cleaned overnight, now looking spotless, stripped down to black and white.

The cute rabbit chair at the dining table had been moved to the door by the servant.

My bunny slippers and the pink floor mats had been tossed into the trash.

Even the bouquet of pink roses I had carefully watered for so long—the ones I'd nurtured until tiny buds appeared—had been thrown to the floor, crushed underfoot.

At the party, they said roses meant love. I didn't get it.

But Raymond had said that if I could make these pink roses bloom this season, he would agree to marry me. Now they were dead.

I dropped to my knees and picked up the ruined flowers, tears pouring down my cheeks, my heart aching.

I didn't notice when Raymond came downstairs.

He looked at me and said, "It's just some roses. Why are you crying again?

"How many do you want? I can have someone buy more."

"This is different," I said.

My mother had told me before she passed away that I had to marry Raymond and always be good to him. Otherwise, she would worry even if she went far away.

I tried to follow her wish.

But if these roses die, Raymond would never marry me.

"Stop crying." Raymond's eyes showed irritation.

He hated seeing me crying.

I held back my tears as best I could, though my sadness was overwhelming.

The pretty girl came down as well. "I'm sorry, Elea. I don't know if these were yours.

"I only said I don't like pink, but Raymond changed everything. Did I mess things up for you?"

I swallowed a sob. "But this is my home with Remy."

Raymond had said before that I could have anything I liked. Why has everything changed now?

Raymond frowned as he looked at me. "It's hard for her to stay at a hotel, so she'll stay here for a while.

"Eleanor, stop being unreasonable."

I didn't understand what he meant by unreasonable. I only knew the house suddenly didn't feel like mine anymore.

Angry, I went upstairs to hide in my room like usual. But when I opened the door, my room had changed too.

All my stuffed bunnies were gone. Some had been replaced with blue ones, my least favorite color. I took a step back in shock.

Raymond held me steady and explained, "She wants to stay closer to me.

"You can stay downstairs.

"She'll only be here for two months. Be good, and I'll get you all the dolls you like."

I looked at him, my eyes red with tears. "Why here? Why not somewhere else?"

Raymond had so many houses. Why did it have to be this one?

There are many things in my head that I can't understand, yet I somehow understand them.

He didn't come to get me last night because he packed up all my things for that pretty girl to stay.

He didn't pick me up because he was afraid I'd make a scene.

At that moment, I shoved him away. "You're a bad guy!"

I hid in a small room on the first floor where my things were scattered everywhere.

I sat on a cardboard box, clutching my big bunny, sobbing until sweat drenched me.

But no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find the white bunny doll my mother gave me or the porcelain doll my father had made.

I walked upstairs and knocked on the door. Raymond opened it and stepped out.

I said, "Remy, my mom and dad's things are missing.

"I want to go inside and look for them."

Raymond blocked the door.

"You can't just barge into other people's rooms. Don't you know that?"

I stared at him, confused. Why could they enter my room anytime, but I wasn't allowed in theirs?

His tall frame completely blocked the doorway.

"If you say I'm a good guy, maybe I'll let you in."

I said blankly, "You're a good guy."

Raymond's expression softened, and he was about to let me pass. But suddenly, a loud crash came from inside.

I turned and saw the black wooden box fall to the floor. Inside, all my cute porcelain dolls were shattered into pieces.

Raymond dashed in, looking at Regina with worry. "Are you hurt?"

I stared at the broken pieces scattered on the floor, my hands trembling as I tried to fit them together. They were shattered too badly.

My fingers got cut, and my blood streaked the porcelain shards red.

I couldn't hold back my sobs, and Raymond frowned.

"They're just some worthless things. I can get you new ones later."

"These aren't the same," I whispered.

He clearly understood how much these things meant to me. I rarely took them out.

Regina's face was full of regret. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I was planning to give it to you later, so I put it on the table. But I tripped, and they broke. I'm sorry."

I began picking up the pieces, carefully placing them in a box, but Raymond kicked them away.

"Don't pick it up."

More pieces are scattered everywhere. I sobbed so hard I started hiccupping.

"Why... why can't I pick them up?"

He tried to kick again, but I clenched the pieces in my hands, lifted my chin, and glared at him fiercely. Raymond stopped.

I stubbornly gathered every shard and put them in the box. Holding it tightly, I stood and faced Regina.

"Why did you touch my things?"

I always kept them safely in the cabinet and rarely touched them. They couldn't have broken on their own.

Raymond pulled Regina behind him.

"She said she didn't mean it. What more do you want?"

For the first time, he shouted at me so harshly for someone else. He had even kicked away the last things my parents left me.

I felt an overwhelming sadness and cried so hard that I could barely breathe.

"I... I kept them in the cabinet. How could they break if she didn't touch them?

"These were gifts from my parents. Why... why would you do this?"

Raymond continued to defend her. "So what if they're broken? I said I'll buy the same ones. What's your problem?"

I stepped back, my voice shaking. "You also think I'm a fool, a lunatic, don't you?"

There was a flicker in Raymond's eyes I hadn't seen before.

He said, "Just go downstairs now. I'll buy the exact same ones tomorrow."

I shook my head, clutching the remaining pieces tightly. Drops of blood stained the wooden floor.

I said quietly, "They're different. Mom and Dad made this themselves.

"You can't replace them."

Regina's eyes were red. "It's all my fault. I'll see if I can fix it."

Raymond seemed a little relieved.

"Alright, Regina knows about restoring antiques, so let her try."

My hands shook as I tried to pass the box to her, but she almost dropped it.

I lunged forward, trying to catch it, but Regina stumbled back like someone had pushed her.

The box fell, and the pieces broke even more. I couldn't even recognize the face of the porcelain doll anymore.

Regina's hands, supporting her on the floor, were cut by the shards. She broke down and cried loudly.

"Raymond, I never thought she would get so mad at me. It's all my fault."

Raymond's eyes burned with anger. "Why would you shove her? Do you realize how important hands are for an art conservator?!"

I stared at the shattered pieces on the floor, feeling helpless. "I... I didn't!"

"If you didn't push her, would she risk her own hand like that?! That makes no sense at all."

He told the servants to lock me in a room until I admitted my mistake.

Raymond simply wouldn't believe me.

I sat alone in the small room, clutching the wooden box filled with broken fragments.

Ever since that childhood accident, I've been terrified of darkness and always need a light on to sleep.

Before, the house was lit wherever I went. Now, Raymond had sealed the windows shut. Everything around me was pitch black.

My hands shook uncontrollably. I was scared, like something was blocking my mouth and nose, and I couldn't breathe. I collapsed, gasping.

I held the pieces inside the box tightly, as if that could save me.

"Mom... Dad..."

My father died trying to protect me when I was small, and my mother later got sick and passed away.

People say my father's death was my fault, but my mother always told me I was the bravest child in the world. Father was a hero.

My body began to heat up. My stomach was empty, and I was so thirsty.

I wanted to tell Raymond that I knew my mistake. I didn't want him to marry me anymore. I just wanted to go home to my mother.

When I tried to get up, I collapsed again onto the floor.

I pounded on the door, but no one came.

I could smell blood on my hands. I was so thirsty that I tried to drink it, pressing the shards into my skin. I felt like I was bleeding out, yet no one came.

Outside, thunder roared. There should have been some light, but none got in.

Before, whenever there was a storm, Raymond would stay with me. He would say, "Don't be scared, Elea, I'm right here."

No matter where I went, he always appeared. I curled up, waiting and waiting.

My body grew hotter and hotter, and my mind started to blur.

After what seemed like forever, Raymond finally opened the door. He held a glass of water and looked down at me.

"Do you understand that you were wrong?"

I nodded frantically and grabbed his pant leg.

"I know I made a mistake. I really do."

He smiled and offered me the water.

I drank like a fish, desperate for water. When he noticed the water was all mixed with blood, his eyes widened in shock.

"Eleanor!"

The next thing I knew, I completely passed out.

Pain woke me up suddenly.

Sharp pieces had cut into my palms, making my fingers shake with pain. Raymond was standing next to me, holding out his hands to me.

This time, I didn't reach for him.

His face looked slightly puzzled, but he still said, "If you'd just admitted your mistake earlier, you wouldn't be suffering like this."

After finishing the IV antibiotics, Raymond took me back home.

I told him, "I want the servant to help me clean my room."

He gave a slight nod.

I called the moving company again. Once I had packed and organized my belongings, I left the room. Regina was there too.

Raymond glanced at me. "Since you realize your mistake, come over and apologize to Gina."

Her hands were bandaged, and she pouted up at Raymond. "She didn't mean it yesterday. Don't pick on her."

Raymond's expression hardened. "She started it."

I refused to give in this time.

"If I don't apologize, are you going to lock me up again?

"Are you trying to force me to obey you again?"

The cut on my hand stung from the broken glass.

"If you admit your mistake, I'll let you stay in this house."

It felt like leaving the Devlin's residence would be the end of me.

I stared at my feet and inhaled deeply. "I'm sorry."

I was sorry for all the trouble I had caused him over the years.

Tears slipped down my cheeks as I spoke.

Raymond reached out to touch my head, but I dodged him quietly. His hand froze in place.

He said, "We're going away for the next few days, so behave while you're home alone."

"Okay," I replied shortly.

I sat in a chair, listening as Raymond answered a phone call. The balcony door wasn't fully closed, so I could hear everything.

"We'll go to the spa resort. Is your little fool coming?"

"No, I'll just bring Gina..."

"That's true. That fool will only embarrass you at the wrong time."

Raymond didn't argue.

So that's why he wasn't bringing me. He thought I would make him look bad.

Before they left, I wanted to remind him that my father's memorial day was in three days, hoping he wouldn't forget.

Regina stood in front of Raymond, and he carefully positioned himself behind her, protecting her.

"What are you going to do now?" he asked.

I said, "In three days..."

Raymond interrupted me coldly, "I'll be back in three days."

I watched the car drive away.

The movers had finally shown up.

Zoey Breslin stared at me. "You should have realized this sooner. If you want, you can just pay me, and I'll take care of you from now on."

I shook my head firmly.

Raymond and I ran into Zoey at the club once. Back then, a group of people was picking on her, and I stepped in to protect her.

Later, she started working for a moving company and left me her number, saying I could call if I ever needed help.

"Alright. All the stuff is moved. Call me if you need help," she said.

"Thank you," I replied.

Whenever I fought with Raymond and didn't want to speak to him, he would hand me a recorder, saying I could talk into it, say all the bad things about him, and he would listen.

Every time I ran away from home, I left him a recording, hoping he'd come running to comfort me.

This time, I said, "Thank you for taking care of me all these years. I've decided to move out of the Devlin's residence."

Unlike before, I didn't tell him where I was headed.

I've lost track of how many years it's been, but I remember celebrating my ninth birthday in this house. I didn't want to spend this year's birthday in that house again.

I went back to my old place. The tree near the front door had grown taller, though it had grown crooked. The yard was full of weeds, and I pulled them out one by one. While trimming the tree branches, I accidentally fell from the tree.

Sometimes I think I must really be that foolish for Raymond to dislike me.

My stomach rumbled from hunger. I found some pasta but couldn't figure out how to turn on the gas stove. Exhausted, I fell asleep hungry.

When I woke up, I checked the calendar and noticed I had turned to the latest page, which marked my father's memorial day.

I bought many flowers early in the morning and arranged them just like Raymond used to. I also lit candles.

I talked to my father from morning until sunset.

Raymond never arrived late in the past. He always said my father had saved him, that my father meant a lot to him. That's why he always came every year.

I wanted to see if he had forgotten, so I called Raymond.

I dialed his phone number, but a girl answered instead.

"I already told you. Raymond doesn't like you. He thinks you're disgusting.

"Why haven't you moved out of his house yet?

"Because of your father and because of you, he's been guilt-tripped all this time. You're nothing but a burden.

"If I were you, I would have left long ago.

"He's not going to marry you.

"Stop bothering him!"

After that, she hung up.

So this is how Regina thought of me.

I traced the cold letters on my father's gravestone, my voice trembling.

"Remy has someone else now. I won't bother him anymore.

"Don't worry, Dad. Tell Mom too... she can finally rest in peace.

"I'll take care of myself. I just... miss you both so much."

Tears blurred my vision, spilling hot and endless.

And then—out of nowhere—an impatient voice cut through the silence.

"Tsk. You're an adult, and still crying like a child?"

Slowly, I lifted my head. A tall figure stood before me, his presence sharp, almost dangerous.

He looked familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen him before.

"Little one, no one's looking after you. Do you want to come with me?"