---
The moment Lin Yue reached the top of the stairs, her worst nightmare unfolded before her eyes.
Standing in front of her apartment door were four familiar yet terrifying figures—her mother, father, brother, and sister.
Their faces were hard, eyes filled with hostility, mouths already moving with curses she could barely hear through the pounding of her heart.
Her mother, with her wiry frame and tightly tied bun, stood at the center like a general commanding a war.
Her father, taller but slouched with bitterness, flanked her left. Her brother leaned against the wall arrogantly, arms crossed, his lip curled in contempt.
And her sister—always elegantly dressed, always quiet—stood a few feet away, her expression unreadable but the gleam of disdain in her eyes unmistakable.
Before they even noticed her presence, Lin Yue heard her mother hiss, "That little slut. We only took her in because I felt pity. And she dares to disrespect her brother like that? Ungrateful thing."
Her father's voice followed, low and sharp. "She better give us whatever money she's hiding or she'll regret it. What use is she if she can't buy a house for her brother?"
Her brother scoffed. "She thinks she's all that now. Just a little bitch who we adopted."
Even though her sister hadn't spoken yet, the way she glanced at the others with a slight smirk told Lin Yue everything.
The hatred. It had always been there—quiet and poisonous.
When her presence was finally noticed, it was as if gasoline had been thrown onto the fire.
Her mother stormed forward, finger pointed at Lin Yue's chest. "You little bastard! Where's the money you're hiding? Are you supporting a man now? You don't have money for your family, but you're feeding some man off the street?"
Lin Yue opened her mouth to speak, but her father cut her off, his heavy steps thudding closer.
Without a word, his hand flew through the air and struck her cheek.
She staggered slightly, eyes wide—not from the pain, but from the weight of years of enduring this.
"What did we raise you for?" he bellowed. "If you can't even buy your brother a house, what use are you? You worthless thing!"
Beside her, Ah Yan remained silent but his fists clenched.
His eyes turned icy as he watched her take the slap without flinching.
Lin Yue's vision blurred—not from tears, but from the searing rage boiling in her chest.
She hated this.
She met her father's furious eyes and spat, "If you didn't want me, why did you adopt me? Why didn't you just leave me to die?! That would've been better than this!"
Her mother gasped, clutching her chest like her heart might give out at any second pointing at her with shaky fingers.
"You... You... Little bastard... You..."
Her brother and sister rushed to her side, fussing over her like loyal soldiers.
"Mom! Are you okay? Mom! Breathe!" her sister cried out.
"Mom! Mom! " her brother called out.
Her father turned on Lin Yue again, his hand twitching, ready to slap her once more.
"Go on," Lin Yue said coldly. "Slap me again. Do it. But remember this—today, I sever all ties with you. From now on, I have no parents. No brother. No sister. You're strangers to me."
Her father's hand dropped.
He stumbled back a step as though her words had struck him harder than any blow ever could.
Where did this little bitch get the guts to tell him this?
Talk to him like this?
And then his gaze shifted—right behind her.
He saw Ah Yan.
He scoffed. "So this is why you think you're brave now? You found yourself a boyfriend? A delivery man? That's what gave you the guts to talk back?"
Lin Yue rolled her eyes. "Move aside."
She stepped forward, shielding Ah Yan slightly behind her. "I've repaid every cent you ever spent on me. I worked my fingers to the bone giving you money. I didn't go to college because I was too busy playing the role of your personal ATM. If you want more money—work for it yourselves or have your baby girl bring it to you. I'm done."
Her voice didn't crack. It rang strong, steady, and final.
She turned to Ah Yan, who hadn't said a word throughout the confrontation.
His knuckles were still tight at his side.
"Let's go," she said softly, as if to him alone.
Behind them, her father growled. "You'll come crawling back. You'll beg us to take you in. Useless thing."
She didn't answer. She didn't care.
She took Ah Yan's hand.
Together, they walked into her house.
---
As they entered the house , Lin Yue released a shaky breath— her entire body trembling—but not from fear.
From liberation.
From freedom.
She'd always been quiet because she didn't care about them.
She'd always been grateful because they took her in and brought her up. Even though they hated her, at least they gave her a roof to sleep under.
But when her brother had confronted her that morning, even slapping her in front of people, she'd asked herself.
Even if they brought her up, what right did they have to talk to her like that?
Treating her like a dog?
Even a dog's master will treat it better.
Ah Yan looked at her, his brows furrowed, worry etched into every line of his beautiful face.
"You okay?" he asked in a low voice.
She nodded, her voice soft. "I will be. I finally cut the string tying me to people who never saw me as family. I should've done it sooner."
She turned to close the door , but not before casting one more glance at the peephole.
Outside, her so-called family hadn't moved yet. She then noticed something. Her aloof sister was looking at Ah Yan with a thoughtful gaze.
What was she thinking?
She just rolled her eyes closing the door.
---
Her father had turned to her sister and noticed her gaze too. "Why were you looking at that guy like that?"
Lin Yue's sister tilted her head, eyes narrowing. "He looked… familiar. I feel like I've seen him before."
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