Betrayed Then Rejected

I come from a rural area, while Emmett is the heir to a city fortune. Our paths were never meant to cross.

But because of his rebellious streak, Emmett's parents sent him to be part of an exchange program, which landed him with my family. Our first encounter was far from pleasant.

The day Emmett arrived, it was pouring rain. He stood there, covered in mud, a scowl on his face, and snapped, "Move out of my way!"

His rudeness rubbed me the wrong way, but recalling Grandpa Tobias's advice to treat guests well, I managed to prepare baked potatoes for him, even though we usually had nothing more than boiled vegetables. I even gave him our only egg.

Emmett didn't appreciate the effort, though. He sneered and called it pig slop. It wasn't until I accidentally hurt my leg while digging up potatoes for him that Emmett showed a different side. That night, ignoring everyone’s protests, he carried me over hills and through fields to get me to a hospital.

After that, things between us thawed. He stopped griping about the potatoes. Instead of lounging around, he went to school with me and even learned to help Grandpa Tobias with the farm animals.

"Arya, if you can't even handle the livestock, how will you ever make it to college?" Emmett teased.

"I will. Education changes everything," I replied seriously, gazing up at the vast blue sky. Emmett, however, was looking at me.

After the fall harvest, Emmett's exchange program ended. I assumed that would be the end of our time together. But then, he confessed.

"When the time comes, you should come to the city with me to study. You won’t have to worry about getting into college. It beats staying here in the middle of nowhere."

I was so swept up in the moment that I didn't catch the condescension in his tone. I said goodbye to Grandpa Tobias and, with a heart full of excitement, left the countryside with Emmett.

But the city wasn't as thrilling as I had imagined. The first thing Emmett did was wrinkle his nose and have Martha, the housekeeper, take me for a bath. When I came out, I found all my things had been tossed out, including the potatoes he'd once asked me to bake.

He said those worthless things were nothing but an embarrassment. I sensed Emmett had changed, but having never left the countryside, I felt anxious and decided to keep quiet.

But everyone has their breaking point. Sure, I may be a poor country girl, but that doesn’t mean I’m a thief!

I insisted on looking at the surveillance footage, but Emmett's patience was gone.

"I've already given you more than enough respect, Arya. Enough is enough," he said with a cold chuckle. "An hour ago, the hall's camera malfunctioned. Don't pretend you didn't know."

"When your father, the gambler, asked me for money, I didn’t say no. And now you're sneaking around, taking Ruthie's necklace. Why? Trying to show you can make it on your own?"

"Give it back, and I'll act like this never happened."

My face went pale, a ringing in my ears. In a daze, I recalled what Ruthie had said to me.

"You're just a passing entertainment for Emmett. You're not from his world."

I hated Ruthie’s arrogance then. But at that moment, I suddenly realized she was right. Ruthie and Emmett are alike—privileged and pampered, looking down on those less fortunate.

In Emmett's eyes, I'm just an insignificant person. Any wrongdoing naturally falls on me.