The Stolen Life

In the blink of an eye, it was the day of my departure, which also happened to be my birthday.

Every year, Jeffrey would throw a grand banquet for me, inviting people from all over in my honor.

Ivor, in particular, would always prepare the most unique, extravagant gifts. And none of them were repeated.

For many years, I always looked forward to this day of the year. This time, however, I had my head hung low.

"Miss, Mr. Shaw said he will be taking Ms. Rhianne out for the day, so he won't be coming back."

The servant cast me a disdainful glance, silently mocking my lack of self-awareness.

I turned a blind eye and went into the kitchen to cook myself a meal.

Over the years, I had never once done housework. Jeffrey rarely let me into the kitchen. I could only make soup. As a result, Ivor had honed his cooking skills to cater to my picky tastes.

Cooking for myself filled me with a strange mix of desolation and accomplishment.

So this was how it felt to cook your own meal. I closed my eyes, trembling as tears escaped and fell into the food.

"Happy birthday, Eleanor Shaw," I whispered to myself. "Keep moving forward—onward forever. Even if no one loves you, there's still light at the end of the tunnel. As Jeffrey said, you have enjoyed over 20 wonderful years of wealth and privilege. You've had it good."

Just like that, I repeated words of comfort to myself as I wiped away my tears. I moved all my belongings that I had sorted out over the past two weeks in the living room.

Aside from a few items of clothing in an unsellable state, I had converted all my jewelry into cash.

I managed to bag 1.6 million dollars in total, a sum not enough to repay everything I'd spent over the years. However, the state had given out subsidies to everyone participating in the new program.

I transferred that money to my family's account, too. If it still wasn't enough, I could only remit part of my monthly salary back home.

"Eleanor, what in the world are you doing?"

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice Jeffrey's return. He was headed straight for the study.

I knew that I shouldn't be expecting anything, but on a day like today, I couldn't help it.

I turned to him. "Jeff, hi."

That familiar word felt surprisingly heavy on my tongue. Jeffrey stopped in his steps, and I noticed the bunch of keys in his hand.

They were pink—my favorite color, just as I remembered.

"Why do you have the keys?"

My question was somewhat redundant. He shot me a look of displeasure and said, "Rhianne doesn't have a place of her own yet. This villa has just been completed and is now ready; I'm taking her to view it. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Nope."

I clasped my hands behind my back, digging my nails into my skin until I bled. Jeffrey looked at me and continued, "Stop playing these childish games, Eleanor. Ives and I were the ones who funded the construction of these villas. We can give it to whoever we want. You've already taken more than enough. Remember, Rhianne is my real sister. She is the rightful Ms. Shaw and deserves to live a life our family can provide. Do you hear me?"

"Crystal clear." I nodded meekly.

It was then that his gaze fell on the feast I had prepared. He sighed in annoyance. "I can't believe I forgot it's Rhianne's birthday today. Eat up by yourself. I'm leaving now."

So he did remember. My carefully composed thoughts unraveled completely.

If Jeffrey remembered, Ivor surely did, too.

Yet, they couldn't care less. They only had Rhianne in their eyes. Even the house they had prepared for me now belonged to her.

I had always known my place. In fact, I felt guilty toward Rhianne.

But the truth was I had never wanted to fight her for anything—not this home, my brother, or Ivor.

As long as she wanted it, I was willing to give it all up.

I only had one small wish—to share a meal together. But now, it seemed even that was merely a dream.

It was about time for me to leave. Only then would they all be happy.