We Part In Autumn

“Eula! Have you no conscience left?!

“That’s my grandmother’s heirloom!

“What right do you have to give it away?!

“For the sake of the seven years our family raised you, give it back to me!”

Eula’s face instantly twisted into a hideous grimace.

Smack!

With a sharp slap, my head was violently jerked to the side. My ears rang.

Eula hated it most when people brought up her past as a dependent.

It shattered what little self-respect she had left into a million pieces.

“Who told you to bring that up?!

“As expected, you really have always looked down on me!

“Zephyr, you really have always thought of me as nothing more than a dog your family kept!”

Luke wrapped his arm around her as he added fuel to the fire.

“Eula, don’t get angry. Zephyr didn’t mean it. He’s just in a bad mood.”

As he spoke, his gaze drifted casually toward my room. A sinister smile played on his lips.

“By the way, I think I saw Zephyr’s computer in his room just now. The browser was even logged in.

“Why don’t we just fill out his college applications for him? Let’s save him the trouble.”

My heart clenched suddenly.

“No!”

I screamed at the top of my lungs. But my arms were once again pinned down so tightly I could not move an inch.

The fury on Eula’s face slowly faded. A cold, cruel smile took its place.

“Zephyr, do you think being the valedictorian makes you so great?

“Let me tell you, even if you get into the top universities like Ozford and Hafard, you’d still have to do as I say!”

She turned to look at Luke. Her flippant tone was tinged with a hint of barely perceptible affection.

“Luke, where would you like Golding to go to school?”

Luke tapped his chin with his finger, pretending to think.

“Hmm, let me think. I heard there’s a community college with a pretty good beauty and hairdressing program. Why don’t we send Zephyr there to further his studies?

“With his looks, he might even become the school’s heartthrob!”

A burst of laughter immediately erupted around us.

“Eula, I’m begging you.

“This is my future. You can’t do this to me…”

My pleas did not elicit a shred of pity. Instead, it only made them laugh even more wildly.

“Zephyr, I’m just trying to help you. What’s wrong with studying beauty and hairdressing?

“You’ll be able to blow-dry my hair for me in the future. Wouldn’t it be convenient?”

Luke snuggled up beside her and grinned happily.

“That’s right, Zephyr.”

He sighed and feigned concern. In contrast, his tone was shrill and grating.

“You’re always so eager to serve Eula. If you study beauty and hairdressing, it’ll be the perfect way to learn even more service skills.

“You’ll even be able to design hairstyles for Eula in the future. Don’t you see how thoughtful that’d be?!”

He deliberately emphasized the word “service”. His gaze was full of provocation and mockery.

“Hahahaha! Luke is right!”

“We might be able to get in on the action too! Having the valedictorian wash our hair? That kind of treatment is beyond our wildest dreams!”

“Eula is awesome! That’s exactly how you deal with him!”

I watched helplessly as Eula filled out every slot on the application form, listing that community college as the sole choice.

I screamed in agony.

“No! Eula, you can’t do this to me!”

She finished submitting the application and flashed me a triumphant smile.

The application had been submitted. Everything had been set in stone.

The two arms that had been holding me down finally let go. I collapsed to the ground in despair.

Eula seemed to want more. She intended to crush my last shred of hope in the most ruthless way possible.

Amid the deafening cheers and applause from the crowd, she grabbed my laptop.