Within minutes, the thread blew up with thousands of replies. The forum admins were so shocked, they thought the site had been hacked.
After dropping her verbal bombs, Sadie tossed her phone aside and collapsed back into bed.
She didn’t have to play the “good girl” anymore. Didn’t have to win anyone’s approval. She was done living with her head down.
Not long after, someone knocked on the door.
“Ms. Douglas, it’s time to get up for school. You’re going to be late.”
Right. School.
Sadie sat up with a groan. She did still have classes.
She splashed her face with cold water to wake herself up. If she wanted out of the Douglas family, she needed to finish school–and ace her exams so she could get far away.
After throwing on her school uniform and grabbing her backpack, she headed downstairs.
Just as she reached the bottom, Jeremy and Malik came in through the front door.
Jeremy immediately noticed the flush on her cheeks. Without thinking, he stepped forward to check her forehead.
But Sadie took a step back, dodging his hand, and walked straight to the dining table without a word.
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She needed to eat. Get her strength up. She had to stay healthy if she wanted to crush her exams and get into Wonder University.
Jeremy’s hand froze midair before he awkwardly let it drop.
Malik let out a snort. “Told you she’s cold–blooded. Strong as an ox, too–unlike Lorena, who’s been sickly since she was a kid. She falls into the water once and ends up with a fever. But Sadie? She never gets sick. Not once.”
Jeremy didn’t argue. Sadie had always been physically resilient.
He walked over to the dining table. “Lorena’s sick. While she’s recovering, I want you to look after her at school. Make sure she’s okay. Understood?”
He was done spoiling her. If Sadie couldn’t learn gratitude the easy way, she’d learn it the hard way.
Malik chimed in. “Her father saved your life. Then you almost killed her. You owe her, Sadie. Taking care of her is the least you can do.”
Sadie kept her head down, silently eating breakfast. Even though her stomach turned, she forced herself to finish.
There were fewer than a hundred days left until the exam. After that, she’d be free.
But her indifference only made Malik angrier. He slammed his hand on the table and grabbed her fork. “We’re talking to you! What, are you deaf?”
Sadie looked up. Her eyes were dark and calm, a clear contrast to the chaos around her.
Malik barked, “When Lorena takes her meds, you bring the water. At lunch, you run to the cafeteria and bring her food–make sure it’s still
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hot. If she needs to go to the bathroom, you take her. Her dad saved your life. This is your debt to repay. Got it?”
Sadie’s voice was flat. “Got it.”
But that didn’t mean she planned on doing it.
Expressionless, she walked out of the villa. She looked up at the sky. blinking fast to force the tears back down.
She thought getting a second chance at life would mean she’d be numb to this kind of pain.
But hearing Malik say those words still felt like a dagger to the chest.
She remembered, as a kid, when she got sick. Jeremy used to stay by her side all night. Malik would crack jokes and coax her into taking medicine.
Now, because Lorena was the “fragile” one, they rushed to take care of her the moment she sneezed.
And Sadie? Even when she burned with fever, she had to take care of herself.
She swallowed the bitterness rising in her throat, climbed into the car, and leaned back with her eyes closed.
Just hold on a little longer. Less than a hundred days to go.
*****
When she arrived at school, she headed straight for the senior classroom.
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