Chapter 19
But when she closed her eyes, her mind drifted back to a memory from when she was seven.
She’d been bowing on that familiar path at the Pollard family-again.
Lilly had ordered the servants to beat her.
But that time, a boy appeared. Thirteen years old, dressed in mourning, with a black armband on his sleeve. He stepped in front of her without hesitation.
He said, “If you don’t like her, then from now on, she’ll live in my courtyard.”
Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her away, scolding her for being pathetic and letting people hit her all the time.
Even now, she could still remember the shape of his back-skinny but upright, shielding her from the world.
In the dark, Lottie lifted a hand and pressed it over her eyes.
Her palm came away wet.
****
That single social media post gave Esther several days of smug satisfaction.
She didn’t even bother picking on Lottic.
After all, Nigel had already made his choice, loud and clear.
Look at the facts: he kissed another woman in public, and Lottic still had to cover for him.
There was no competition-anyone could see who really mattered.
Lottie couldn’t care less about her gloating.
She stayed holed up in her room, quietly packing the things she planned to take when she left.
She didn’t own much.
What really took effort was packing up the wall of medical textbooks.
Most people found traditional medicine dry and tedious, but Lottie had always found joy in it.
There was no way she was leaving that wall of books behind.
She went to the storage room, dug out a few cardboard boxes, and started packing. She’d drop them off at Nancy’s place for now.
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13:35
Chapter 19
Nigel barely paid attention to her anymore – there was no way he’d notice a few boxes missing from her room.
She was in the middle of organizing when her phone rang.
Caller ID: Little Old Man.
Her teacher.
288 Vouchers
Four years ago, she’d been accepted into Asrark Traditional Medical Center – one of the top traditional medicine insti- tutions in the country.
Landing a spot there in her early twenties spoke volumes about her talent and potential. With time, she could’ve had a brilliant career ahead of her.
But Lilly had shut all of that down with a single word.
No hospital dared touch her.
It was her teacher who told her not to give up. He quietly arranged for her to work under her senior, Alan Livingston, at his private clinic-without telling anyone.
As soon as she picked up, her teacher’s warm, familiar voice came through. “Lottie, not too busy these days, are you?”
“Not at all,” she replied with a light laugh. “Are you and your wife going on vacation again? Need me to water the plants?”
“Oh, come on. Do I really sound like someone who only calls when he needs a favor?”
He cleared his throat. “Remember that group who came to the clinic a while back for acupuncture training? Their re- search center is about to open. I need you and Alan to attend the opening ceremony.”
Lottie nodded. “I remember. Wasn’t it somewhere overseas?”
“Griyta,” he said, chuckling. “And if I’m not mistaken, you studied Griyta, didn’t you? Meant to be!”
Lottie sighed. “When do we leave?”
“One week from now,” he said. Then paused. “…The 31st.”
The 31st.
Nigel’s birthday.
Every year before this, Lottie made sure to keep that day free-no clinic shifts, no livestreams. She’d decorate the house, cook a full meal, and prepare a gift.
And every year, he never came home.
She used to tell herself he was just busy with work.
Now, it all just felt laughable.
Birthdays, anniversaries-those were always the days he needed to prove his love… to Esther.
This year, she wasn’t going to be part of that farce.
“I’ll go,” she said without hesitation.
