"No." Claire stared out through the glass window of the restaurant, looking at her university and the students coming and going. Her eyes hinted at sadness. Unbeknownst to her, one semester was about to come to an end. All her happiness would soon come to an end, and she would soon leave the university. A smile appeared on her lips. At least I've been a student before."Isn't there something you want to share with a friend?" Claire was surprised to hear it and looked into Alex's eyes, which were looking at her very gently."Thank you," Claire whispered softly. Unconsciously, her eyes became moist; her heart truly felt pain at the thought of leaving everything behind. She had just begun to feel like she was truly starting something for herself. However, she realized she couldn't be too greedy. She had received a scholarship for one semester that she should be grateful for. Soon, she would leave everything behind and start working, for her stepmother and stepfather. Entering a more bori
A few weeks ago, Alex found out that Claire entered university through a special program. This was after he read a complete report about Claire from Keaton.Since the incident with Markus, Alex has known about Claire's family situation and he feels the girl may only be able to survive one semester. Which will soon be over.Alex sighed and leaned back in his office chair. He could never imagine how Claire could endure so many difficulties in her life. Considering her small job salary had to support her mother, stepfather, and a sibling. It all made him feel pain. He felt sad.Truly, Claire's struggle amazed him.He himself wasn't sure if he would still be able to smile if he were in Claire's shoes. In Claire's small body, there was so much strength and resilience.Alex wiped his tears. He knew it was impossible for Claire to pay for the next semester's tuition, given that tuition fees were not cheap. He began to think of many ways to help Claire. Until finally, the opportunity came to
“Forgive me?” Claire stared in disbelief.The world she knew began to crumble.Was it my fault when she stole my money? Is she forgiving me?“That money was for my education,” Claire whispered, trying to get an explanation from her mother. Or perhaps a little guilt...“I've always said it, what's the point of going to college and secretly being a prostitute? You're better off being a full-fledged prostitute like me and starting to make money. You're young and beautiful. The college boys will come to you without you going to college. I can introduce you to some of my friends. They'll be happy with you.”Her mother smiled. “My child, make good use of your youth. You'll regret it when you're old like me. Listen to your mother's words. You'll never go wrong. A mother would never harm her child.”“No...”
Claire saw the morning sunlight streaming through the window of Mark’s Burger. She had hardly slept all night. Claire's hands covered her face. In the end, no matter how hard she had thought all night, without money and a destination, her only way out was to go back home.It was always like this...Although the house was rundown and full of problems, she had lived there her whole life. With a heavy heart, Claire walked with Lily back to their house.She returned Lily home because she had no other choice left. She hugged Lily tightly, not wanting the little girl to be sold. But what could she do?Maybe she would be happier with another family who cared for her.Her mother was sound asleep on the long sofa, clutching a bottle of hard liquor with a smile on her face. Claire had decided to leave this house as soon as possible. She didn't want to stay there anymore. The pain and emotions were too overwhelming.She would try to find a place to stay and work to support herself. Sleeping on t
The first day at Alex's house felt so awkward. Alex almost always confined himself to his workspace. Some students, as well as female students living on the second floor, had a special staircase around the garden that led directly to their place without passing through the first floor.They even used a special entrance gate on the other side of the garden. Consequently, the first-floor house was almost always empty.Claire's task was to clean all the rooms on the first floor, such as the living room, kitchen, dining room, and Alex's workspace. Meanwhile, the second floor was cleaned by its occupants. This was completely different from Alex's initial words, which made her think she would also clean their rooms.Claire got to know the boarders, all of whom were seniors. After a week passed, Claire understood a few things. Alex rarely smiled in front of the housemates; he always had a stern face and rarely talked to them.Alex enforced discipline in this house like a military commander.
Previously, at Keaton's house, after Lily fell asleep, Claire immediately left her and went downstairs. She saw Keaton, his wife, Anna, and Alex waiting for her."Claire," called Anna, Keaton's wife. "We would like to ask for your permission to adopt Lily as our child."Although Claire wanted to keep Lily, she couldn't bear to take her sister away after seeing the happiness of the little girl at Keaton's house. She had to let go of Lily. She knew that with the Keaton family, Lily would have a better future. However, Claire still cried. Perhaps because the tightness and worries within her had disappeared.***What Alex hid from Claire about Lily was that he had actually instructed Keaton to track Lily's whereabouts since the first day Claire arrived. He saw that Claire didn't bring her sister, so Alex became worried and assigned Keaton.The detective gathered information from the surroundings for several days and found the place where Lily was being sold. That night, he visited the lar
That morning, Claire understood one thing for sure. It's not easy for someone to run from their past. Because when the time comes, the shadows of the past will return to trap and try to destroy them. Reminding them of who they really are and where they should be.For Claire, the trap appeared when her mother and Lucas waited in front of the university gate, screaming her name. Claire saw two shadows of her past that she no longer wanted to remember, and her heart felt like it stopped. She quickly hid behind a university building pillar."Claire!!! If you don't come out now, I'll find you and kill you," Lucas shouted frantically in all directions. The man had been repeating his threats for some time. "If you don't come out, I'll come in and search for you! You can't run from us."Fear gripped Claire immediately, she felt suffocated, and her hands trembled violently. Her face turned pale. She knew Lucas could enter the university, search for her, or beat anyone who tried to stop him. Th
"Claire, listen to me," said Alex, his two legs already powerless on the floor. The man stared sharply at Claire and strengthened his grip. Alex swore not to let go of Claire's arm."Let me go," shouted Claire frantically, trying to pull away, hitting Alex's hand and even attempting to walk out, dragging Alex's body on the floor.Alex now felt genuine fear. He felt like he would lose the girl forever if he let her go now. Claire could hit him or hurt him or even kill him, but he would never let her go. Because he was truly afraid of losing her. Alex tightened his grip.Never!Don't leave me.Claire finally stopped hitting Alex's hand and suddenly burst into loud sobs. Sitting on the floor, tears streamed down her face, and sadness was audible from her mouth.She didn't know what to do anymore. She didn't want to go back home, didn't want to go to a strange place she didn't know. She didn't want to leave this place, where she had started to feel comfortable with her life, finding peace