Chapter 3

It was snowing heavily outside. Shivering in my thin jacket, I huddled in a corner, blowing on my hands to keep them warm.

As I stared blankly at the snow, a warm hand gently touched my shoulder.

"Chloe?"

I turned around and saw Mrs. Gable, my high school counselor.

She was one of the very few people in my life who had ever tried to protect me.

She knew about my living conditions—how I slept in a laundry room and rode in the trunk. She had clashed with Robert and Helen multiple times, furious on my behalf.

She always told me I was a brilliant student with a bright future, and that I didn't deserve to be treated like trash.

"It's freezing. What are you doing out here all by yourself?"

Hearing her gentle, caring voice, the dam broke. Tears streamed down my face.

"Oh, sweetie, what happened? Who hurt you? Tell me. I've got you."

I collapsed into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "Mrs. Gable, I don't have a home anymore. I have nowhere to go!"

I poured my heart out, telling her everything that had happened.

With every word, her expression grew darker. By the end, she was shaking with pure rage.

"How could they treat a brilliant girl like you like trash?!"

She immediately took my cold hand and led me to her car.

"If they don't want you, I do! From now on, you can sit in any seat in my car. You can have any bedroom in my house. You will never have to suffer like this again!"

And just like that, I moved into Mrs. Gable's house.

Her daughter had passed away from an illness years ago, and she lived alone after divorcing her husband.

We looked after each other. Our life was simple, peaceful, and filled with warmth.

As for my biological family, they never contacted me, except for the occasional fake text from Brooke telling me to "come home and apologize."

Sometimes, I saw their posts on Instagram.

They posted pictures of the four of them smiling inside their new SUV. Buster the dog was sitting proudly in the middle seat.

Helen had captioned it:

Now that we have the new SUV, Buster finally has his own seat! He’s family, after all, and I could never bear to see him squeezed into a dirty, suffocating trunk.

Austin commented below: Now that the eyesore is gone, the world is so much quieter!

Robert and Brooke had liked the post.

My heart felt cold.

Even though I knew I was unwanted, seeing those words still felt like a knife to the chest.

Just as I was about to close my phone, a bank notification popped up. My college scholarship fund had been deposited.

Right after, Robert sent me two furious voice notes on Snapchat:

"Chloe, we raised you for eighteen years, and you turn your back on us over a car seat? We were hoping to get a decent dowry when you got married to get our money back. Since you want to play dirty, we've decided to deduct $30,000 from your scholarship fund as compensation for raising you!"

"From now on, you're on your own for tuition and living expenses. We are officially even!"

Mrs. Gable heard the voice notes. She was so angry she immediately handed me her savings card.

"Thirty thousand? Please. I have more than enough. From now on, I am covering all your expenses, Chloe!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Gable!" I choked out, throwing my arms around her and crying.

I vowed right then to study as hard as I could, become successful, and repay her kindness.