Chapter 5 — The Day I Left Home

His left hand, pressed against the dusty floor, suddenly brushed against an uneven, jagged indentation on the wooden surface. He pulled his hand back and lowered his gaze to the ground. Right beside the head of the bed, a jagged line of characters had been frantically carved into the wood with a sharp blade.

Divine Guidance once promised to build me a sanctuary of my own.

This was the very vow he had whispered to the young girl on the bitter day she was banished to the desolate attic. Clutching tightly to this fragile promise, the maiden had endured years of silent suffering within these cold walls. Yet, the man had broken his oath, erasing it from his memory as if it had never been uttered. At first, he had tried to shield the maiden from harshness, but soon his heart began to ache for the hardships another maiden had endured over sixteen agonizing years. He convinced himself that every ounce of warmth and happiness the first girl had ever known was bought with the quiet sacrifices of the second. Gradually, his scales tipped entirely in favor of the newcomer. He began to intentionally overlook the girl in the attic, refusing even to speak her name aloud. Yet today, the shattering revelation of the newcomer true origins completely demolished every justification for his cruelty.

Not long after the young master departed, the weeping mother was gently supported up the narrow stairs by her husband. As their eyes fell upon the delicate glass snow globe resting on the scarred desk, both of them froze as if struck by lightning.

You have both been far too cruel...

The father placed a heavy, trembling hand upon his wife's shoulder, his gaze sweeping across the cramped attic, which spanned scarcely five square meters. The ceiling hung so low, barely a meter and a half high, that they were forced to hunch over on their knees just to exist within the space. Merely remaining there for five minutes filled their chests with a suffocating, unbearable heaviness. And yet, their discarded daughter had quietly languished here for six entire years, never uttering a single word of complaint. He squeezed his wife is shoulder gently, his voice thick with repressed grief.

Let us purchase a spacious new home with three bedrooms at once. When our daughter returns, she will finally have a sanctuary of her own to dwell in. This wretched cage is utterly uninhabitable.

The mother wept uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face like broken threads.

Let us go view properties today, this very hour.

Once she has a proper chamber of her own, she will surely consent to return to us.

Yes, let us leave for the real estate agencies immediately.

Clinging desperately to these hollow consolations, they prepared to contact agents to find a new beginning. But before they could step outside, the shrill ringing of a telephone shattered the silence, summoning them urgently to the local police precinct. Upon their arrival, they found the second daughter sprawled theatrically across the precinct floor, throwing a violent tantrum. Her hair was tangled into a wild mess by her own frantic hands, and the pristine white trousers she wore were stained with stubborn gray dirt from the floor, making her appear thoroughly wretched and unhinged.

If you had not blundered in investigating the true identities of my birth parents, they would never have perished in that tragedy!

It was not enough that your negligence destroyed their lives, and now you scheme in every imaginable way to ruin mine as well!

Her voice was piercing, sharp, and laden with hysterical venom.

If you had successfully concealed the truth for six full years, why could you not simply take it to your graves?

I fought so desperately to secure a family, to grasp a shred of happiness, and now you have destroyed it all in a single breath!

What would you have me do now? How am I supposed to survive in this world?

Mucus and tears smeared thickly across her flushed, distorted face. A female officer stepped forward to haul her to her feet, only to have her hand violently swatted away.

Do not any of you dare touch me!

In the end, the exhausted parents had no choice but to forcibly lift and drag her from the building. All the way home, the young woman buried her face in her hands, weeping incessantly. Yet, looking upon the daughter they had nurtured and cherished for six years, the mother ultimate resolve melted away in a tide of lingering affection.

My dearest child, as long as you remain willing to acknowledge us as your parents, you shall forever be our beloved daughter.

Revealing the truth to you was never driven by any desire to cast you out.

We merely believed that you deserved to hold the truth of your own blood.

Both you and your sister are the flesh and blood of our hearts; can we not all learn to live in harmony hereafter?

Sniffling miserably, the young woman murmured a reluctant assent under her breath. In the days that followed, the parents exhausted every conceivable avenue to trace the missing maiden, but despite their desperate inquiries across the city, not a single soul knew where she had vanished. They sold the old estate and relocated to a bright, modern apartment featuring three bedrooms and a generous living area. They meticulously designed the master suite, complete with an attached private bath, specifically for their long-lost daughter, praying it might somehow heal the invisible scars inflicted by six years of neglect.

A year later, the second daughter dragged her packed suitcase down the stairs, announcing her sudden decision to venture out and live independently. The mother reached out, catching her hand in a warm, lingering grasp.

My child, I am well aware that over the past year your father and I have occasionally neglected your feelings, but your sister remains completely unaccounted for, and our hearts are heavy with worry.

The younger woman wrapped her fingers tightly around her mother is hand in return.

Over this past year, I have spent countless nights reflecting upon my actions. It was only because I was consumed by the terror of losing your affection that I committed such malicious acts against my sister, yet she never once contended with me for your favor.

Even the career position I currently hold was something Master Thien secured for me by taking it directly from her hands.

My departure today is purely to forge my own path in this world. Within my heart, you and father will forever remain my true parents.

Perhaps once I am gone, my sister will finally find it in her heart to return to this household.

The young master personally drove the young woman to the bustling railway station in his sedan, his expression solemn.

Ensure you take good care of yourself out there.

She nodded silently, gripping the handle of her suitcase as she turned toward the boarding gates. Just before passing through the checkpoint, she abruptly spun around to fix her gaze upon him.

Brother Thien, I am truly sorry. Had it not been for my selfish existence, your sister would never have fled this house.

The truth is, every single time you offered me your kindness and protection, I could always discern a profound shadow of desolation lingering in her eyes.

It was I who stripped away everything that belonged to her. I am so deeply sorry.

The man hands tightened around the steering wheel with such force his knuckles turned stark white, and he struggled bitterly to force a pathetic, hollow smile in farewell. How could he possibly claim ignorance of all these truths? It was simply that he had stubbornly believed the maiden could never tear herself away from him, nor could she ever abandon this family. Only because of that arrogant certainty had he permitted himself to inflict such unrestrained cruelty upon her.