Chapter 3Another Life, Another Favor

The second Aiden saw me, the smile vanished from his face, replaced by a look of pure disgust.

“What are you still doing here? Can’t you take a hint?” he snapped, his voice dripping with scorn. “Don’t think for a second that ambushing me here will change my mind. Dream on.”

“Elara?!”

Chloe’s voice, a mixture of surprise and delight, cut through the tension. She hurried over, her fluffy skirt bouncing, her eyes shining. “Wow, I can’t believe it! It’s so great to see you again after the orphanage! What a coincidence!”

She took the kitten from my arms, then her eyes fell on the black sedan parked behind me. She asked, full of curiosity, “Is that car… here to pick you up?”

Her gaze swept over the vehicle, and in an instant, her expression shifted, her face paling.

“Oh my god! Don’t tell me you were actually adopted by the Hawthornes next door?”

I was about to answer when my eyes caught something familiar—a key-shaped pendant hanging around her neck. The sight sent a jolt through my heart.

Chloe noticed my gaze and instinctively clutched the pendant, hiding it in her fist.

I feigned ignorance, simply nodding. “Yes, I’m living with the Hawthornes now.”

“So, does that mean your name is Elara Hawthorne now?”

I glanced at Aiden. He was standing there awkwardly, a flush of embarrassment on his face, clearly realizing his mistake.

“I suppose so.”

“The Hawthornes are scary, aren’t they?” she leaned in, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “I heard their son has… issues. That he doesn’t talk. Is it true?”

She gestured secretly toward the Hawthorne estate, her face a mask of gossipy intrigue, firing off questions.

My brow furrowed, and I opened my mouth to correct her, but she was already chattering on.

“Hey, that outfit you’re wearing… is that for riding and archery? You’re actually learning that stuff?” she asked, tilting her head as she looked me up and down.

“I have to go,” I said, trying to step away.

Aiden cut in, his voice cold. “Chloe, why are you wasting your time with someone like her? Let’s go.”

Chloe chirped an agreement, then stuck her tongue out at me playfully. “Don’t mind him. My brother is usually super sweet, he’s probably just in a bad mood today…”

“Aiden, wait for me!” she called, lifting her skirt to chase after him.

I stood there for a moment before turning to leave as well.

The wind carried their conversation back to me.

“Aiden, the Hawthornes are so cruel! Elara’s the same age as me, but her schedule is packed. I saw bruises all over her arms; she must be working so hard.”

“Hah. What’s the point of learning all that? A girl learning all that fancy nonsense is just asking for trouble.”

“Our Chloe doesn’t have to suffer like that. All you have to do is be pretty. Be our little princess.”

“Mhm! Mommy, Daddy, and Aiden love me the most!”

Suffering?

So that’s what they called it?

A humorless smile touched my lips, but I said nothing.

In my last life, the Mitchells had truly doted on me, providing me with the best of everything. But anytime I wanted to learn a real skill, they shut me down.

I wanted to learn riding and archery.

They were horrified. “What if you fall and scar your face! How will you ever get married!”

After I was followed home one night, I wanted to take a self-defense class.

They immediately refused. “A daughter of the Mitchell family, learning how to fight? How disgraceful! Aren’t our bodyguards enough?”

Later, when I wanted to learn about business, to understand the ledgers, they shook their heads again. “Your brother is here to handle all that. Why would you worry your pretty little head about it?”

They claimed to love me, but all they did was cultivate me into a delicate flower, ready to wilt at the first strong gust of wind.

But Mrs. Hawthorne was different.

She had said one thing to me that I still remembered:

“In the Hawthorne family, no one relies on anyone else to survive. What can be learned, must be learned. What can be fought for, must be fought for.”