CHAPTER 76: MEMORIES

Alisha stared at the orphanage where she’d been adopted from more than two decades ago. It was an old orphanage, but the structure had been reconstructed with beautiful trees surrounding it.

The wind blew against Alisha’s hair, easing her heart. This was one of her favorite places to come to whenever she needed to clear her mind.

She couldn’t help but think that things were only going to get worse, especially now that Mr. De Rossi was threatening to unalive her. So, while she was still breathing, she wanted to keep visiting the orphanage.

It had always been a habit of hers since she’d been adopted, but she’d been busy with her revenge to remember this place.

A smile bloomed on his lips when she heard the faint voices of the children playing without a care in the world.

Alisha went in and met one of the workers.

"Are you here to adopt, ma’am?" The woman asked with a smile on her lips.

Instead of answering, Alisha dwelt on that question. Her contract with Dante didn’t say she needed to get pregnant but she’d told him she would willingly give birth if she wanted to.

’Stupid,’ she thought to herself.

She shook her head. "No, I’m here to meet Mrs. Woods," she said.

The woman before her held a shocked expression on her face for a little while before she nodded in understanding.

"She’s quite busy now, but if you can wait, I’ll go tell her she has a visitor," she said.

"I don’t mind waiting."

"Well then. Please have a seat while I go talk to her quickly," the woman said, gave a curt nod with Alisha mirrored and excused herself.

Alisha didn’t take a seat. Instead, she went to the balcony where there was a tall tree sitting right in the middle.

The wind was stronger here, making her hug herself as chills ran down her spine.

This was her favorite place to play with Keisha, her older sister.

She and her older sister didn’t exactly have the best sibling relationship, but she was still her sister.

Alisha smiled when the memories came crashing in like a flood.

Twenty years ago,

It’s been over a month since the two little girls were admitted into the nearest orphanage after their parents’ deaths.

The two little girls were still traumatized by the fire that consumed their house and didn’t leave anything behind, not even their parents.

The entire day, Eva was standing close to her sister Keisha, a young girl who was two years older than her and slightly taller.

Both of them only had each other now. They didn’t know if they had any relatives since their parents never let anyone into the house, and had never taken them to see a distant aunt or uncle.

"You should go play with the other children," Keisha said, looking down at Eva whose arms were around her waist.

Eva shook her head. "I want to play with you."

"You can’t play with me. What will the other kids say?" Keisha said as she tried to move but Eva held her waist more tightly.

Eva was about to say something but was interrupted when the other kids came.

"Are you going to play with us or not, Eva?" A little boy, about Eva’s age asked.

She glared at him, hard. "No! I’m going to play with my sister."

"Your sister is ugly, especially with that big scar on her face. If you stay with her too long, you’ll also become ugly," said the little boy.

"Don’t you dare talk to my sister like that. She’s beautiful, unlike you."

Keisha was silent the entire time her sister was exchanging words with the little boy.

This wasn’t the first time she’d been discriminated against. Ever since she’d been born, people always gave her weird looks when she passed them by.

Because of the big black scar on her face, people always thought she looked weird.

Unlike Eva who was born perfect, she always received compliments wherever she went.

Keisha suddenly heard her sister fighting with the little boy. The little boy pushed Eva with all his might and she fell on the dirty ground.

Keisha interfered but the boy pushed her to the ground as well, hitting her with the ball in his hands.

"You’re ugly. Your sister is very ugly!!" He spat out. "You two should rot in hell—"

The boy didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence when Eva grabbed the ball and hit him in the face. He choked on his saliva.

Using the opportunity, she bounced on him and landed small punches on him and he yelled for help.

Eva didn’t want to get into trouble so she let him go when he was starting to get too loud.

He cried and ran away from Eva when she screamed at him.

Eva went to Keisha who was still lying on the ground.

"Don’t listen to him. He doesn’t know what he’s saying," she said calmly as she tried to wipe Keisha’s tears off her face.

Keisha flung her little arm away.

"Don’t touch me," she said with so much spite. "Don’t touch me!!" She grabbed her skirt and stood up to leave.

Eva wore a perplexed look, completely confused about the situation.

"Every time, it’s always about you, you and you. I’m always living in your shadows. All the time. I never asked to be born like this. You took all of my beauty. Give it back!!"

Before Eva could comprehend what her elder sister was saying, she was attacked.

Keisha’s nails dug into her skin, intentionally scratching her while Eva screamed in pain, but Keisha didn’t stop.

"Please stop!!" Eva pleaded but Keisha was too determined to scar Eva’s face.

The orphanage workers had to intervene when they heard Eva’s scream. Keisha was given punishment by being sent to the dark store room where she would spend the night, while Eva’s injuries were immediately attended to.

That was the day Eva realized that her sister had changed.