Crescentia had lost everything in a single day.
First, her parents had died in a car accident. Then, her uncle stole their estate and threw her and Noella out like garbage. Thinking she could at least rely on her boyfriend, she had gone to Lucian, only to discover that he had been cheating on her with her cousin.
And now, standing before them, she was being mocked like a beggar.
"Cress, don't tell me you came here to spend the night," Juliette sneered, arms crossed. "Do you have nowhere else to go?"
Crescentia's blood boiled. The betrayal, the humiliation—she couldn't take it anymore.
Without warning, she lunged at Juliette, grabbing a fistful of her perfectly styled blonde hair and yanking as hard as she could.
Juliette shrieked, stumbling back.
Lucian was too stunned to react at first, but then he grabbed Crescentia's wrist, forcing her to release Juliette. She didn't go down without a fight—when she let go, she made sure to take a few strands of blonde hair with her.
"You're insane!" Lucian hissed, shoving her back. "If you don't leave now, I'm calling security."
Crescentia barely registered his words. She glared at him with burning hatred. He wasn't the boy she had loved. Or maybe he was, and she had just been too blind to see it.
"You're going to regret this," she vowed, her voice like steel.
Juliette touched her scalp, gasping when she saw the strands of hair in Crescentia's hand. "You lunatic! I'm going to sue you!"
Lucian grabbed Crescentia by the arm and dragged her to the door. "Get out." His voice was ice.
Crescentia glared at him before she attacked, but deep down, something inside her shattered. The boy who once whispered love into her ears now looked at her like utter trash he couldn't wait to get rid of. Had he ever loved her at all? Even for once?
There was this urge to ask him that question but she already knew the answer.
Lucian caught her arm before she could grab his hair strands. "You're a crazy woman!" Then he turned to the guards. "Don't let her in again or else, you're all getting fired."
The door slammed in her face and just like that, she was kicked out again.
Her body trembled—not just from anger, but from the sheer weight of her losses.
Her parents were dead. Her home was gone. The boy she had loved had betrayed her.
She had nothing.
Noella hesitated before whispering, "Your boyfriend is so mean. And Juliette is even worse… How could they do this to us? Aren't families supposed to treat each other nicely?"
Hearing the concern in her sister's voice broke something in Crescentia. She tried to hold back the tears, but they spilled over anyway. A sob ripped from her throat.
Noella pulled her into a hug. "It's okay, Cress. We'll start over, just the two of us. We don't need them." Then she paused, her voice lowering. "But… I don't want to be a burden to you."
Crescentia pulled back, confused. "What are you talking about?"
Noella pressed a trembling hand against her chest. "It… hurts."
Her eyes widened.
"Noella?"
Before she could react, Noella's body went limp in her arms.
"Noella!!" Crescentia screamed, shaking her. Panic clawed at her throat.
She pressed a trembling hand under Noella's nose. She's breathing. Relief crashed into her, but fear still gripped her chest like a vice.
She couldn't lose Noella, too.
Hailing a taxi with shaking hands, she rushed her sister to the hospital.
The moment they arrived, their family doctor admitted Noella immediately. Crescentia paced the hospital hallway, her mind racing.
What if she doesn't survive? What if she leaves me, just like Mom and Dad?
Tears blurred her vision. She squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to breathe.
Noella is strong. She's gotten through this before. She will again.
A voice broke through her thoughts.
"Miss Belmore."
Her head snapped up. Doctor Nathan stood before her, his face serious.
"How is she? Is she okay? Can I see her?" The questions tumbled out of her.
"She's stable for now," the doctor said. "But I need to ask—did something happen at home or school? Her heart rate was dangerously abnormal when she arrived."
Crescentia hesitated, then whispered, "Our parents are dead."
The doctor's expression softened. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry for your loss."
Crescentia swallowed, nodding. She had no more tears left.
"But," the doctor continued, "Noella's condition is critical. She needs surgery as soon as possible."
Crescentia clenched her fists. She already knew this day would come.
Noella had been born with congenital heart disease. A hole in her heart. It had stolen her childhood, forced her to live under constant medical supervision. She had been doing better lately, but… now, it was happening again.
"How much is the surgery?" Crescentia asked.
"Fifty thousand dollars," the doctor replied. "And you'll need to get the money as soon as possible."
Her breath caught.
She had nothing. No home. No job. Not enough savings.
But she wouldn't give up.
As soon as the doctor left, she pressed her hands against her face, trying to steady herself.
Where am I going to find that much money?
Then, her mind landed on one possibility. The last people she wanted to ask.
Her uncle and aunt.
Even if they had stolen everything from her, even if they had thrown her and Noella onto the streets… she would swallow her pride. For Noella's sake.
She took a cab to the mansion that had once been her home.
The sight of it made her stomach twist. It was the same house she had grown up in, but it no longer felt familiar. All of their family's servants had been fired and replaced. Now, it belonged entirely to them.
"I need to see my uncle and aunt," she told the guards.
They hesitated before finally letting her in.
Inside, the dining room was filled with laughter. The smell of roasted meat and expensive wine filled the air. It hit Crescentia then—she hadn't eaten since that morning.
Her uncle, Magnus, glanced up from his meal. "Why are you here?"
Crescentia swallowed her pride and clasped her hands together. "Noella is in the hospital. She needs surgery, but I don't have the money."
For a moment, silence hung in the air. Then, Magnus and his wife, Victoria, burst into laughter.
The sound sent chills down Crescentia's spine.
"So now you need our money?" Magnus sneered. "The same money you accused me of stealing?"
"It was a mistake," she said quickly, desperate. "I shouldn't have—"
More laughter.
Victoria leaned back in her chair, swirling the wine in her glass. "Since you're so desperate, why not try earning for once? Maybe as a hooker? I hear it pays well."
Crescentia froze.
Victoria smirked. "You should consider it. It's the only thing someone like you is good for." The room erupted with cruel laughter once again.
Crescentia's hands trembled. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to lash out, to scream, to claw at their smug faces—but she didn't.
Instead, she took a slow, deep breath and smiled through gritted teeth.