Chapter 2 : Ms. Rogers Doesn’t Look Well
The meaning was clear that if she didn’t dare touch it, then she wasn’t cured and had to stay for more treatment. Ever since the fire broke out three years ago, Allison had been terrified of fire. Nigel saw the fear in her eyes and felt slightly relieved. Knowing she was afraid of fire and pain, he was sure she wouldn’t reach for it. As long as she promised not to hurt Sherrie again, he would forgive her.
But just as that thought crossed his mind, his eyes widened in shock when Allison suddenly reached into the fire.
“Who told you to actually grab it?” Nigel rushed over and pulled her hand away.
Allison’s palm was burned so badly that it was bleeding. Seeing her grit her teeth and tremble from the pain, Nigel was shocked. She used to be terrified of pain. Even as a child, a small scratch would make her cry and run to him for comfort.
How could she bear such pain now without saying a word?
The sister he had spoiled for twenty years no longer sought his comfort. Nigel’s chest tightened. She was his most beloved sister, so how could he not care about her? “Does it hurt?”
Allison pulled her hand back and hid it behind her. Her voice was cold. “I’m better now. I’m not crazy anymore. Can I leave the hospital?”
Nigel frowned deeply, and he said furiously, “I came here to pick you up out of kindness, and you’re still throwing a tantrum and acting cold. You stabbed Sherrie, and we didn’t send you to jail. We’ve already been kind enough, and now you’re complaining? Do you think I’ll pamper you like before just because you’re hurting yourself?”
His voice became even sharper as he turned to leave the psychiatric hospital. “If you want to leave, go ahead.”
In his rush to leave, Nigel wasn’t worried that Allison wouldn't follow him. She had been desperate enough to grab burning coal, so there was no way she’d stay behind now.
Sure enough, Allison walked out of the psychiatric hospital.
Her steps looked strange. One arm was wrapped around her stomach, her shoulders were hunched, and her legs seemed too heavy to lift.
The driver, Carlos, noticed something was wrong. “Mr. Nigel, Ms. Rogers doesn't look well.”
Nigel glanced up and let out a cold scoff. “She’s just pretending so I’ll feel sorry for her. I’ve spoiled her too much. Now she thinks acting weak will justify everything she does.”
Even as he said that, his eyes lingered on her. She looked thinner, her face pale, and her hands were covered in injuries.
Fine! Once she got in the car, he’d take her to the hospital for a checkup so she couldn’t use being sick as another excuse to manipulate him again.
But before Nigel could act on that thought, Allison suddenly turned and ran in the opposite direction, even after seeing his car. She was trying to escape.
Allison had no intention of going back to the Rogers family. Sherrie must have set a trap, just waiting for her to walk into it. Going back now would be like walking straight into hell.
She didn’t want anything from the Roger family anymore. All she wanted was to get to the registration office, replace her lost ID, and disappear from their lives to start over on her own.
But her body was too weak. The injuries she suffered from those lunatics had become a burden to her. Every step she took felt like tearing her wounds open again. She panted heavily, her forehead covered in cold sweat, and barely made it a few meters before Nigel grabbed her from behind.
“Ah!” Allison cried out as she lost her balance and fell hard to the ground.
Nigel was startled when he heard her cry of pain. He stared at Allison, who was curled up on the ground, clutching her head as if she expected someone to hit her. But he hadn’t even touched her.
Frowning, he stared at her carefully but didn’t help her up. “If you think running away will make me worry, you’re wrong.”
At the sound of his voice, Allison slowly lowered her hands. Right… this wasn’t the psychiatric hospital. No one here would chase her down or beat her.
Nigel frowned. “Right now, you don’t even exist in the system. Without identification, you can’t even buy a ticket.”
No money, no phone, no ID… She had nowhere to go. Whether she liked it or not, she had to depend on the Rogers family.
“I don’t exist?” Allison murmured, confused at first. Then her eyes widened as the truth sank in.
Sherrie was the illegitimate one. When their mother brought her back from the suburbs, she had no birth certificate or any information about her father. That was why Sherrie had existed like a ghost in the system since joining the Rogers family. She couldn’t enroll in school, couldn’t buy a plane ticket, and barely dared to step outside. Her background was a stain on her life. She was pitiful, innocent. So, everyone in the family went out of their way to make it up to her. Even Allison had done the same.
And now…
Allison let out a bitter laugh. What she once looked on with pity had become her life.
Seeing her reaction, Nigel figured this would be hard for her to accept. He crouched down and started explaining, “After you were admitted to the psychiatric hospital, Toby was worried your reputation would suffer the longer you stayed there. So, he urged Sherrie to temporarily use your identity. Sherrie went to school as you and attended banquets as you. She grew up in the suburbs, Allison. When she first came to our house, she didn’t even know what a strawberry was. She knew she was nothing like you and was afraid of embarrassing you in public. That’s why she studied late into the night, collapsing from exhaustion more than once. She did it all for you. Don’t be ungrateful and hurt her feelings.”
Nigel frowned, and disappointment was written all over his face, as if Allison were the one being unreasonable.
Allison let out a dry, bitter laugh. “So now that I’m better, can she give back my identity?”
She already knew the answer. Sherrie had spent years living under her name, building a reputation and connections as Allison. Even if Sherrie gave it back willingly, everyone who knew her would think the real Allison was an imposter trying to bully her.
Deep down, she knew she’d lost her identity forever. Still, the bitterness and resentment hurt her deeply. She wanted to hear Nigel say it.
As expected, Nigel barked angrily. “I just explained everything to you, and all you care about is yourself. You never even asked about Sherrie’s welfare. You’ve spent three years in the psychiatric hospital, and you’re still just as selfish as before!”