I Sold My Heart To Forget Them—Now They Beg Me To Remember novel Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I didn’t enroll in the private high school held by the Lancasters.

This drove Caleb completely insane.

I had no idea what was going through his head.

He left Sophie behind while she was getting sicker every day. Then he skipped a grade and pushed his way into fresh

year.

Only, he assumed I had followed the family’s arrangement and enrolled in their school.

It wasn’t until the start of high school that he and Dylan searched through the new student lists, only to realize I ha

enrolled at all.

Sophie seemed even more furious.

Her grades were never great, and she’d barely scraped through eighth grade.

But she still managed to guilt my dad into putting her in ninth grade so she could stay in the same class as Caleb.

Dylan fought with his family over it, insisted on transferring to my school. But his mom shut that down fast.

That ridiculous engagement–I’d already gotten out of it before summer. Made it into a joke.

I’d given back the family heirloom ring his mom had given me.

I’d looked up at her tear–filled eyes, and said, “Please keep your son on a leash. Don’t let him bother me anymore.”

“And also, it’s a different time now. Nobody believes in arranged marriages anymore.”

I figured that did the trick. Dylan’s mom probably gave up on any idea of him having anything to do with me, or the Lancasters, ever again.

Those few persistent people still called me every day.

But there was nothing they could do. Phones weren’t allowed at school

I had also notified the school in advance–all outsiders were to be turned away

So for three whole years. I could count the times I saw them on one hand

On the morning of the SAT, my parents stopped me at the school gate

I had not seen them in a long time. They caught me before I could slip away.

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I don’t know what happened. but they looked like they’d aged ten years

My mother came toward me with this hesitant, placating smile. I stepped back before Lo

She froze, then covered her mouth and leaned against my father, crying.

My father’s face crumpled, and tears started streaming down his face.

a doing

Lucky for me, outside the exam hall, there was no shortage of people crying–out of joy, out of relief, out of sheer desp

We fit right in.

“Emma, mommy missed you so much. Come here, let me hold you, okay?”

I felt my brow furrow.

Not to be cruel. But every interaction with these people made me ill.

Back then, to keep the peace and get through school, I’d sometimes force myself to play nice. But now…

I tilted my head, the picture of confusion, and asked, “Miss who? Hold who? Me?”

“Can’t be. Your family’s already got a son–smart, hardworking, loves his sister.”

“And a daughter–sweet, obedient, respects her elders. Why would you waste a single thought on me?”

My mother’s suppressed sobs stopped instantly.

She lifted her head, panic written all over her face, trembling.

“No… how could you know… it’s not real! It was a dream… it wasn’t real!”

She looked like she was losing it, shaking her head, muttering under her breath.

My father immediately held her tight.

‘Emma! What did you do to your mother?”

I said, “I was a good three feet away from her. Didn’t lay a finger on her

“Mr. Lancaster, your timing’s terrible. You know how many security cameras are around here?

“What did you just call me? Mr Lancaster?! Emma, have you lost your mind?? he shouted in disbelief.

“Your mother and I came all the way down here to get you, and this is the attitude we get?”

I thought my attitude was fine. At least, it was better than how they’d ever treated me before

I gave a small shrug and stepped back. “See you‘

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“Stop right there!” My father reached out to grab me, but I dodged.

“What, Mr. Lancaster, you gonna hit me?”

“This is what happens when you spoil a kid rotten! Someone’s got to teach you a lesson!”

His hand lifted.

My mother suddenly let out a sharp cry.

“No! Don’t you dare hit her!”

She grabbed my father’s arm and burst into tears. Her whole body shook as she held on to him.

“So that’s it… no wonder you hated me so much…”

She lay on the ground, face in her hands, laughing and crying at the same time.

For a moment, I felt like I could understand my family from my previous life.

Having someone unstable in the family can bring a lot of shame.

I turned away, face cold.

But from behind me, a voice rang out, bright and joyful. “Emma!! Sweetie!! We’re here!!”

Gabrielle and William were both holding bouquets, waving at me like crazy, with Theodore trailing behind them, freshly squeezed out of the exam hall.

I stood on tiptoe, calling loudly, “Mom!!”

I ran toward her.

She shoved the flowers into Theodore’s arms and scooped me up, spinning me around right there.

“Feels good to have that over with, sweetie? A few days of rest, and then we’re off to Mont Blanc

“Yay!”

Theodore took my backpack.

I took the ice cream William handed me

The three of us, talking and laughing, walked toward the distance

Behind us, two petrified figures seemed to gradually fade further and further away

On the day we departed for France, William drove, Gabrielle hummed in the passenger seat.

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Both of them looked radiant.

Theodore and 1, on the other hand, were dead to the world the second our heads hit the

I thought I could sleep all the way to the airport.

But then William slammed on the brakes, and both our heads snapped forward

I opened my eyes just in time to see a dark figure hurl itself in front of the car.

If William hadn’t reacted so fast, that person would’ve been roadkill. “What is this, an insurance scam?

We hurried out of the car.

Then we saw Caleb standing right in front of it.

I hadn’t seen him for a full year.

Seeing him now, I was genuinely shocked.

He looked painfully thin and exhausted.

He was not even eighteen yet. His eyes were empty and full of despair.

In the sweltering summer, he was wrapped head to toe, leaving barely an inch exposed

His face was covered with scars.

Some looked like deep scratches. Old wounds overlapped with fresh ones.

His once handsome face was now almost unrecognizable.

I flinched. Theodore and Gabrielle immediately shielded me.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed? If you want to do something that reckless, don’t do it in front of our car.”

Theodore snarled.

I gave him a subtle thumbs–up behind my back. He shot me a wink

Caleb, like a rabid dog breaking free, shoved past Theodore and lunged at me.

He was shaking like a leaf, eyes bloodshot, tears streaming down his face His fingers dug into my shoulders

“Emma… Emma!! Please, forgive us! Forgive me! I’m begging you, just come back and see Mom. She’s dying! Please!!”

His strength was terrifying, even William and Gabrielle couldn’t restrain him

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Theodore panicked. He ran to the trunk and grabbed the jack, ready to bring it down on

Theodore, no!” I shouted, my eyes went wide.

I twisted, dragging both of us toward the side of the road.

Theodore, stop!”

Theo! Our screams finally snapped him out of it.

The jack slipped from his hand and cracked the pavement.

Was he insane? That would’ve been assault with a deadly weapon. He’d go to jail!

I glanced at Theodore.

He looked much more upset than I expected. His jaw was tight and the veins in his neck stood out.

The feeling seemed strangely familiar.

I shook my head, cold sweat on my forehead.

I looked at Caleb, resigned. “I’ll go with you. Let go… you’re hurting me…”

Caleb was clearly losing his mind.

He was huddled against the car window, shaking, muttering nonsense to himself.

One minute he’d say it wasn’t him, the next he’d be apologizing, begging me to forgive him.

I pretended not to hear any of it.

Until, slowly, he turned his gaze toward Theodore, who had deliberately positioned himself between us

His voice was barely a whisper, “I’ve seen you… it’s you… it’s you…”

I looked at Theodore again. His face showed no emotion.

This wasn’t the Theo I knew.

My heart skipped a beat, and I grabbed his arm “Theodore?”

A grin spread across his face. “Oh? I’m at your service. What do you need?”

Okay. Not possessed. Weird as ever. So him.

But the way Caleb was looking at us–it was pure terror.

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He shrank further toward the window.

Already thin, he looked even darker compared to the tall, imposing Theodore.

I felt a knot in my stomach.

But… somehow, I felt like this was it. Like this whole thing was finally… coming to an end.

I sighed.

Theodore held my hand.

Before I could say

word, his face flushed all the way to his ears.

Damn it. Such a pure soul.