The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 191

Nora stood blankly outside the iron gates, staring at the plaque.

It had been eighteen years.

This was where she had spent the darkest days of her childhood. It was also the place where Gideon had taken Giselle away, leaving her all alone.

Back then, Director Silas Vance only cared about money. He would beat and scream at lost or abandoned kids like them. At the slightest provocation, he would raise that rough rattan cane and whip deep purple welts into their skin.

That black-hearted director had been reported and arrested years ago for embezzling donations and child abuse. The new director who took over was a gray-haired, retired teacher.

Thanks to donations from kind-hearted people, the conditions at the orphanage had drastically improved.

The once-muddy yard was now paved with smooth concrete. In the corner, there were even brightly colored slides and swing sets.

Director Elena Halloway spotted Nora standing outside and walked over to push the gate open, welcoming her inside.

The atmosphere here had completely transformed.

A dozen children in thick winter coats were playing in the courtyard. They chased each other, their crisp laughter carrying through the crisp winter air.

Hearing the iron gate open, a few of the kids nearby stopped and turned, studying Nora with curiosity. Their eyes were bright and clear, radiating the innocent wonder unique to children.

There was none of the bone-deep terror and cowering that Nora remembered, no defensive groveling when faced with a stranger.

The children here no longer had to endure verbal abuse, nor did they have to live in fear of a cane lashing across their backs at any moment. They were well taken care of, enjoying the happiness they deserved at their age.

A bold little girl ran up, tilting her head back, and called out in a crisp, sweet voice.

"Hi there! Are you here to visit us?"

That little girl, huddled in a leaky woodshed, shivering uncontrollably from a high fever, fighting off others just to protect a single piece of moldy bread.

She had fought tooth and nail to drag herself out of this mud pit. She was brought back by the Xavier family and dressed in beautiful dresses.

Her parents had doted on her at first. Driven by the guilt of having lost and found her, they piled all the best things in the world right in front of her.

But the years that were stolen from her, the psychological trauma inflicted by St. Jude’s Children’s Home, couldn't be erased by a few dresses and lavish dinners.

She had been missing for far too long. Her personality had grown isolated and sensitive. She was too terrified to speak loudly, too terrified to ask for anything, always tiptoeing around, desperate to please everyone around her.

Over time, her parents' patience slowly drained away against her gloomy, guarded nature. The love in their eyes gradually morphed into disappointment. As the Xavier family's business grew, they shifted all their energy and resources entirely onto their bright, outgoing younger son.

She became marginalized in that home once again, turning into a well-dressed but entirely invisible ornament.