Josephine stared fixedly at Lewis. A floodgate of unknown emotions washed over her eyes.
She struggled to find words. Tears kept welling in her eyes. And soon, they started flowing down her cheeks.
Lewis lowered his gaze to the wild rice stem in his hand and said, "It's okay."
Josephine bit her lip and leaned against a nearby tree trunk. The sunlight shone into her eyes, somewhat blinding her.
Closing her eyes, she was lost in a daze. Flashes of long-forgotten scenes resurfaced in her mind.
It was like a dream that plunged her back into the painful memories of the past.
Blood, raging fires, and the echoes of agonizing screams filled the air.
She recalled her mother's lifeless body.
She saw the face of the culprit when the light pierced the darkness.
It was none other than Alan who had brought her home that year.
Beneath that benevolent façade hid a heart as cruel as a snake's.
She had been living under the roof of her enemy all these years. She even treated her enemy as her own kin and protector.
Her parents would definitely consider her a disgrace to the Vance family if they knew this.
What was even more ridiculous was that after all these years of enduring countless disdain and humiliation from others, her love for Lewis never wavered. She treated him like God.
Tears slid down her cheeks.
Josephine had been suffering from nightmares all these years. All the memories of the past twenty years replayed in her mind.
Each scene seemed to taunt her, mocking her innocence and laughing at her for accepting an enemy as her father.
Her slumbers were haunted by images of her parents' disapproving expressions. Their quiet stares pierced her with a mixture of anguish and reproach.
She had become an unforgivable sinner. She betrayed everyone in the Vance family and all those who had cared for her.
Their silence was the cruelest weapon.
Silently, they stabbed their heart again and again.
Josephine stumbled toward her parents, just like when she was a child. She yearned to throw herself into their arms.
Yet no matter how hard she ran, she couldn't touch them the slightest bit.
Collapsing onto the ground, she gazed at the faces before her. They were so near yet so far.
"Mom, do you hate me?"
"I'm sorry, I was wrong. Please don't abandon me."
"I truly understand my mistakes ..."
She lay on the ground, tears streaming down her cheeks. She then reached out desperately and tried to grasp her mother's hand.
Whenever she cried in the past, her mother would rush over and scoop her up to comfort her.
However, despite her heart-wrenching sobs now, her mother remained indifferent. Her mother gazed at her coldly.
"I was wrong. I know I was wrong. Mom ..."
Josephine was devastated, yet her family remained unmoved.
Never before had Josephine felt so desolate.
"No wonder you never embraced me all the times I dreamt of you."
Kneeling on the ground, Josephine bowed repeatedly to the shadow of her parents.
She felt guilty, and she thought she deserved to die.
She was the sinner of the Vance family.
"Josephine, wake up."
"Josephine!"
A shiver ran through her body, and she slowly opened her eyes.
The figure before her seemed blurry through her teary eyes.
She stared at Lewis blankly as tears streamed down her face.
"I'll take you back."
Lewis reached out to wipe away the tears that stained her face.
Josephine's vision began to clear gradually.
Her gaze landed on Lewis' face, but it lacked focus.
However, she could still discern the fleeting panic in his eyes.
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