Chapter 4

“I won't apologize, and I won't kneel.”

I straightened my back, clenched my fists, my eyes as cold as ice, showing no sign of submission.

My defiance completely enraged the Sterlings.

“Fine! Fine, then!”

Brandon gritted his teeth in anger. He snatched my phone from the ground, grabbed my suitcase from beside me, and strode towards the pool.

“Since you insist on getting tangled up with those thugs and refusing to change, I'll put an end to all your hopes today!”

“No!”

I raced towards him like a madwoman, but it was too late.

My suitcase and phone plunged heavily into the pool, splashing water everywhere, and instantly sank.

Without hesitation, I dove into the pool.

The icy water enveloped me. I frantically searched, swimming three laps back and forth, until I finally retrieved the tattered little bear.

When I stumbled out of the pool, I was drenched, my clothes clinging to me, my lips purple with cold, shivering uncontrollably.

Tiffany stood there, arms crossed, looking down at me with arrogant disdain.

Suddenly, her gaze fell on a faint red mark on my neck. As if she'd found a major piece of evidence, she immediately shouted:

“Jade, is that a hickey on your neck?!”

She feigned surprise, covering her mouth, her voice laced with malicious speculation:

“Oh my god, did you have sex with a thug already?!”

“Or... did you catch some dirty disease? After all, the circles you ran in were so messed up, who knows what kind of nasty stuff you might have picked up...”

At that, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling’s faces instantly changed.

Mrs. Sterling recoiled half a step, her face twisted in disgust:

“Your adoptive mother, with her weird outfits, always hanging around on the streets with those thugs. She clearly has a questionable private life. What kind of child could she raise?”

“Jade, tell us honestly, have you been fooling around outside?”

Mr. Sterling frowned, his voice sharp:

“Absolutely not! We need to take her to the hospital for a check-up, see if she's 'clean'!”

Brandon and Caleb stepped forward, grabbing my arms, one on each side, with such force I thought my bones would shatter.

No matter how much I struggled, they roughly shoved me into the car.

“Don't be difficult. You're getting this check-up whether you like it or not!”

The car sped off, heading straight for the hospital.

As soon as we entered the clinic, Mrs. Sterling grabbed Dr. Miller’s hand and loudly declared, her voice so piercing people in the next department could hear:

“Doctor, is that a hickey on her neck, or some dirty disease? My daughter lived with thugs for over ten years, please, you have to give her a thorough check-up!”

Her words made everyone around us turn their heads.

Those stares – disdainful, scrutinizing, disgusted – felt like a thousand needles pricking my skin.

I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood.

The results came back quickly.

Dr. Miller held the report, looking at Mr. and Mrs. Sterling with a serious expression:

“The results are completely normal. She has no infectious diseases. And this young woman is chaste; she has no sexual history. The red mark on her neck is just a common allergy. As parents, how could you so unfairly slander your child's reputation? If word gets out, it could ruin her life.”

The clinic fell into a sudden, stunned silence.

But there was no trace of guilt on the Sterlings' faces.

Mrs. Sterling, instead, frowned and chastised me:

“If you were 'clean,' why didn't you say so sooner? You wasted our time and made us look foolish in front of Dr. Miller!”

I forced a smile, looking into her eyes, and asked the question burning in my heart:

“You don't love me at all, so why did you go to such lengths to find me?”