章 96: The Orphanage      

[EVE]

Sullivan stepped closer, his voice dropping to a low, venomous whisper. "You don't seem to understand, so let me make it clear: you're not wanted, and you never were. You should be grateful we even took you in and gave you a name. But this is how you repay us?"

A ringing filled my ears, a pulsing ache forming behind my eyes. His words cut so deeply I instinctively took a step back, reeling from the force of his contempt.

I glanced over to Sophia, hoping for an answer—anything—but she turned away, her face a mask of indifference.

"Well?" Sullivan sneered. "Is that all?"

A dull ache twisted in my chest, but I forced myself to stand tall, refusing to let them see my struggle. Nothing in their faces reflected what I had truly asked.

Yes, they might have saved me from a life of poverty and despair, but gratitude felt like a foreign concept in this moment.