章 6: Chapter 5: Dream 2

<p>Two Years Later of that Incident...<br/>.<br/>Evelyn was five now and it would be her first time to go to school. Her maternal grandfather who doted on her the most had made all the arrangements needed, as Winter asked him too... Since Duke Whitford was really 'busy'.<br/>She was excited as she stood in front of the mirror and examined herself more than thrice.<br/>"Okay, okay, now, my baby girl. You're looking perfect! Don't look anymore."<br/>"Offo, momma, You don't understand. I need to be more than perfect so that everyone notices me," little Evelyn said as she brushed the stray hair from her forehead while looking at mirror, without realizing her words had touched her mother's sore point.<br/>Little Evelyn who had grown up without getting acknowledged by her father and brothers, had long started to blame herself for their disappointment. According to her, it wasn't enough to be perfect, she needed to be more than perfect... That's her mentality, which shouldn't have belonged to any kid of five years old.<br/>Winter wiped away the tear slipped from her eyes, as she smiled at her daughter, "Okay, okay, whatever you say. Now shall we?"<br/>It was normal for the parents to bring their children to school together, for their first day. But, since, the Duke was too busy, all the work fell on Winter alone.<br/>Yet, the scene that both of them witnessed in front of the school made their hurt ache. There stand the Duke Whitford with a happy smile that they never saw before, patting Amelia's head affectionately and then bid her goodbye.<br/>He didn't notice the mother and daughter duo who witnessed the scene and turned the other way to get into his carriage.<br/>It was painful for both of them, so they didn't speak anymore and went to follow up the procedures of admission.<br/>After that Winter left and Evelyn went to school with a new spirit.<br/>But when Winter came to pick up her daughter, what she witnessed shocked her to the core. Evelyn stood at the side with her disheveled hair which Winter had tied personally, with tear stains on her face and reddish cheeks which was the result of non stop rubbing.<br/>When little Evelyn saw her mother, she came running towards her and hugged her as she wept, "Momma, momma (hic) (hic)... Am I an unwanted b*stard? Should I've never been born?"<br/>"Who said that?" Winter's heart shook greatly as she squatted down and hugged Evelyn, "Don't listen to such things. You're not unwanted, You're my daughter whom I love and care for."<br/>"But.. but (hic) Second brother told something to my friends and then (hic) (hic) all started to say I'm unwanted and should die (hic) (hic)... Why did he say that?"<br/>"Alexen...?" Winter asked through her gritted teeth, "Alexen said something to those kids and they bulli-"<br/>Her sentence stopped abruptly when her daughter suddenly left her embrace and started to run to somewhere, screaming "Daddy, Daddy."<br/>"Shut up! Who is your daddy? Get lost!" But as soon as Evelyn reached her father who was taking little Amelia home in his carriage, glared at her as he spat out those harsh words.<br/>She was left stunned as she glanced at the leaving carriage in daze.<br/>Winter couldn't witness her daughter's misery anymore as she quickly took Evelyn in her own carriage, which was marked as DUKE CRAWFORD.<br/>The mother and daughter wasn't even allowed to use the Duke Whitford's carriage. So, Winter had to seek help from her father.<br/>Yet, because of her best friend's last words and her love for Duke Whitford, Winter couldnt afford to give up on the heartless man who only caused her and her daughter misery.<br/>From then onwards, Winter often witnesed her daughter's crying face. But she couldn't do anything as Evelyn didn't want to give up going to school because of being bullied. Winter had asked her father to help, but the school wasn't under the Emperor's rule, but under the temple. So, even though Duke Crawford was the right hand of the emperor, he couldn't do anything.<br/>He had only managed to admit his granddaughter in the school, because of the gratitude temple had for him, when he had saved one of the temple's disciple.<br/>But then one day, she witnessed her daughter's happy face as she excitedly introduced Winter with her (Evelyn's) new classmate, George Klein.<br/>And she was surprised to know that George was the child of one of the Duke Whitford's knights.<br/>Evelyn was really fond of him as he was the first person who wanted to befriend her. And Winter was happy for her daughter that she actually got a friend to talk to, among her peers.<br/>__/_____/______/__<br/>.<br/>One year later...<br/>.<br/>Aiden (Duke Whitford's first son), Alexen and Amelia was playing Catching The Ball near the mini pond of the duke household, when out of nowhere Evelyn came running to them and started to throw a tantrum to play with them.<br/>"If you don't let me play, then Ill throw this ball in the pond. Do you believe me?"<br/>Evelyn held the ball that was thrown towards her feet earlier while they were playing, and pointed it near the pond.<br/>"Eve, Don't go near the po-"<br/>Amelia's voice was cut off as she saw Alexen pushing her gently towards Aiden who caught her and moving towards Evelyn with dangerous footsteps.<br/>"Oh my, my! Such guts you have there," Then he stopped and extended his hands to snatch the ball from Evelyn's hands.<br/>But in the process of doing that, he used too much of force while snatching and accidentally pushed Evelyn in the pond.<br/>"Oh my God, second brother, what did you do? Why did you push her in there?"<br/>"Alexen! You... What did you do?" Even Aiden was shocked to see his younger brother doing that unspeakable stuff.<br/>Evelyn struggled to go the shore but she couldn't. The more she struggled, weaker she became. Eventually, her body started to grow heavy.<br/>George who had just gotten in the scene witnessed it and didn't know what to do for a moment. He could only go and call the elders over there.<br/>Later, Evelyn was saved by the knights, but she remained unconscious for three days and four nights straight, scaring Winter so much.<br/>For the first time, Winter thought of divorcing the Duke Whitford as that guy never came to visit her daughter who almost drowned to death because of his mischievous children. But, still she couldn't as she knew how her daughter craved for her father's and Brothers' warmth who only wanted her to disappear from the world.<br/>Winter felt worse. Because of her own mistakes, her daughter was going through the retributions.<br/>__/_____/______/__<br/>.<br/>From that terrible incident, Evelyn didn't chase after her siblings anymore. But she would often popped out in their studies to invite them to play. But what she got in return were those hurtful words that started to haunt her in her sleep.<br/>"You ugly thing, why are you here again? Leave this place!"<br/>"Who allowed you to come here? Guards, kick her out!"<br/>"You're here again! Oh! What a nuisance!"<br/>"I should start using the lock system from now onwards. There are too much dirt here that keeps on popping up! Guards, come here!"<br/>"You ugly thing! Who do you think you're? You want to compare yourself with Amelia? Huh! What a dream! You're terrific!"<br/>"Do you think just by behaving like her, you can be her? You, piece of trash!"<br/>And even though little Amelia would scold her brothers for being harsh on her baby sister, she couldn't stop them nor her dad who would always look at Evelyn as if she owed him her life.<br/>Amelia felt so awful. Evelyn clearly was such a lovable child, yet all those guys would nitpick on her. As a sister she hated how Evelyn was treated.<br/>But then, she slowly started to witness her little sister's sinister side.<br/>Evelyn would often make Amelia tripped on the stairs or put dirty worms on Amelia's clothes or tear her books.<br/>But at the end of the day, Evelyn would be caught guilty and would be punished severely.<br/>As for Winter, she felt worse. She could feel her daughter's change in psychology, but what could she do at the eleventh hour?<br/>Evelyn won't agree with her to leave.<br/>It's not like that Winter didn't propose to leave, but that eight year old little girl had threatened Winter to run away from home if they were leave.<br/>So what can she do as a mother?<br/>How can she pursued her daugther?<br/>How can she make her daughter live a good life like other children?<br/>Slowly the days passed by, as Evelyn grew up becoming the schemer of the schemers as she turned to eighteen... The age which was the end of her life cycle.</p>