3
Lachlan held my hand tightly and whispered in my ear, “Brynn, don’t be scared! I won’t bully you! I’ll take care of you!”
Around us, people snickered, mocking the simpleton for wanting to take care of a wife.
I looked at Lachlan, the words “I’ll take care of you” echoing in my ears.
Even my parents, who had given birth to me, never bothered to take care of me.
A few days after I was born, my mom got sick. The whole family clamored that I was a star of misfortune, bringing disaster to my mother as soon as I was born. They dumped me on my grandmother.
My grandmother raised me for three years. I never spoke a word, and she called me unlucky, saying I couldn’t even talk. She sent me back.
From then on, my life changed from occasionally going hungry to being hungry and beaten every day.
“Brynn! Hot! Eat!” Lachlan pulled out a paper–wrapped package from his jacket. When he opened it, there was a steaming hot bread roll.
I swallowed hard. At home, my youngest brother always ate first, then my older brother, then my parents, and finally me.
By the time I finished washing clothes and doing chores, there was only a bit left at the bottom of the pot. I had never eaten anything hot, let alone a bread roll.
“Really for me?” I asked, surprised and delighted, my stomach starting to growl.
Lachlan nodded, pushing the bread towards my hands. “For Brynn, eat!”
I took the bread and started eating, my mouth full, but still managing to give Lachlan a big smile.
In my past life, on the day Lachlan came to my house, all I did was cry and run away. I never paid any attention to Lachlan.
If had eaten Lachlan’s bread in my past life, I might not have thought about jumping into the lake.
Because the bread was so good! I had never eaten such delicious, warm bread before!
I wanted to eat more in the future…
801 AM
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“Brynn Summers! What are you doing wandering around in the middle of the day?”
Hearing this voice, I couldn’t help but tremble all over.
I saw my older brother, Derek Summers, walking over.
He immediately grabbed my arm, forcibly pulling me away from Lachlan. The remaining uneaten bread fell to the ground.
Derek’s angry roar rang in my ears: “Oh! Not going home to do chores, but out here eating bread!”
Derek stepped on the bread, crushing it to pieces, as if he wanted to crush my dreams along with it.
“Brother…” I called out fearfully, “Mom told me to come out.”
“Brynn Summers!” Derek continued to shout in my ear, his expression twisted, “Don’t think that just because you’re marrying a simpleton, you’ll be living the high life! Don’t forget, you’re my sister. You should always think of your family, got it?”
Derek worked at the only distillery in town. Whenever his boss berated him at work, he would come back to beat and curse me, saying I was unlucky and that I had passed my bad luck to him since birth, causing him to have no money or status.
But what did that have to do with me? I was just a child born with a mother but raised without one.
“Don’t bully Brynn!” Lachlan pushed away Derek, who was grabbing me, and shielded me behind him, pointing at Derek’s nose and scolding, “You’re bad!”
Derek raised his hand to hit Lachlan without a word.
“Derek Summers! What are you doing?”
“Derek, stop right now!”
The town mayor and my mom came from different directions.
Seeing this, Derek waved his hand, put on a smile, and said, “Good afternoon, Mayor! Mom, why are you out too? Haven’t you made lunch?”
Usually, Derek would come home for lunch after work, and my mom would have food ready for him. If he went hungry, I would inevitably receive another beating.
M
“Derek Summers! If you want to beat your own sister, do it at home! Who do you think you are to hit Lachlan?” the mayor glared at Derek angrily.
Lachlan was a frequent guest at the mayor’s house. From what my mom had said, he often gave money to the mayor.
The roads in town were paved with that money, the school was built with it, and even the only distillery was constructed with those funds.
Derek could beat me behind closed doors at home, but he couldn’t touch anyone from the Walker family in public.
My mom looked at Derek, giving him a meaningful glance, completely ignoring me, showing no concern whatsoever.
But I was used to it.
“Mayor, he’s too much!” Lachlan pointed at Derek, then at me. “He hit Brynn! He’s bad!”
The mayor nodded, “Yes, yes, Derek Is bad.” He looked up at Derek, “Derek, why don’t you take your sister home? If you want to beat her, scold her, or teach her a lesson, do it at home!”
I fearfully leaned closer to Lachlan.
Derek must have been upset at work, and now, not having eaten lunch, he would definitely beat me when we got home.
Lachlan protected me, “Don’t be afraid! Brynn! Come to my housel
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