Chapter 545 Support

Mystro felt it was his duty to remind Tilda again.

“I know, Mystro. I do not regret it. I will never regret it.”

Tilda turned to him and smiled with gratitude.

She understood that he warned her for her own good.

If she let herself regret this choice, she would betray the second chance that fate had given her. In her last life, she had died in a fire and she had been abandoned and scorned.

“Alright, Mystro, Tilda, forget that nonsense. Do not let the Jensons spoil our mood. When Dane and Liam come out of their room, we will go have some fun.”

Tilda smoothed Rain’s hair and smiled. “Rain is right. That should be the most important thing for us today.”

Soon after, Dane and Liam walked out and said the inspection was finished and they could go out.

Back in her room, Tilda sat at the mirror and put on light makeup.

The face in the mirror no longer looked cold and distant.

Her eyes had once been like a frozen well. Now they shone like March snow melting into a warm stream. A soft warmth lived inside them.

She looked less distant and more human. She had a new hint of gentleness.

The sight moved her and she chose to do a little more.

She painted her lips with bright YSL lipstick, shade forty-six, and pressed her mouth together softly.

Her long hair fell loose and free, like wide brushstrokes on a painting, and it shone as it moved.

She put on black thermal stockings and a limited edition brown leather trench coat from Chanel.

Small diamond earrings from Victoria’s Secret hung beautifully on her ears. She slipped on her slippers and left the room.

When Dane and the others saw her, they all lit up.

“You look beautiful, Tilda.”

Rain’s eyes flashed with surprise and praise, and he said what the others were thinking before they could speak.

Liam laughed. “What is the occasion, Tilda? You look so nice today. You are giving us a treat to look at.”

Because I am spending the holiday with the people who matter most to me.

“We are going out, so I had to dress up. It is my first time celebrating like this, so I wanted to look my best. Now tell me which bag I should take. Help me pick the one that looks best.”

Her gaze softened.

Memories rose on their own.

Before the Jensons accepted her, the holiday felt like any other day to Tilda.

The only change was that the streets smelled warmer and the air carried the sharp trace of fireworks.

At that time, life had been poor but she had been happy because her mentor was with her.

After he died, she stood alone again. She closed herself to others, but she still wanted the warmth of people.

That hunger for family drove her to find her blood relatives. She gave up her pride and she chased small bits of affection.

She remembered her first holiday with the Jensons after they took her in. She had dressed carefully that day–new clothes and makeup that fit her face.

The face in the mirror looked even more radiant than Kyla. She had a beauty and a calmness that could not be denied.

Tilda did not want to fight Kyla. She had truly treated Kyla as a sister even though they were not related by blood.

Even when Kyla took her place, her family’s favor, and the attention that should have been hers, Tilda did not protest.

She had been starving for love.

Having one more family member was a great blessing.

That day, she only wanted to show herself and be seen by her family a little. That small attention would have been enough.

But when she arrived full of joy and nervous hope, her brothers met her with cold eyes and mocking words.

They said she looked ridiculous and like a cheap copy. They said she was uglier than dirt and not worth even a finger of Kyla’s.

Russell and Blair gave all their praise to Kyla and called Kyla the real star of the day and their perfect little princess.

No one gave Tilda a single look.

She stood in the corner, clutching her skirt, and watched Kyla at the center being adored like a real princess.

The distance between them felt short but it was impossible to cross.

In that moment, Tilda felt like a fool.

Worse still, on the first day of the year, the family took Kyla out to visit relatives and left Tilda behind.

They said Tilda was too ugly and that she would shame the Jensons if she went outside.

They told her to stay home so as to not embarrass them.

From that day on, Tilda cried as she wiped off her makeup and vowed never to wear it again. She convinced herself that she was truly ugly. She thought it was foolish to compete with Kyla. She cared too much about how the Jensons saw her. Their words sank into her mind and they broke her down little by little until she lost all confidence.

She drifted through life without aim and she sank in deep doubt that she could not escape.