Chapter 10
“Mom, I won first prize in the drawing contest! I drew you, Uncle Garner and myself.”
“Mom, they asked me why I don’t have a Dad…”
“Mom, when can you come home?”
Garner said Summer was so mature for her age, way beyond what you’d expect from a five–year–old.
Sometimes, he was heartbroken by how sensible the kid was.
“Don’t cry, Mom. You still have me.” Summer snuggled into Kristin’s arms. He was a kid, desperately lacking a mother’s love and security.
Kristin held Summer tight, and in a daze, she looked up and saw her reflection in the mirror.
Pale–faced, gaunt, lips white as chalk, it was as if her heart could stop at any moment.
Kristin used to be one of the most sought–after socialites in Silvergrove City, with looks and a figure to die for. But Vincent was correct that she hardly looked different from a beggar on the
streets.
She had become a shadow of her former self.
Locked away in the storage room by Vincent, Kristin felt dizzy from hunger.
“Are you hungry, Mom? Summer asked, his stomach growling with hunger, too.
Kristin bit her lip and whispered soothingly, “Be good, Summer. I will get you something to eat.”
After putting Summer to bed, Kristin cautiously stepped outside.
Vincent couldn’t guard her all the time. He had to visit his fiancée Ruby in the hospital.
Stepping out of the yard, Kristin asked the nanny in a low voice, “Sorry, but can I have some food? My kid is hungry.”
The nanny looked at Kristin with disdain and sneered. “Want to eat?”
She went to the kitchen, came out with two breads, and threw them into a bowl for stray dogs by the roadside.
Kristin’s eyes darted away as tears welled up. She was starving, and so was Summer. With not a penny to her name, she had to figure something out.
“Where are you going?” The nanny angrily asked when she saw Kristin heading for the door.
“Summer, Summer’s here. I won’t run. I’m just stepping out for a bit,” Kristin explained softly.
The nanny huffed and couldn’t be bothered with Kristin anymore. Miss Ruby had made it clear.
Chapter 10
“No food for her, and find a way to drive her out.”
Out of the villa, Kristin rubbed her cold hands together. The autumn in Silvergrove City wasn’t very cold, but it cut to the bone.
Without money, she had no idea how to get food for Summer.
She stopped by a trash can and picked up a few unwanted bottles, hoping that collecting enough might get her some cash.
“Whoa, what do we have here? I can’t believe my eyes. Isn’t that the stunning Kristin?”
It was a wealthy neighborhood, and most of Kristin’s former classmates lived around.
When hearing the sarcastic voice behind her, Kristin shrugged her shoulders. “You’ve got the wrong person.”
But the woman wasn’t going to let her off and pushed Kristin to the ground.
“Ruby said you got out of the prison. We didn’t believe it, but here you are.”
Kristin curled up, not daring to look up.
The woman who pushed her, Adrienne Haywood, was the second daughter of the Haywood family and a classmate of Kristin’s who had always been jealous of her.
In the past, Kristin had chosen not to provoke her, and her desire to avoid conflict was now
even stronger.
“Kristin, look at you now.” Adrienne chuckled, stepping hard on Kristin’s ankle.
“Ouch!” Kristin cried out in pain as her ankle quickly swelled.
“You’re shameless, you know? Your mom swapped the babies and let you, the trash picker, be Ms. Turner for over twenty years,” Adrienne said, patting Kristin’s face and slapping her hard.
Kristin’s ears rang, but it was as if she was used to it.
Over her five–year stint in jail, she had suffered a countless number of beatings.
Tears pooled, but Kristin just kept her head down and stayed silent.
“You touched her? She’s filthy.” another rich girl said in disgust, quickly pulling out a tissue. “Clean your hands, quick.”
“Did you hear she hooked up with some random guy in a hotel and even had a child? So gross. Anyone could sleep with her. She must be carrying diseases,” the rich girl sneered.
Adrienne took the tissue disgustedly, wiped her hands thoroughly, and tossed it on Kristin’s face, kicking her hard in the chest.
Painfully out of breath, Kristin curled up by the trash can, gasping for air.
