Chapter 279
+20 BONUS
For a brief moment, Elara felt herself slipping into a daze. Disjointed images surfaced in her mind–memories she thought she had long buried.
It was now unearthed as if by a ruthless spade, bringing with it the sickening stench of decay.
She had always known that Daphine had sold her. Her first foster parents never bothered to hide the truth when they beat and berated her.
After getting pregnant, Daphne had staged a dramatic escape. She gave birth to a baby girl at a small–town hospital but spent her days sighing in despair.
A female nurse, noticing her distress, had asked what was wrong
Daphne had confided in her, explaining that her relationship with Abel had been met with fierce opposition from his family.
She had pinned all her hopes on giving birth to a son, believing that a male heir would secure her place in the Jones family. But now, with a daughter in her arms, the thought of having to struggle against the Jones family for years to come brought her to tears.
Struck by a bold idea, the nurse proposed a trade–a swap between Daphne’s unwanted daughter and her owTL newborn son.
Somehow, Daphne had agreed.
When she left the hospital, she took the nurse’s son with her, handing over a sum of money in exchange and instructing the nurse to take good care of her biological daughter.
That nurse, Gianna Meyer, then became Elara’s first foster mother. She had also given her the name, Jane Sacco
But the money Daphne had given them ran out quickly, squandered by Elara’s foster father, Daniel Sacco. Believing she could still bear a son, Glanna became pregnant again the following year–only to give birth to another daughter.
And then, she had another, which in total produced three daughters within the span of three years. With every new mouth to feed, the family’s financial situation worsened.
They began calling Elara a curse, blaming her for their misfortunes, convinced that their household had known nothing but hardship since taking her in.
From as far back as Elara could remember, she had slept in the kitchen. Her foster parents would deny her food, forcing her to rummage through the trash for scraps,
When she turned five, Gabriel Lloyd arrived at their doorstep with Finnegan as they were collecting recyclables. Gabriel had been working in that neighborhood for months. Every time he passed by Building No. 3, he would hear the harrowing cries of a little girl, mixed with the harsh curses and threats of a man and a woman.
At that time, no one thought to call the police over a child being beaten in the rundown neighborhood. Instead, every household simply shut their doors and windows, pretending not to hear.
Her foster parents told Elara to bring out the collection of bottles and cans they had saved. Gabriel watched as she emerged, dressed in an ill–fitting, tattered women’s T–shin. Her arms and legs were covered in swollen red marks, clear evidence of being pinched and beaten.
Finnegan handed her a lollipop. She tore open the wrapper without hesitation and shoved the candy into her mouth
Chapter 279
+25 BONUS
She knew she couldn’t hide food. If her foster parents found out, they would snatch it away. The only way to keep It was to eat it immediately.
Then, Glanna grabbed her by the arm and yanked the lollipop from her mouth. A loose baby tooth, now stained with blood, flew out and landed on the ground.
“All you ever do is eat! Did I say you could eat?”
The lollipop was thrown to the ground with force. She lunged forward, picked up the broken candy mixed with dirt, and stuffed it back into her mouth.
She had long since grown used to hunger. As the lollipop melted on her tongue, she felt as if she was drawing strength from the sugary powder to survive.
Gabriel couldn’t stand watching anymore. His conscience wouldn’t let him turn away with Finnegan and just leave.
“I heard you adopted her?”
Back then, adoptions weren’t exactly private matters. The entire neighborhood knew she was a bringer of bad luck. Ever since the Sacco family had taken her in, she had cursed” them with the birth of three money–draining daughters.
Gabriel looked at Gianna and asked, “Would you be willing to sell her to me?”
The woman’s eyes lit up, calculating the possibilities in an instant.
“Charging by weight wouldn’t be worth it,” she mused, already scheming, “Look at her–she’s a beauty in the making.”
