The weekend after the Li family dinner, the Chen mansion was filled with laughter and chatter — but none of it was Sara's. Mrs. Chen had invited a few socialites for tea, women who smiled too brightly and whispered too sharply the moment Sara passed by.
"You should sit with us, Sara," her stepmother urged sweetly. "Learn how to hold conversation, how to behave. This is your duty."
Sara smiled politely but excused herself, retreating to the quiet of her room. For years, she had obeyed. Sat silently, smiled when told, endured the suffocating expectations. But now, something inside her stirred.
I can't keep living like this.
On Monday afternoon, Lina tugged her toward a small lane just outside school. "You're coming with me today. No excuses."
Sara blinked. "Where?"
"My house," Lina said with a grin. "You need real food and real people, not that frozen palace you call a home."
Sara hesitated, but Lina's persistence was impossible to resist.
The Wu household was modest, but it radiated warmth. The aroma of braised pork and fresh vegetables filled the air. A woman with kind eyes and gentle hands appeared from the kitchen, wiping her apron.
"Sara! Lina's told me so much about you." Madam Wu embraced her as though she were her own daughter. "You're too thin. Come, eat."
Sara's chest tightened unexpectedly. She couldn't even remember the last time someone welcomed her with such genuine affection.
At dinner, laughter flowed easily. Lina's younger brother teased her about her grades, Madam Wu scolded him with mock sternness, and the entire family bantered around the table. Sara sat quietly at first, but the warmth was infectious. She found herself smiling, even laughing.
When Madam Wu placed an extra piece of pork in her bowl, Sara nearly teared up. So this is what family is supposed to feel like…
Later that evening, as they washed dishes side by side, Lina nudged her. "See? You belong here more than in that mansion."
Sara smiled faintly. "It feels… alive. My house is beautiful, but it's empty. Everything is for show. Here, it's real."
Lina glanced at her seriously. "Then remember that feeling. Because one day, when your stepmother tries to crush you again, you'll need to know what's worth fighting for."
Sara's heart thudded. She nodded slowly. "I will."
The next morning at school, Sara surprised herself.
When Emily and Hannah mocked her for "dressing up for rich dinners," Sara didn't shrink back. Instead, she met their eyes calmly.
"I'd rather be invited to dinners than spend my time whispering behind people's backs," she said coolly before walking away.
The look on their faces — shock mixed with irritation — was almost satisfying.
From across the courtyard, Adrian burst into laughter. "Well, well, looks like the quiet princess has claws."
Ryan frowned, crossing his arms. "She's acting different."
Leo only smirked slightly. "She's learning."
Daniel said nothing, but his gaze lingered on Sara a moment longer, his expression unreadable.
That night, as Sara sat by her window, she felt lighter. Stronger. For the first time, she wasn't just surviving — she was pushing back, even if only in small ways.
Her stepmother's control wasn't absolute. Her father's neglect wasn't the end. She had Lina. She had hope.
And perhaps, just perhaps, she had allies she hadn't yet discovered.
The stars outside twinkled, and Sara whispered to herself, "This is my life. And I will live it my way."