From Ruin, She Rose - Chapter 10: Chapter 10

Lydia, who had been quietly sitting on Emma's other side, suddenly teared up. "Emily, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have told everyone you pushed me down the stairs. I believe you didn't do it on purpose.
"Mom only sent you to St. Gabriel's because she was worried about me. If you're angry, be angry with me—please don't blame Mom."
Then she grabbed Emma's hand, her face full of stubborn sorrow. "Mom, Emily had eighteen years of being cared for. These two years living on her own must've been hard—it's normal she'd feel some resentment. Please don't blame her."
Every word sounded like she was trying to mend the rift between Emma and Emily, but the implication stirred a hint of disgust in Emma's heart.
Emma thought to herself, 'I really thought Emily had grown up after these two years. But she's still holding a grudge against Lydia? It was clearly her fault back then. What right does she have to resent Lydia?'
She glared at Emily, her tone sharp. "Emily, why are you still so petty?"
Emily stared coldly at Lydia's eyes, shimmering with tears that refused to fall. She wanted to laugh—but couldn't.
She'd seen this scene too many times since turning eighteen. Lydia didn't even need to cry for real—just the suggestion of tears was enough to paint Emily as some unforgivable villain and win the sympathy of everyone in the Bennett family.
Emma snapped, "Emily Bennett, apologize to Lydia right now!"
Emily looked at her, her eyes so calm they seemed foreign. "Mrs. Bennett, my name is Emily Harper."
Her last name—Harper—had been publicly changed by the Bennetts themselves in front of the press.
Whether it was Emily's cold tone or that unfamiliar look in her eyes, Emma was momentarily stunned into silence.
Then Emily turned to Lydia, her voice cool and curious. "Ms. Bennett, when did I ever say I blamed you or Mrs. Bennett?"
From the very beginning, she had played along with their version of things—she'd promised to stay away from Lydia.
Lydia was thrown off by Emily's question. She clearly hadn't expected Emily to ask something like that in such a calm and sincere tone.
She instinctively glanced at Emma—who looked just as stunned—then grew visibly flustered. "I-I misunderstood. You didn't blame us. It was just me overthinking things. It's all my fault."
The tears that had been hanging in her eyes finally fell, making her look pitiful, innocent, and aggrieved. Emma's heart ached at the sight, and all her doubts vanished instantly.
"Don't cry, Lydia. This isn't your fault. It's Emily's behavior that's so easily misunderstood. I know you meant well." Emma pulled Lydia into a comforting hug, her heart now full of resentment toward Emily.
In her eyes, Lydia was being so kind, yet Emily never gave her the tiniest bit of understanding or grace.
When Emily saw Emma and Lydia wrapped in that warm embrace, she couldn't help the stabbing pain in her chest. The car suddenly felt stifling and suffocating.
Thankfully, they soon arrived at their destination, and Emily quickly stepped out. She figured that after what had just happened, Lydia and Emma would certainly no longer want her joining their shopping trip.
But to her surprise, Lydia wiped away her tears, got out of the car with a bright smile, and grabbed Emily's arm again. "Emily, I know a store that sells gorgeous clothes. It's by appointment only, but I'll take you there."
Without waiting for her response, she dragged Emily toward the mall, as if the tears from earlier had never existed.
Emma followed behind, still speaking in a gentle, heartfelt tone. "Look at how kind Lydia is to you. She's never held a grudge. Why can't you treat her like a real sister?"
Emily suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion. It was like no matter how she explained herself, the Bennetts would always believe whatever "truth" they wanted to believe.
She felt completely drained, no longer willing to waste her breath.
She didn't want to go shopping with Emma and Lydia. In fact, she didn't understand why Lydia insisted on bringing her along.
But she knew that if she refused, Lydia would surely act hurt—and then the rest of the Bennetts would come down on her with endless accusations.
So she let Lydia pull her along into Cloudridge's most prestigious luxury mall.
Before she turned eighteen, Emily had been a regular here. Many boutiques had VIP accounts under her name. But now, all of those accounts had been reassigned—to Lydia.
As soon as they entered, the store clerks—who used to greet Emily with glowing smiles—now approached Lydia instead, holding up their latest arrivals.
They were so enthusiastic that Emily got pushed aside, almost twisting her ankle. No one even looked in her direction. It was as if the girl in the ill-fitting hoodie had never once been Cloudridge's brightest star.
The staff crowded around Lydia, eagerly inviting her into their boutiques.
Lydia glanced at the Emily who'd been pushed out of the way, then headed toward one of the fashion stores.
Emily couldn't figure out what that look in Lydia's eyes meant—but something about it gave her a very bad feeling.
While Emily hesitated, Lydia had already entered the store and picked out over a dozen dresses, asking the manager to bring them all out to try on.
"Ms. Bennett, this dress flatters your figure so beautifully."
"Ms. Bennett, your skin is absolutely flawless—it makes the whole outfit glow."
"This gown looks like it was tailor-made for you, Ms. Bennett. It's perfect on you."
Emily listened to those familiar compliments swirl around Lydia, but felt nothing at all inside.
Those praises had always belonged to the daughter of the Bennett family. They had nothing to do with someone like her, someone who'd crawled out of hell.
She originally intended to use this moment to slip away. After all, with Lydia around, she'd inevitably become the one everyone ignored.
But Lydia seemed to be watching her on purpose and immediately called out, "Emily, what do you think of this dress?"
At once, everyone turned their eyes to Emily. A flood of curious and appraising stares landed on her, making her instinctively step back, her whole body tensing.
She hated the feeling of too many eyes on her. At St. Gabriel's, when that happened, it usually meant they'd come up with some new way to torment her.
Emily clenched her hands tightly together, forcing herself to hide the fear.
"I-It looks nice," she stammered, hoping to answer Lydia quickly so the attention would move off of her.
But Lydia wasn't done. She picked up several more outfits and enthusiastically ran over to Emily, clearly determined to get her opinion.
Emily endured the sharp, knife-like gazes falling on her as she fielded Lydia's relentless questions, one after another.
Lydia, however, seemed completely oblivious to her pale face.
Or maybe she did notice—but simply didn't care. In fact, she even exaggerated a distressed expression. "These dresses are all so pretty, I really can't decide which one to get..."
Sensing the moment, the store manager stepped forward with a flattering smile. "Ms. Bennett, if you love them all, why not take them all?
"Our owner is Mr. Vincent Shaw. He specifically told us that if Ms. Bennett ever took a liking to anything in the store, she could just take it. No payment necessary."
At the mention of Vincent's name, Emily felt as though a needle had pierced her otherwise numb heart—bringing with it a pain she couldn't control.