From Ruin, She Rose - Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Andrew's smile faded, and his voice turned cold. "Emily, you're not a child anymore. I won't keep letting you play the game of saying no just to get more out of us."
Emily laughed bitterly to herself.
Before Lydia came into their lives, the Bennetts used to offer Emily the best of everything without her even asking. She treasured every gift—so much so that she wouldn't even throw away the boxes.
But after Lydia arrived, they began saying Emily was taking things that didn't belong to her.
So she tried refusing. Then they accused her of pretending to say no just to get more. They called her greedy and disgusting.
Later, when she asked for things she needed for college, they snapped, "Why do other kids get by without this stuff? You're just being vain.
"Money doesn't grow on trees, you know. We've raised you for eighteen years—we're not obligated to support you forever. If you want something, earn it yourself."
After that, Emily never asked them for anything again.
When she turned to stare out the window, Andrew felt a strange pressure in his chest.
She used to cling to him all the time, pulling his arm and begging sweetly for things. But after just two years, she was so distant now.
He figured she was still holding a grudge about being sent to St. Gabriel's, and that she was giving him attitude on purpose.
The more she acted like this, the more he felt it was time to break her spoiled habits.
Andrew fell silent. When they got back to the Bennett residence, he got out of the car first without even looking back to wait for her.
Emily didn't seem to mind. She just quietly followed behind.
As soon as they stepped through the door, they ran into Emma and Lydia, both dressed up and ready to go out.
The smiles on their faces faded a little when they saw Emily.
Emma asked with concern, "Your grandpa didn't say anything, did he?"
Andrew knew what she really meant and gave her a slight shake of his head.
Emma clearly let out a breath of relief, and her tone toward Emily grew gentler. "Emily really has grown up."
Andrew frowned slightly but said nothing. He thought it was better to be a little more forgiving as an older brother—not worth exposing Emily's harmless act.
He changed the subject. "Mom, where are you and Lydia off to?"
At that, Emma lit up. "Lydia's graduation ceremony is just around the corner. I thought we'd go pick out a proper dress for the occasion."
She pointed toward a row of outfits hanging in the living room. "I already had these picked out, but for something this important, I still feel none of them are good enough. So we're going shopping."
Lydia smiled sweetly, holding onto Emma's arm. "I told her it's no big deal—I'm not used to wearing fancy clothes anyway. But Mom insisted."
Andrew looked at her with nothing but affection, a softness in his eyes completely absent when he spoke to Emily earlier. "Well, you better start getting used to it. A daughter of the Bennett family should always have the best."
Lydia beamed and grabbed Andrew's arm playfully. "Thank you, Andrew. I'm so lucky to have a family like you guys."
The cozy, happy group blocked the doorway, and Emily could only stand quietly outside, careful not to disturb them.
She had learned the hard way what happened when she tried to force herself into a family that didn't want her. Now, she just stayed out of the way.
But Lydia suddenly turned, as if just noticing her. "Emily, you're back? Mom and I are heading out for some shopping. Want to come?"
Emily was just about to refuse when Emma cut in, "Come with us. It's been so long since you went shopping with me."
Now that Emily was finally obedient, Emma planned to buy her a few outfits and handbags as a reward.
Emily had no desire to take part in the Bennetts' warm family outing, but Lydia didn't give her a chance to say no. She looped her arm through Emily's and started leading her out the door.
Emily stiffened, wanting to pull her arm away—but she didn't dare.
Two years ago, she'd learned the hard way that if she tried to shrug Lydia off, even with the gentlest motion, Lydia would fall to the ground.
And as always, someone from the Bennett family would just so happen to be passing by and witness the scene.
They'd rush to help Lydia up with concern all over their faces, then turn to Emily and curse her with venom and disgust. Sometimes they'd even shove her to the floor, saying it was time she "learned a lesson."
The worst time had been when Lydia fell down the stairs. That was the day Emily got tied up and sent to St. Gabriel Reform Academy.
And so, just like that, she was dragged out the door.
On the way, Emma and Lydia chatted and laughed like those mothers and daughters who'd always shared a close, loving bond.
Emily trailed behind in silence, wearing a cheap, faded cardigan that didn't match the elegance of the two women ahead of her.
Emma glanced back at her—part sympathy, part relief.
The once-bright, proud Emily had clearly suffered in St. Gabriel's. But Emma believed that suffering was necessary. Without it, Emily wouldn't have matured so quickly in just two years.
She felt that sending Emily to St. Gabriel's had been the right call.
She gently patted Emily's hand. "Now that you're back, you and Lydia should get along. I know I'm not your birth mother, but in my heart, you're still my daughter.
"Lydia's had a hard life. As long as you don't try to compete with her, I'll treat you both the same."
After all, Emma had doted on Emily for eighteen years. She didn't want to give up on this daughter too easily.
In her mind, everything had gone wrong simply because Emily had been immature—always picking fights and trying to outshine Lydia. It was Emily's own behavior that had forced her to be harsh.
Emily lowered her eyes, her face calm and unmoved by Emma's words.
She'd heard such lines before—on her eighteenth birthday. Back then, not only had she listened, she'd believed it.
But in the end, the Bennetts sided with Lydia every time. They forced Emily to apologize again and again based on Lydia's word alone, all under the guise of "It's for your own good."
Hearing those words again now, Emily simply pulled her hand away. "Mrs. Bennett, please don't joke like that. How could I ever compare to Ms. Bennett?
"I was foolish before. I thought that just because you'd raised me for eighteen years, I had the right to stand on equal footing with her. I won't make that mistake again."
What she'd gone through at St. Gabriel's had taught her that no matter how many years they'd spent together, that bond would never outweigh blood ties. Thinking otherwise had been nothing but a naïve fantasy.
Now she was awake—and it was time the Bennetts realized that too. They needed to stop thinking she was always trying to "compete" with Lydia.
Whether Emma understood her words or not, a flicker of panic crossed her face. It was as if something vital was slipping away, leaving her with a strange and unfamiliar sense of helplessness.
"Emily, wh-what do you mean by that?" she asked.