Heartstrings on Fire

Chapter 298

“It was one heck of a hot summer. That day, my parents went to an orphanage to sort out adoption procedures. I deliberately took her out for a spin. I brought her to the Pearl Tower, told her I was off to buy some ice cream and I’d be right back, asked her to wait for me there. In reality, I sneaked back home all by myself. I was actually hoping she’d get lost, or even worse, get snatched up by some human traffickers. When night fell, my parents came home and asked where my sister was, I told them I’d ditched her. My mom was going crazy at that time, and my dad also beat me severely. I finally told about leaving her at the Pearl Tower. My parents quickly drove over to find her, and I tagged along. To this day, I can’t forget how she was still waiting at the Pearl Tower, asking every passerby, ‘Could you buy me an ice cream? Once I get the ice cream, my brother will come back.”

Tears began welling up in Ivan’s eyes, “She was so clearly terrified. She was out under the sun all day, her face was even starting to peel, but she was still smiling while asking strangers for help. Lots of people, seeing this poor kid, would buy her an ice cream. Then, she’d just stand there with her ice cream, waiting. Every time her ice cream melted, she’d ask another stranger to buy her one. With the weather being so hot, she couldn’t bring herself to eat the ice cream, she just kept waiting and waiting. When my parents found her, someone had just bought her an ice cream. When she saw us, she immediately ran to me with her ice cream in hand, offering it to me like it was some kind of treasure, ‘Brother, here’s your ice cream! Can we go home now?”

I stood there bawling my eyes out, because of my selfishness, because of her innocence. I can never forget those eyes of hers, those careful, humble, eager to please eyes. She was only four. In reality, she knew I was trying to abandon her, didn’t she?

When we got home, I got another whipping from my parents, then was locked up in the basement for some reflection time, with no dinner. Sometime after midnight, she sneaked in through the small basement window, and took out an apple from her clothes for me, saying, ‘Brother, I hid this, you should eat it.

From then on, I swore to myself, I’d never abandon her again. She was my sister, and I was going to protect her for life.”

a lot more, including how they were bullied by their family after their parents died unexpectedly, and

survive

finished, Agnes couldn’t help but

always thought she was the unfortunate one, having

she had no idea, there were so many others in this world who’d had it worse than her.

that Ivan and Mamie had

two whole hours,

smile and said, “I’m really sorry

responded, “If you’re not comfortable entrusting her to someone else, why not keep your promise and protect her always? Does society’s opinion really matter