The Kiss that Sparked it All

The kid was kicking and screaming, making it impossible for Ellinor to control him. She had no choice but to put him down again, “Fine, we’ll stay put for now. Chill here for a bit longer”

Baber was back on the ground, retreating to a corner like he’d seen a ghost, curling up into a ball, and hugging his knees tightly.

Ellinor looked at his pathetic state, and her brow furrowed, “I’ll be out of here soon. How long do you think you can hide here by yourself? What will you do if you get hungry or thirsty? The Howards will find you sooner or later.”

The word find sent shivers down Baber’s spine, scaring the hell out of him.

Ellinor couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. She’d been in his shoes, alone and helpless.

Her unreliable mother had entrusted her to Arnold Mendoza out of desperation. However, Arnold dumped her with country relatives instead.

At the Mendozas’ country relatives’ house, she was even more of an outsider. They only took her in to get Arnold’s monthly child support.

It turned out that Arnold only paid for two months and never did so again.

From then on, the relatives treated her even worse, not even letting her share meals.

she was an unwanted child and made

bullied by older kids because no one cared about her and no one would stand up for her,

the edge of the village. She was stuck there for three days and nights, and her

still felt sick thinking about that fear, desperation,

a single relative came looking for her. They were glad to have her gone; at least they could save

her and pulled her out

and accused by their neighbors. They hated her even more but couldn’t do anything because of the public pressure. Once the fuss died down, they

place. The meals were bland

one bullied her

the convent was nice, and she cared a lot about her.

borrowed money for Ellinor’s schooling, giving her

started winning scholarships and secretly running her own small business.

she repaid Karan, renovated the convent, and