I was only 10 years old. I was lost about the world back then. I was lucky the d'Amboises took me in, this orphan with no one else to rely on.
They gave me a complete home.
At that time, Ulysses was already 15 years older than me. From the moment I moved in, he treated me like his own little sister.
He helped me with my studies, practiced dance routines with me, and shielded me from every piece of gossip that came my way.
Under his care, I slowly crawled out of the dark hole my parents’ deaths left behind. I found the courage to live again.
Looking back now, maybe it was then that a dangerous little seed was planted in my heart.
By the time I realized it, it had already taken root, growing so deep it was impossible to pull out.
I was 15.
It was New Year’s Eve when I confessed to him for the first time.
I really thought that if I just said it out loud, I’d get the answer I wanted from the man who had been taking care of me for five years.
But all he did was ruffle my hair and say, “Silly girl. You’re too young to know what this feeling is.”
It felt like my world shattered.
I didn’t believe him—there was no way he didn’t love me!