Yvonne''s voice was faint. "What a pervert."


    Drew''s handsome face darkened. "It''s called being a doting brother! You wouldn''t understand!"


    It was not just about that. Their mother had summoned her four sons to her side before she passed away, repeatedly urging them to take care of their sister with all their heart and strength.


    "Don''t cry, babies... Don''t think that Mommy is gone forever... I will always be watching over you from the sky."


    As his thoughts drifted, Drew felt a lump in his throat, his eyes silently reddening.


    "How wonderful," Yvonne murmured, staring at her reflection in the water, which closely resembled Be. She quickly covered the image with clothes. "Ms. Be is truly a fortunate girl."


    ''Same face, different fates,'' Yvonne thought to herself.


    Be was a pampered rose, while Yvonne was just an empty shell, a puppet at the mercy of others. To think that Christopher fantasized about using her as a substitute... What a madman with a wild imagination!


    "Ms. Smith, what about you? Where''s your family?" Drew asked nonchntly while scrubbing clothes. "After all these years with Christopher, didn''t your family ever care about what kind of life you were living?"


    "I''m an orphan. I grew up in an orphanage without parents. Even this name was given to me by Mr. Iverson." Yvonne''s voice was calm, and her eyes were devoid of emotion.


    Drew''s smile was faint. "No wonder you volunteer here. Is it to relive childhood memories?"


    "Relive what?" Yvonne also smiled, her tone dismissive. "Relive how I was beaten, scolded, and starved for three days and nights?"


    Drew''s heart skipped a beat, and he looked up in shock, gazing deeply at her.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    "Not all orphanages are a child''s salvation. Some are like a living hell," Yvonne said, her hands red from scrubbing. Her voice was as soft as a feather. "In a way, I have to thank Mr. Iverson. If he hadn''t rescued me that cold and hungry night, would have died on the streets. He took me in, and that''s why I''m alive today."


    But she did not tell him that Christopher had led her into a hell far worse than being beaten, scolded, or starved-a ce of blood and terror.


    "For a woman, your


    mental


    resilience is truly impressive." Drew


    tried to sound nonchnt as he wrung out a piece of clothing. "If it were me, such a psychological trauma might keep me from ever setting foot here again."


    "Because I''ve been through the rain, I want to hold an umbre for others. Having suffered in a ce like this, I don''t want the children here to go through what I did. Seeing their happy faces makes me truly content."


    Yvonne''s smile was as warm as the sun, and her words came from the heart.


    Drew''s thin lips formed a line, moved by her sincerity. He knew that she was not only helping the children but also trying to heal her own scarred childhood.


    A teacher called out from the doorway, "Ms. Smith, could youe here for a moment?"


    “I''ming,” Yvonne replied quickly, standing up and drying her hands with her coat before hurrying away.


    At that moment, Drew heard a soft clink. A silver object glinted in the afternoon sunlight. Drew approached, bent down, and picked up the pendant Yvonne had dropped.


    In the sunlight, he narrowed his dark


    n


    eyes and examined the item closely. With a soft click, the round pendant opened, revealing a picture of a young girl. Her face was unfamiliar, innocent, and delicate, silently tugging at his heartstrings.