The Doll Named Lyra

I spent the whole night tending to my wounds, carefully covering every bruise with ointment until my face looked almost normal.

…

The next morning, I took my transcript and headed to the psychiatric hospital.

My mom had been living there for ten years. When I was in first grade, my dad beat her so badly in a drunken rage that her mind broke. Now, she only recognized me.

After Mom's breakdown left the family without her support, my dad forced me into a program designed to train boys to marry the pampered heiress in Crownridge, Aveline.

"Mom, I'm here. I know I disappointed you by not being number one, but I really had no choice…"

She sat on the bed clutching a rag doll to her chest. That doll was Aveline's gift to me when I was in sixth grade.

Mom rocked it gently and mumbled with a dreamy smile, "Lyra, look who's here. Say hi to Miles."

Lyra Arden was my unborn little sister. Ten years ago, my father's fists didn't just destroy my mother's mind. They killed the baby she was carrying.

That was when everything shattered.

Thinking about how powerless we were, how our lives were toyed with by the Sage Group like we were nothing but weeds underfoot, I felt tears sting my eyes.

Then, a loud, mocking voice broke the quiet. "Well, aren't you Miles? What are you doing here? Got yourself a room at the psych ward?"

Caspian's tone dripped with fake surprise. "Huh! You actually took the exam despite everything! Really motivational. Nearly got the same score as me."

They were both wearing volunteer vests, probably here for some charity project that would earn them extra credit for college applications.

Aveline wrinkled her nose at me and said to him, loud enough for the whole ward to hear, "Don't be afraid, Caspian. I'm here. He's not the crazy one; his mother is. She's been out of her mind for ten years."

Their mocking voices cut through the air like glass. My mom flinched. Then, as if trying to protect her doll, she lifted her shirt to breastfeed it. "Don't be scared, Lyra. I'm here."

I lunged forward, snatching the doll from her and covering her up with trembling hands. My eyes were wet, but I forced myself to stay calm.

Aveline curled her lip. "What a family of lunatics."

Her gaze landed on the doll I was holding. She pinched her nose in disgust. "Miles, this thing looks like it's from the last century. Why are you still keeping it? God, you're pathetic. It's disgusting."

Disgusting? That same doll used to be her favorite.

Unlike the other candidates, I was the only one actually born in Crownridge. During summers, I got to be Aveline's study partner and her playmate.

Once, when we were kids, she handed me this doll and said, giggling, "Miles, this is the baby I'm giving you."

The adults laughed, but I held that doll like a treasure.

Now, to keep my mother from spiraling again, I clutched it tight and said softly, "I'm sorry, Ms. Sage. My mother's behavior upset Caspian. She's not well. Please forgive us."

Before I could say more, my mother's voice rose behind me, sharp and trembling. "Miles! Who's hurting you? I'll beat them up!"

Caspian clutched his chest dramatically and crouched to the floor. "Miles, what are you doing?" He gasped weakly. "Just because I scored three points higher than you, you're having your crazy mother attack me?" His voice cracked as if he were about to cry.

Aveline's heart ached for him. She hugged Caspian tight and soothed him endlessly. "Caspian, are you okay? Don't worry. I'll deal with this crazy family for you!"

Once he caught his breath, she stood up and slapped me twice across the face hard, one on each cheek.

Aveline warned, "Keep that deranged mother of yours under control. If she ever hurts Caspian again, I'll make you both wish you'd never been born."

My mother screamed back, "I won't die, but you will!"

Aveline, trembling with anger, jerked the doll free and said flatly, "Mrs. Arden, that's not Lyra. It's an old, tattered toy from when I was small. Lyra is gone; she was lost when you were pregnant. Quit living in denial."

Then, as if words weren't cruel enough, she pulled her car key from her purse and stabbed the doll, ripping it open until the fabric split. My mother's screams filled the room as Aveline tore it into shreds.

"She's dead! Do you hear me? Dead!"

My mother stared at the pile of fabric scraps, her face blank, then collapsed to the floor, sobbing so violently her body shook. She tried to piece the torn cloth together with trembling fingers, whispering, "My Lyra… Oh, my Lyra…"

I held her tightly, afraid she'd hurt herself, my heart pounding with anger, sorrow, and helplessness all at once.

When I finally looked up, my eyes locked on Aveline's. My voice was cold and steady. "Aveline, you won't have to worry about seeing me again. I'm leaving the country soon."

The Price of Leaving

Aveline stared at me in disbelief before letting out a sharp, mocking laugh. "You? Study abroad? Your dad's broke, your mom's crazy. Where would you even get the money? Are you dreaming?"

"I'm not dreaming," I said evenly. "You and Caspian are getting engaged soon. My twelve years of standing in your shadow are finally over. I don't need the Sage Group to pay for my tuition. I can earn my own way. And you don't get to question my future anymore."

A flicker of panic crossed Aveline's usually cold eyes. She jabbed a finger at my mom, her voice sharp and venomous. "Even if you manage to work your way through college abroad, what about your mom? Who's going to take care of her? Are you planning to throw her into some institution and leave her to rot? From what I know, your dad wouldn't lift a finger."

"That's none of your business," I replied coldly.

She stepped right up to me, her slender fingers gripping my chin. Her beautiful eyes were sharp and cold, like a snake ready to strike. "You really think that in Crownridge, you can just walk away? You think you can slip out of my grasp?

"A few days from now, Caspian and I are hosting a banquet to celebrate our upcoming college life. You will be there."

Before I could respond, my mother screamed again.

She had gathered every piece of that broken doll from the floor and shoved the bundle into my arms. "Miles, my good boy, your sister's hurting. Save her, please!"

My throat burned as tears blurred my vision. I took the scraps from her trembling hands. "Mom, Lyra's sick. I'll go find a doctor for her."

Then, I turned on Aveline, glaring at her with every ounce of fury I had left. "I've already called for a nurse. This room has cameras. Don't you dare touch my mom again."

I had never raised my voice at her before. For once, she looked startled. She bit her lip, the smallest trace of hurt passing through her expression before she looked away.

I borrowed a needle and thread from the nurse and sat in the waiting room, stitching the doll back together, one clumsy stitch at a time.

…

When I finally carried it toward my mother's room and pushed the door open, my heart nearly stopped.

Aveline and Caspian were tangled together on the attendant's bed, lost in each other, violating every line that should never have been crossed.

And my mother was perched on the balcony rail of the third floor, her body swaying, ready to fall.

Those two were too lost in their pleasure to notice the woman about to die right behind them.

I wanted to run to her, to pull her down, but I was terrified that the sudden movement might startle her into jumping. I froze in the doorway, hardly daring to breathe.

Then, as Aveline and Caspian reached their peak, their cries filled the room, just loud enough to shatter the last fragile thread of my mother's sanity.

The truth was, her madness hadn't started when Lyra died. It had started long before, when my father cheated.

I had been a child then, not even in elementary school, when he brought a prostitute home and did everything in front of my mother, just like what I was seeing now.

My mother's eyes went crimson. She screamed, "Ronan! I hate you!"

And then she jumped.

It happened so fast I couldn't even scream. It felt like someone had ripped my heart out while I was still alive.

My hands shook violently as I dialed 911 and called for the hospital staff, shouting until my voice broke.

Aveline and Caspian were frozen, pale and trembling, fumbling with their clothes as nurses and orderlies rushed in and out.

I ran downstairs and saw that my mom was still breathing. I dropped to my knees beside her, sobbing. "Mom, please! Hang on! Don't go! I can't live without you!"

The ambulance arrived. They lifted her onto the stretcher and carried her away. I collapsed on the cold floor, gasping for air.

Then, I saw a pair of designer heels stop right in front of me—Aveline's.

"A fall from the third floor won't kill anyone," she said, her voice dripping with contempt. "Quit the act. I saw her breathing just now."

Something in me snapped. I looked up at her, my voice breaking into a roar. "Get lost! I never want to see you again!"

For a moment, her face twisted with anger, but she quickly masked it with that practiced, cruel poise. Looping her arm through Caspian's, she glanced back at me and said coldly, "You'll pay for this, Miles. One day, you'll crawl to me and beg for forgiveness."

The Uninvited Surprise

Aveline's banquet was nothing short of a presidential inauguration—every elite in Crownridge seemed to have shown up.

She wore a custom gown stitched with gold thread, radiating pure elegance and authority.

Yet, despite being the center of attention, she seemed restless, her eyes darting around the room as if searching for someone—me.

As the evening dragged on and I still hadn't appeared, she couldn't help asking, "Why isn't Miles here?"

"His mother's sick, isn't she? He's probably taking care of her," one of the top students replied.

Ever since losing the chance to be Aveline's fiance, these top students had let themselves go, each one noticeably rounder than before.

A flicker of unease passed across Aveline's face. She suddenly remembered my close relationship with the principal.

Dropping Caspian's hand, she strode toward Tobias Duskwood. "Mr. Duskwood, I invited Miles. Why isn't he here?"

Tobias' expression was unreadable. He pulled out a folder, opening it to reveal a copy of my acceptance letter.

Aveline took it, confused, and then froze.

Briarwood University. Full scholarship.

Her eyes widened. She finally realized I had been serious about leaving the country.

"Miles may have stumbled on the exam, but back in his sophomore year, he recorded an act of bravery. He saved a girl from jumping into the river. Combine that with good scores during last few years, and he earned an offer from Briarwood University. And Briarwood ranks even higher than Crownridge University."

The principal spoke of me with a hint of pride, as if that ten-million-dollar loss had never even happened.

Aveline clutched the acceptance letter, stunned for a moment, then, humiliated and enraged, shredded the copy into pieces. "Who gave him permission to go abroad? Was this approved by me? This has to be fake! Mr. Duskwood, are you in on this with Miles to trick me?"

The room fell utterly silent. Everyone stared as Aveline lost her composure at her own banquet.

Evander Sage, her father, frowned and scolded gently, "Aveline! What are you doing?"

Caspian came running, out of breath. Seeing her red-rimmed eyes, he wrapped her in his arms, trying to soothe her. "Aveline, what's wrong? Who upset you?"

Aveline crouched to the floor, clutching her belly. The shock was so intense that it triggered a physiological stomachache.

She didn't understand. Reborn into this life, she knew that in the last life, I was vain and selfish, that I had ruined her and Caspian's chance at happiness. Yet now, the thought of me leaving Crownridge struck her with such anguish.

Caspian noticed the torn fragments of the acceptance letter on the floor. He grabbed a few pieces and realized I had truly been accepted to Briarwood University. His face flushed with anger.

"Did Miles pull some trick behind our backs? My scores aren't even enough to get into Briarwood University. He scored three points less than me. How is that possible?"

Aveline stood abruptly, her gaze locking on Caspian with sudden intensity. "You will not speak of Miles that way!"

Without another word, she strode out, ignoring the guests gathered for her celebration. As she exited the hotel, she nearly collided with a sharply dressed man exuding a hint of streetwise confidence.

He held out an invitation. "Ms. Sage, this is an invitation to the banquet of Ms. Lark's fiance, Miles Arden. It's at the Padley Hotel tonight at eight. Don't miss it."

"Did you just say fiance?"