Chapter 348

Bianca's fingers twisted the hem of her dress unconsciously, her knuckles turning white.

She kept her head down, her voice barely audible. "The Quincy family... was never my home."

Evelyn's eyelashes fluttered slightly.

Bianca's shoulders trembled. "Ever since I can remember, I knew I was just Beatrice's shadow. I couldn't fight back when she hit or insulted me."

Sunlight slanted through the window, casting pale light across her ashen face.

Evelyn noticed a faint scar on her wrist.

"What's this—"

Bianca instinctively pulled her hand back. "Beatrice cut me with a fruit knife last year. She said it would bring her good luck."

Evelyn's pupils contracted sharply.

She suddenly remembered how Bianca always wore long sleeves when they first met.

"What about your grandmother?" Evelyn asked softly.

Tears spilled from Bianca's eyes without warning. "They locked her away in a private nursing home..."

Her voice cracked. "She was the only one who ever cared about me."

Evelyn seized her hand. "Give me the address."

Bianca looked up abruptly, a flicker of hope in her eyes.

"After the show ends," Evelyn said quietly but firmly, "my parents will help you."

Bianca's tears fell in heavy drops.

She bit her lip hard to stifle her sobs.

"Why... help me?"

Evelyn gazed out the window. "Because I was once..."

She didn't finish, but Bianca understood.

The two girls sat in silence under the sunlight.

"Xander..." Evelyn suddenly spoke.

Bianca visibly stiffened.

"He's different," she murmured. "He knows I'm not his real sister, but..."

Her eyes glazed over momentarily.

The boy who once handed her candy now avoided her like the plague.

"He showed you kindness," Evelyn said pointedly.

Bianca smiled bitterly. "That's what makes it worse."

She wiped her face. "None of that matters now."

Evelyn studied her thoughtfully. "Not necessarily."

Bianca looked up in confusion.

"Some things," Evelyn said meaningfully, "aren't always what they seem."

She stood and extended her hand. "Let's deal with the immediate problem first."

Bianca hesitated before finally taking her hand.

Sunlight illuminated their clasped fingers.

At that moment, the gears of fate began to turn.