Hilla looked into Halle's red, swollen eyes and the faint little sweat beads on her forehead.
She knew that Halle had been tricked into going outside. Even before Hilla came, it was obvious that Halle had been standing outside for a good amount of time. Yet the people inside the house… deliberately chose not to let her in again.
"Halle, divorce him!"
Those three words traveled into Halle's ears like a feather, yet it struck Halle's heart.
It was the end of August, and it was still summer, yet Halle was as white as a sheet.
She felt a cold chill down her spine.
Divorce? She had never once thought of it. However… Could she? With her current circumstance?
"Titus Tyson clearly never loved you. If you continue staying with the Tysons, you'll only be torturing yourself.
"When Holt Corporation had basically handed them loads of business deals, they were already treating you badly. Now that the Holt family has crumbled, you will only suffer even more if you stay here."
The Tyson house was figuratively a demon's nest and a hell for endless torment.
Halle was stunned. "The fall of our family is my fault. And if I choose to leave now, how are you going to pay your tuition fees without the Tysons' support?"
She wanted to get a property for Hilla since an arts degree at the University of New Island did not come cheap. Furthermore, Hilla's course in Fashion and Design was just too costly. The Holt family was gone, and she could not leave her own little sister unable to pay for her tuition.
"Sis, do you really think by staying here, we could live on happily?"
"The Tysons have transferred all our assets. If I choose to divorce him, we might not even get back that Holt mansion!"
Halle bit her lip. She had already thought of a divorce a long time ago, but now that she had gotten herself into this state, she could not be content if she could not get back the mansion.
Hilla knew that the Tysons were shameless goons, but she had not expected them to bully her elder sister to that extent. No wonder Halle had never come home for all those years; it was because of the Tysons' inhumane bullying!
"Money is something we can earn, but would you degrade yourself by staying with the Tysons and letting them treat you like some pet they could simply discard as they please? Halle Holt was once so eye-catching and bright! Are you still my sister?"
Her marriage with Titus Tyson had literally robbed her of her brilliance. Her already skinny face was now bloodless. The pallidness on her cheeks was close to being
transparent.
It was summer then, yet her body was cold, and she felt faint. She could not go through this life anymore.
"I'll get a divorce. No matter the price I need to pay, I'll definitely get a divorce!"
The light in Halle's eyes dimmed. She looked at Hilla, and mixed feelings filled her heart. "Hilla, I'm sorry. I've brought nothing but trouble to the family, and I could not even help you."
Hilla Holt, the young lady in front of her, was no longer the little girl who would tug her dress to ask for her dolls to play. The current Hilla was now stronger than herself.
Hilla held Halle tightly and said, "Sis, from now on, we will make the Holt family rise to power again. We can do this together."
She was married to Bruce Anderson and soon, she would get back their mansion and everything else along with it. She would get back what belonged to them bit by bit from those people.
When Halle knew that Hilla was married into the Anderson family by marrying Bruce Anderson, Halle felt anxious.
She had half of her lifetime ruined, and she could not let her little sister go through what she did.
"You must divorce Bruce Anderson! The man is comatose! Hilla! How could you throw yourself into the pits of hell like that? Why didn't you tell me…"
Halle was overwhelmed by the consecutive shock. Hilla quickly helped her sister to the parterre by the side to sit. Instead, Halle held Hilla's hands tight. Her eyes were teary as she said, "Hilla, please listen to me! Please rid yourself of the Andersons! I'd rather we give up the mansion than have you marrying Bruce! You cannot destroy your life like this! It's not worth it!"
...
When Hilla returned to the Andersons, it was already in the middle of the night.
Orlenna hurried out when she saw her returning. She grabbed her hands and asked, "Where have you been? It's so late. Call the house next time if you have other businesses."
"Mother, I'm fine. I was just out to meet with my elder sister," said Hilla truthfully.
She then turned to her sister, who came out of the car hesitantly.
"Mother, is it possible for my sister to stay in the mansion for a few days?"
Hilla asked quietly, and she instinctively held Halle's hand so that she could comfort her.
Orlenna took in the scene and understood what was happening. She quickly answered, "We're all family here. There's nothing that I would not allow. I'll arrange for a guest room to be readied for your sister. You haven't had dinner, have you? Come in. It's too hot outside. What would happen if you got a heatstroke?"
The party went back into the mansion. Orlenna quickly sent for someone to brew something cold to beat the summer's heat.
On hot summer days, one would easily be drenched in sweat just by standing outside for even a moment, and they would be utterly covered in sweat if they stood outside for an entire day.
Hilla brought Halle to the guest room for a bath. Hilla herself went to her own room to bathe as well. When she came out, she saw Halle with a pale look on her face as she stood at the entrance and stared at Bruce Anderson sleeping on the bed.
When Hilla came out from the bathroom, Halle's eyes instantly teared up. She could not hold back her tears as she said, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! It's my fault! I've caused you to suffer so much! How could you let yourself be with someone like that forever?!"
That was the first time she saw Bruce Anderson. The door to their room was only half-closed. Halle had knocked on the door for some time, and when there was no reply, she came in because she was worried.
However, when she saw Bruce Anderson sleeping on the bed like the dead, Halle had to admit that she was scared. In fact, when she thought about how Hilla spent every night lying in bed with someone like this, she became even more panicked and scared.
Perhaps in the eyes of all other Andersons, that man was the young master, but where Halle stood, the man was just a stranger, and he was even a stranger who could not move or say anything.
She could not bear the thought of how Hilla had spent her days with the Andersons.
"We're leaving. I'll take you with me! Even if we have to starve, I won't let you sleep with someone who is practically a living dead!"
Halle was trembling badly, and Hilla supported her. She consoled her elder sister by saying, "Sis, you've misunderstood things. The family treats me very well."
"No matter how well they treat you, Bruce Anderson is still a comatose patient. He could not even blink! How could you let yourself take care of a man who could never wake up?! You've never done your own laundry since you were young, so how could you take care of him? My heart cries out for you. If only Holt Corporation did not go bankrupt and if only father and mother were still alive, you wouldn't suffer such humiliation!"
She was the princess of the family. They would never be able to bear the thought of letting her suffer even in the slightest.
Hilla knew that Halle's mood was terrible right now. Her own marriage had gone down the drain, and she could not bear to see Hilla suffering through her life as well.
However, they could go nowhere else but the Andersons right now.
Hilla consoled Halle for a long time. And since it was Halle's first time coming to the Anderson mansion, Hilla did not spend the night with Bruce Anderson. Instead, she slept with her own sister on the same bed, which Orlenna agreed to.
In the quiet night, the lights gained a dusky yellow shade. Hilla nestled in Halle's embrace as she whispered to Halle, "Halle, I really think the Andersons are a good family. Being married to Bruce Anderson has not brought me any suffering. In fact, I am not afraid of him. He's different from what I imagined him to be, but I am very grateful that the Andersons have provided a roof over my head to go through the storm."
To be honest, she had gotten used to living there, and if she were asked to leave now, she would feel reluctant to leave Bruce Anderson!