Chapter 2 - The Orphanage Trap
Lily sprinted through the rain-slicked alleys of Oakridge. She didn't go to the hospital—hospitals asked questions, called social workers, and locked kids like her away. Instead, she ran to Doc Vance, a disgraced former surgeon who lived above the pawnshop.
She slammed her fists against his metal door until he opened it, reeking of cheap whiskey.
"I have gold," Lily panted, holding up Arthur’s heavy signet ring. "I need bandages, antibiotics, and a suture kit. Now."
Doc Vance’s eyes greedily locked onto the ring. He tossed her a duffel bag of medical supplies, but as Lily turned to sprint back to the barn, a cold hand clamped onto her shoulder.
It wasn't Doc Vance. It was Officer Higgins, the most corrupt beat cop in Oakridge.
"Well, well. Look what the rats dragged in," Higgins sneered, snatching the medical bag and the ring. "Child Protective Services has been looking for you, street rat."
"No! Let me go! A man is dying!" Lily screamed, thrashing wildly.
"Save it for the judge," Higgins laughed, dragging her to his cruiser.
By sunrise, Lily was stripped of her wet clothes, scrubbed raw, and thrown into a holding room at the State Orphanage. She sat in the corner, sobbing silently. She had failed Arthur. He was going to bleed to death in that pit.
Hours passed. The door unlocked, and Mrs. Gable, the cruel, sharp-featured head of the orphanage, walked in.
"You're a stubborn little thief, Lily Morgan," Mrs. Gable sneered. "But you're going to a group home in Texas tomorrow. You’ll never see Oakridge again."
"What about my sister? Emma!" Lily begged, falling to her knees.
Mrs. Gable smiled cruelly. "Emma was adopted this morning. A wealthy family. She’s gone, Lily. And she already forgot about you."
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Lily’s world shattered. The walls closed in. Emma was gone. Arthur was dead. She had nothing left.
[END OF CHAPTER 2 HOOK] 👉 But hundreds of miles away, in a sterilized penthouse hospital room, a pair of ice-blue eyes suddenly snapped open.
