Under questioning from the group, Joyce Lawson frowned and said, "I was sitting on the couch in 1501 for a little while, waiting for Yvonne York to make a phone call. After she hung up, she hurried me out to get supplies from 1506."

"As I was leaving, I think I heard a woman’s cry from inside the room, but I wasn’t entirely sure... Yvonne York was rushing me to leave, so I didn’t think too much about it and just hurried out with her."

Yvonne York had a daughter, who was Joyce Lawson’s younger cousin. At the time, Joyce had thought the sound was just her little cousin fussing. Now that she thought back on it, it sounded more like a cry for help...

Melody Summers frowned slightly at her words. ’Looks like I’ll have to pay a visit to 1501,’ she thought.

Though she was thinking this, her expression remained unchanged. Looking at the haggard Joyce Lawson, Melody Summers asked, "Joyce, let’s put that aside for now. What are your plans?"

Given Joyce Lawson’s current situation, Melody Summers wasn’t sure if she could even go home.

’After all,’ Melody thought, ’Joyce was sold by her own mother. If she goes home now, there’s no telling if her mother won’t just sell her a second time.’

Besides, the Suttons had given Joyce’s mother a huge bride price. Now that she’d run away, they would almost certainly go to her house to demand their bride back.

With the blizzard and the power outage, even the police couldn’t intervene. Joyce was just one person, and she was no match for a group. She wouldn’t be able to handle so many people who were after her.

Mrs. Vance had clearly thought of this as well. She quickly asked, "That’s right, dear. Do you have anywhere else to go? If not, why don’t you... why don’t you stay here with us!"

Susan Warren nodded in agreement. "We don’t have much, but our supplies are holding up. If you have nowhere to go, you can stay here with us for a while. Once the snow stops and the police can get through, you can report it and have them handle it."

Mrs. Vance and Susan Warren were the types to love someone’s friends as their own. Since Joyce Lawson was Melody Summers’s friend, she wasn’t an outsider to them, and they were more than willing to help.

Joyce Lawson waved her hands, embarrassed. "Oh, I couldn’t possibly. I don’t want to be a bother..."

Melody Summers, who had been listening, thought for a moment and agreed it was a good idea.

Melody had originally planned to let Joyce stay in one of the other apartments she had bought, but in this situation, it was better for everyone to stick together than for Joyce to be all alone.

For one, the power would be out in the complex for the foreseeable future. It would be too lonely for Joyce to stay at home by herself, and if something happened, there would be no one to help. If she stayed with Mrs. Vance, they could all look out for one another.

For another, Joyce was a medical student, and Susan Warren was about to go into labor. Having Joyce around would provide an extra layer of security when the time came.

So, having Joyce move in was a win-win.

Persuaded by Melody Summers and Mrs. Vance’s family, Joyce Lawson stopped refusing and agreed to stay with them for the time being.

After a moment of thought, Joyce Lawson said to the others, "I want to go back to my place now and grab some of my things."

At this hour, Yvonne York and Gregory Lawson were surely still asleep. Joyce wanted to bring some supplies back, but she also wanted to settle a few things...

******

The mother and son, Yvonne York and Gregory Lawson, had eaten dumplings tonight—a rare treat. They hadn’t tasted such a delicacy in a long time, not since the disaster began.

A few days prior, they had received a huge bride price from the Suttons, which included a lot of supplies: rice, flour, cooking oil, pork, chicken, and several bags of frozen dumplings.

As they ate, the mother and son exclaimed how worth it it all was. Selling Joyce Lawson to the Sutton family had been an incredible deal! Otherwise, how would they ever have gotten to eat such delicious dumplings?

Full and satisfied, they went to bed and slept soundly. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Unfortunately, that peace didn’t last until dawn. When Yvonne York groggily awoke, she felt her hands and feet bound. A strange, dark figure stood by her bed.

The terrifyingly familiar sensation jolted her fully awake. She instinctively thought Titus Lowell and his brothers had returned, and her heart leaped into her throat!

Just then, a flashlight beam cut through the darkness, and Yvonne York finally saw the figure standing by her bed clearly—

"...Joyce?! What—what are you doing here?"

Seeing that it wasn’t Titus Lowell standing by her bed, Yvonne York finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She struggled against her bonds, demanding angrily, "Joyce, what is the meaning of this? ...You dare tie me up?! Have you lost your mind? Untie me this instant!"

But no matter how Yvonne York struggled, Joyce Lawson just stood by the bed, watching her coldly without moving a muscle. "Mom," she said, "I just want to ask you, what did I ever do to wrong you? Why do you keep trying to send me to my death?"

Yvonne York stopped struggling. She looked up at Joyce, asking in feigned surprise, "What are you talking about? When have I ever tried to send you to your death? You wretched girl, how can you slander your own mother like this?!"

Joyce let out a cold laugh. She stared into Yvonne’s eyes, her own gaze filled with fury, and said, enunciating every word, "I slandered you? Wasn’t it you who pushed me at the robbers to save Gregory? Wasn’t it you who sold me to the Suttons for a bride price?"

A flicker of guilt crossed Yvonne’s eyes, but she remained stubborn. "Why must you say such ugly things? What do you mean, ’sold you’ to the Suttons? Their family is so well-off, you would have lived a life of luxury marrying into it! Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to find you such a good match?"

As she spoke, Yvonne’s tone actually took on a hint of grievance. "Besides, your brother will have to get married someday. Your father is gone, and I’m raising him all by myself. If I didn’t marry you off to the Suttons, where would I get the money for his bride price? Without a bride price, how could he ever get married? I’m just a widow, what else was I supposed to do!"

Joyce found her mother’s words utterly absurd.

Her anger reached its peak, and her voice became unnaturally calm.

She stared hard at her mother and asked in a cold voice, "Aren’t your son and daughter both your own flesh and blood? Mom, why do you insist on using me as a stepping stone for my brother? Ever since we were little, I’ve had to give him whatever he wanted. Even the apartment I worked so hard to buy—you put it in his name!"

"Why, Mom? Is it just because I’m a girl? Does my life not matter because I’m a girl? Why did you let those robbers violate me? Why did you sell me to the Suttons?!"

Hearing Joyce’s words, a trace of bewilderment flickered in Yvonne York’s eyes, but she quickly recovered.

She looked up at Joyce, her gaze filled with annoyance and resentment. "You have the nerve to say that to me! I haven’t had a single good day since you were born. If I hadn’t given birth to your brother, your father would have kicked me out long ago! And you have the audacity to bring this up!"

"Besides, what’s there to feel sorry about? Which family’s daughter doesn’t go through the same thing? When I was a child, your grandmother wouldn’t even let me learn to read. At least I let you go to college! I’ve been more than good to you!"