Chapter 3

Back at the dorm, I pulled out a washbasin from under my bed. My sister would be back the day after tomorrow, so I needed to change her sheets.

I stripped the bed, soaked the sheets in the basin, added detergent, then crouched on the floor and began scrubbing. Bubbles covered the backs of my hands.

The door creaked open.

Viola walked in carrying a bundle of dark bed sheets. When she saw me washing the sheets on the floor, she smirked. She came over, loosened her hands, and dropped the bundle into my basin.

Foam splashed across my face.

I looked down.

A large dark red stain covered the pale fabric, which lay wet and sticky against my sister's sheets.

I raised my head. "What are you doing?"

Viola folded her arms and raised her head in front of me. "I'm on my period, and my stomach hurts too much to wash them. You're already doing laundry, so wash mine too. Isn't washing things for other people what you do best? We're all roommates. Why play favorites?"

She looked thoroughly pleased with herself, as evidenced by her smirk.

I stood up and wiped my soapy hands on my apron. Then I looked down at the bloodstained sheets in the basin. I then pulled them out and shoved the soaking bundle back into her arms. "Wash your own bed sheets."

I crouched back again and went back to scrubbing my sister's sheets. The wet fabric soaked through Viola's clothes, and she froze. And then her voice went high. "Eve! What is that supposed to mean?! Can't you show a little concern when my stomach hurts?"

I ignored her.

Our roommates spoke up for me and said, "Viola, having your period doesn't mean your arms and legs stopped working. How hard is it to wash a bedsheet? Eve isn't your maid."

"Exactly. Why should she wash it for you?"

Viola's face went pale. She bit her lip as her eyes reddened, threw the sheets into the basin, and ran out. She slammed the door hard enough to shake the room.

About twenty minutes later, my phone vibrated three times in my pocket. I took it out and found several messages from an unknown number: [Eve, why do you have to bully her like this?]

[Would it kill you to wash one bedsheet for her? Don't you know she's on her period?]

[She's crying alone on the track field now. Are you really fine with that?]

[I never knew you were this coldhearted.]

[I'm very disappointed that you wouldn't even help her with something so small.]

I stared at the texts and laughed. Then, I opened it and typed a reply.

[If you care so much, come wash her bloody sheets yourself. I don't care if you lick them clean.]

[And since we're already broken up, you have no right to even say something like you're disappointed in me.]

I sent the message, then tapped open my contact and blocked the number.

The screen went dark and I went back to scrubbing the sheets.

The next morning, my phone woke me up by vibrating more than a dozen times. Still half asleep, I opened it and found a long string of messages from my roommates, with a link at the top.

The headline read: [Shocking news! The truth about Central University's wealthy heiress and her maid! Is the girl always beside Sophie an impostor?]

I was wide awake then after reading the headline.

I opened the link. The post had gone up on the university's message board at three that morning.

[Does everyone remember Eve? The girl who follows Sophie everywhere and even made her bed on the first day of the semester?]

[You thought she was just Sophie's roommate? How naive.]

[Her father is actually a servant for the Lane family whose job is to serve them.]

[So, she really is the Lane family's pet. Mystery solved.]

The post listed every one of my supposed offenses since the beginning of the university semester.

[This woman only wants to stick to rich people. She looks down on students from ordinary families like us. I'm ashamed to even attend the same university as someone like her."

At the bottom was an anonymous comment from a so-called "insider".

[I'm her roommate. She never talks to any of us because she thinks we're poor. She has Sophie to protect her, so why would she bother with people like us?]

I would have recognized Viola's tone and wording anywhere. The post had already reached the top of the forum, and the comments seemed endless.

[No wonder she's so good at acting like a servant. Which normal people can do that? She must have practiced it since childhood.]

[People like her are so disgusting. She acts like a rich person's pet and still thinks she's better than everyone else.]

[I heard she's dating Aaron Sanders. He's one of the most popular guys on campus. I have no idea what he ever saw in her.]

Someone tagged Aaron's account. When I opened it, I found his reply beneath the comment.

[We broke up, thanks.]

[She was the one chasing me.]

Hundreds of people had liked his replies and praised him for getting out before it was too late. Chasing him? He had forgotten how desperately he had begged me to go out with him.

I locked my phone and sat on the bed, staring at the gray sky outside. Before I could gather my thoughts, the university counselor called. "Eve, please come to my office."