Chapter 1

• Berry POV
• "Miss, we'll be there in just ten minutes," the bus driver said, directing his gaze on me.
• After my flight landed in New York from Los Angeles an hour ago, I kept my body posture straight and nodded while my head rested on the bus window. With luck on my side, I located the bus in a lane road outside of the airport.
• I'm Emberly Swan, and I'm 19 years old. I just arrived in New York an hour ago from Los Angeles; I didn't have any other choice but to come here, so far away from them, who will always haunt my soul, but I really miss Los Angeles, the place where I was born and raised, but I can't go back there now, and I won't be able to go back there in the future either, because some very dark memories of mine are present there.
• To be honest, I can't live without spicy cuisine, and my favourite street food has been the only thing on my mind since I arrived in New York.
• I don't know anything about my parents; I grew up at my aunt's house in Los Angeles, and believe me, it was the worst experience of my life.
• She treats me as if I'm not human, as if I'm a doormat.
• Aside from her, Delilah, her daughter, nearly killed me that day by thrashing me.
• I examined my hand and stomach, where scars from the past had faded but remained fresh in my mind.
• Apart from them, my uncle is the most disgusting man I've ever met; he constantly insulted me and was almost....../ I tightly clenched my eyes and shook my head.
• I don't want to think about them right now, and I don't want to think about them again in the future.
• I opened my eyes and gazed at the enormous apartment building where I shall be residing for the foreseeable future!
• Get out of there, get out of that hellhole.
• These memories are best left buried deep within my heart.
• I emerge from the cab with a little bag containing just a few cast-offs and my baggy clothing, as well as my phone and Bluetooth headphones, which were given to me by my cousin brother Asher, who, unlike his family, constantly shields me from them, even hiding food from my aunt as my punishment.
• He's been my only brother from infancy, and I've had to contact someone for me. He's the best brother in the world, and he's the one who arranges for me to travel here from Los Angeles away from them because......
• I closed my eyes and counted from one to four, one, two, three, four.
• Please try to calm me down; I simply can't seem to lose myself again.
• What would I do if Asher was not waiting for me back in Los Angeles, where he had arranged for money and a plane ticket for me so that I could be secure away from those terrible people?
• My phone rang, and I hurriedly grabbed it up.
• I heard my brother Asher's worried voice say, "Did you come there is?"
• "Don't worry," I assured him, "I'll be alright here."
• "How can I," he said, agony in his voice, "when my sister is there in an unknown area, with Strangers?"
• I know he despises my leaving here alone and without help, but we don't have any other choice, and with so much struggle, I just can't give up now.
• "How many times do I have to persuade you, bro, that I am, and that I will be alright here?" I asked him.
• "Look, I'll send more money to your account in the next two days," he continued, his voice full of optimism. "I almost organised money appropriate for you to rent an apartment there e, just two more days' sis, you'll be great."
• I grinned, knowing that even if God gave me a harsh aunt and uncle, he also gave me a loving, caring brother who would always protect me.