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Her diamond-studded pointy nails scratched my face,then yanked my hair.
The pain from my scalp forced me to fight back.
Daniel tried pulling Melissa away,but clearly afraid that he would hurt her,he barely tried.

Melissa,unhinged,seemed intent on killing me,reveling in her frenzy.
Evan's bodyguards arrived,restraining her.
Evan always appeared calm to me.
I'd never seen him angry before.
Seeing the scratches on my face,his usually composed face darkened ominously.
His eyed Melissa with his icy gaze."I was going to give you a few more good days.Seems you don't need them."

Melissa finally realized how severe things were,collapsing,her eyes vacant.
Evan took me back to the hospital.
After treating my wounds,he sat beside me,sighing deeply.
I frowned."What's wrong?"

He glanced at me,shaking his head with a reassuring smile."Nothing,just rest.I've got company matters to handle."
Before leaving,he said,"Lucy,learn to protect yourself."
I froze,my breath catching.
Lucy...how did he know my old name?
Before I could ask him,he was gone.
At eight,I was adopted by a modest couple.
The staff from the orphanage warned them my illness had erased my memories,and I might become impaired.
They adopted me anyway.
At the orphanage,I was named Lucy Walsh.
After adoption,they named me Jessica Lane.
They treated me well at first,despite their our condition.
They'd buy me dresses,snacks,and trendy hair clips with their limited salary.
At school,I excelled,earning a little gold star from the teacher every day.
My foster mom would peel them off my wrist and glue them onto a paper on the wall.
Over time,the stars filled sheet after sheet.
My foster parents beamed at the walls of stars.
I thought I'd stay happy,until junior high,when they had their own child.
That day,I waited at school for my foster dad to pick me up.
From a bustling crowd to an empty lot,from day to night,from hope to despair.
His familiar scooter never came.
Realizing no one was coming,it was 8:30 p.m. already
Knocking on our door,my foster mom's joyful smile vanished upon seeing me.
Late at night,thirsty,I overheard them arguing.
My foster mom sounded irritated."We thought we'd never have our own kid,so we adopted her.Now what?"
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