A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust

"Calliope, what are you talking about? Are you just gonna stand there or help us up?"

Valerian was already in a foul mood. He didn't think he owed Calliope an apology, nor did he feel like saying sorry. Lisette was still locked up somewhere, while Calliope seemed to be living her life without a care in the world. She stood there, almost taunting them with her indifference, not even offering a hand.

No wonder no one liked her, not even with her reputation as the Miracle Doctor. She wasn't like Lisette. Lisette always spoke softly and kindly. Even if she wasn't all that skilled, she'd put her heart into helping others. But Calliope, she held onto grudges from childhood like they were yesterday's news.

Wasn't she living just fine? Wasn't she married to Silas and enjoying a good life? What did she have to complain about?noveldrama

The more Valerian thought about it, the angrier he got. If it weren't for his father's insistence on creating some public pressure on Calliope, he wouldn't have been here at all.

The reporters had trampled all over him, leaving his head throbbing with pain. He struggled to his feet, casting a glance around the room, unsure of who these people even were. The reporters swarmed like hungry vultures.

"Callie, give me a hand here!" Monty leaned against the door, trying to stand but struggling after the crowd had stomped on him several times.

Calliope stood with her arms crossed, her face a mask of indifference as she watched them.

"Callie-" Horatio, lying on the ground, struggled to rise with his leg issues, looking up at her. She seemed like a goddess atop a pedestal, looking down on them all. It was as if they didn't exist in her world.

Horatio felt a chill in his heart. This was his own sister, yet she acted as if they meant nothing to her, as if their fates were irrelevant. If Lisette were here, she'd probably be heartbroken, maybe even cry for them. But Calliope's face showed no concern or empathy. She was beautiful, almost ethereal, but so

cold and detached.

"Callie, I can't get up. Can you please help me?" Horatio asked, his voice soft and pleading.

Calliope leaned against the doorframe, her hands in her pockets, her expression unreadable, as if she hadn't heard him at all.

Horatio laughed bitterly. "Callie, I'm your big brother. Don't you recognize us anymore? Do you wish we were dead? Would that make you happy? If we died, you'd have no family left. Is that what you want?"

Calliope remained unmoved, her face still a picture of cool detachment. "Wrong."

"What?" The three looked at her, puzzled.

"Even with you alive, I don't have a family," Calliope replied with a faint smile. "Have you ever seen a family photo with me in it? I've never been included. So, it's not that I don't want you, but you've already pushed me out."

She chuckled softly, her hands still in her pockets. "Do you think I need you?"

"Think about it. How many times have you helped me? How often did you give me pocket money?" Calliope eyed Monty with a scrutinizing gaze.