Chapter 1767

Karina was more than willing to rest. It had been a while since she felt this exhausted, the kind of tiredness that made her want to stay still for days.
After grabbing a cup of instant noodles from the cupboard and finishing it off, she took a quick shower and climbed into bed, ready to sleep for as long as her body needed.
But just as she was drifting off, loud knocks on her door startled her awake. The banging grew louder and more insistent.
At first, she thought it might be a delivery, but when she opened the door, she was greeted by the sight of Kieran sitting in a wheelchair. Instantly alert, her first instinct was to slam the door shut.
“Karina, is that it? You see me and don’t even want to say a word?” Kieran’s hand shot out to block the door.
He was strong. No matter how hard Karina pushed with all her might, she couldn’t close the door. Her resistance only seemed to fuel his anger.
Grabbing her wrist tightly, Kieran said, “I’m here to talk, that’s all. Let me in, and we can have a proper conversation.”
Karina wasn’t naive. Letting him in would be easy, but getting him out? That would be nearly impossible.
Her expression turned cold. “There’s nothing for us to talk about.”
“Dad’s sick,” Kieran blurted, his tone urgent. “He was just discharged last night. I came here to tell you so we can visit him together.”
He clearly thought this would soften her resolve, that she would relent and go with him.
For a moment, Karina hesitated. But then the memories of everything they had done to her came rushing back, steeling her determination.
“I’ve already repaid every cent I owed. If Dad’s unwell, you should be the one taking care of him, not coming here to bother me.”
She could already predict how things would go if she went back with him. They would use this excuse to keep her trapped there again. She had worked so hard to escape and had no intention of walking back into their grasp. “Karina!” Kieran’s expression darkened. He couldn’t believe she still refused, even after everything he had said.
“What’s that behind you?” Karina suddenly pointed over his shoulder.
As Kieran instinctively turned to look, she slammed the door shut as fast as she could and locked it.
A second later, the pounding on the door resumed with a vengeance.
“Karina, open the door! Open it right now!” Kieran shouted, his voice filled with fury.
Standing behind the door, Karina stayed silent. She figured that if she didn’t respond, he would eventually give up and leave.
But instead, Kieran’s shouting grew louder, disturbing the entire building. Soon, neighbors started coming out to see what was going on.
One of them yelled, “If you don’t leave, I’m calling the police! She’s clearly not opening the door, so stop causing a scene!”
“Go ahead, call the cops!” Kieran sneered. “She’s my sister. This is a family matter.”
Foster sister or not, Kieran knew the law would likely treat it as a domestic dispute. Besides, sitting in a wheelchair gave him an edge. Who would dare to touch him without risking a lawsuit?
Hearing this, the neighbors backed down, but one of them tried reasoning with Karina through the door.
“Maybe you should just let him in,” the neighbor said. “He’s your brother, after all. Whatever issues you have, talk them out inside. Some of us are trying to rest, you know.”
Karina felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness wash over her.
It seemed like no matter what she did, she could never truly escape the Stones But the idea of giving in, of resigning herself to this fate, filled her with an equally strong sense of resistance.