Chapter 16 " Aria , you got caught in the rain today . Drink this ginger milk while it's warm . It'll help keep the chill away , don't catch a cold now . " " Grace , the heiress of the Lockwood family , was about the same age as Aria , with a fiery temper . If a single word offended her , she'd throw down ; no one's face was spared . She was a proud little princess . H Everyone in the Whitmore family went to the birthday banquet , except for Aria . Not only that , but no matter what the Whitmore family did , she was always excluded . It wasn't without heartbreak . Aria took the ginger milk , thanked Zoe , and , despite the discomfort , drank it all in one go . Zoe took the bowl back to the kitchen but paused at the doorway . " Miss Aria , what do you want for dinner tonight ? I'll cook for you ." Chapter 16 Without a second thought , Aria said , " Anything's fine . I'm not picky . " " She knew Zoe was trying to fill the emptiness inside her heart . But how could someone else's care ever make up for the hurt the family caused ? Aria silently walked over to the calendar and circled the 15th in red . May 1st was getting closer . Her things at the Whitmore family were running out . Just as she put the pen back , her foster mother , Ivy Caldwell , called . " Your grandmother broke her leg and is hospitalized now at the hospital on Cloudie Road . Bring some money and come quickly! " Aria's heart skipped a beat . She told Zoe she was going out and wouldn't be home for dinner , then rushed out . The rain outside had stopped ; the ground was wet . Aria hurried on , and Zoe handed her an umbrella , just in case . In her previous life , Ivy had made this call , but she didn't go . Chapter 16 Because of a lack of money , her grandmother missed the best treatment window and never got back on her feet . That had been a lifelong pain . When Aria was three , Ivy abducted her home . When she was abused and beaten , her grandmother protected her , feeding her , applying medicine . At the ward door , nurses were giving her grandmother an IV . Besides Ivy , her son Dominic Caldwell was also there . During the ten - plus years she lived with the Caldwell family , Dominic treated his non - blood - related sister well and looked after her . When she was hungry , Dominic would secretly save food for her . Dominic stepped forward and gently pushed Aria aside . " You don't really have to come . I'll figure out the money ! " Aria pressed her lips , glanced at him , said nothing , and walked past him into the ward . Seeing Aria enter , Ivy handed her the payment slip . " Go pay the medical fees first . I don't have much money ." Chapter 16 The woman hesitated , but the meaning was clear . Meeting Ivy again stirred a complex mix of emotions in Aria . She hated this foster mother because of her grudge with her biological mother ; she took her in and poured all her hatred onto her . Abuse from childhood , either beatings or verbal abuse , going hungry one or two days was normal . If not for Ivy , she wouldn't have been separated from her parents and brothers for so long . The little princess of the Whitmore family would have been her , not Tessa . Then all the suffering she endured would never have happened . How could she not hate ? Seeing her hesitate , Ivy snapped angrily , " What are you standing there for ? Hurry up and pay ! Do you want to watch the old lady die ? " Aria took the slip , glanced at her grandmother sleeping by the bed , and silently followed the nurse out . After paying all the fees , Aria returned to the ward . Her Chapter 16 grandmother was awake , smiling kindly at her . " Aria , you came . I told you there's nothing wrong , no need to waste money in the hospital ." " Though the Whitmore family is rich , life over there isn't easy ." Her daughter made mistakes ; the Whitmore family already hated them . If they knew Aria was paying her grandmother's medical bills , the little girl would have a hard time back home . Aria curved her eyes like a crescent moon and smiled . " Grandma , I'm doing well over there . Don't worry about me . I have money , I earned it myself ."