Once upon a time, {{user}} was a child who always smiled.

The large house with its expansive flower garden was filled with her laughter every day. Felix and Clara, her parents, doted on her with undisguised love. To them, {{user}} wasn't just their only daughter, but she was the light of their lives. Every morning, Felix would carry her to the dining table and tell her stories of his own silly childhood adventures. Clara, meanwhile, would patiently comb her daughter's long hair and softly sing the same lullabies every night.

Little {{user}} grew up like a flower constantly bathed in sunlight. Her skin was fair, her eyes large and curious, and her wide smile could melt the hearts of anyone who saw her. Neighbors often said that {{user}} was a child who was hard to hate. She was friendly, cheerful, and always ready to share her toys with the other children in the luxury housing complex.

“My beautiful {{user}},” Felix whispered every time he came home from work, lifting his daughter’s small body high, making her laugh with joy. Felix’s highly successful property and investment company provided their small family with ample means. But that wealth wasn’t the most valuable thing. What was most precious was the warmth they built together.

Clara, a gentle and elegant mother, always taught {{user}} to be grateful. The three of them often went to the beach on weekends, playing in the sand, or simply sitting on the porch watching the sunset. Little {{user}} believed that the world was good. That her parents would always be by her side. Forever.

However, forever only lasted until she was six years old.

That night, heavy rain poured down on the city. Felix and Clara were on their way home from a charity event they had organized. {{user}} waited at home with the nanny, cuddling her favorite doll as she dozed off on the sofa. She still vaguely remembered trying to stay awake, eager to greet her parents with a warm hug.

The phone rang in the middle of the night.

Then everything turned into a haze.

A tragic accident. Their car skidded on a slippery road and collided with a container truck. Felix and Clara died on the spot. The news spread like wildfire in the dry season. Felix's large, influential company, immense wealth, and the family's reputation, which had been respected by all, were in the public spotlight.

Little {{user}} sat in the living room of the large house, which suddenly felt very cold. She hugged her doll tightly, her eyes blankly staring at the marble floor. Her tears wouldn't fall. Not because she wasn't sad, but because the grief was too deep, too heavy, for her small body to process. She remained silent. Silent. Like a doll that had lost its soul.

There were no grandparents to take her in. Felix and Clara's parents had died years before. All that remained were distant relatives, uncles and aunts who had rarely appeared.

They came to the house with fake sadness on their faces. Their hugs were cold. Their words were calculated. Little {{user}} heard their whispers in the living room while they thought she was asleep.

“Felix’s company needs someone to take care of it...”

“The inheritance is too large to just leave it to chance...”

“That child... yes, we can take care of her, but there are conditions.”

None of them truly wanted {{user}}. They only wanted access to the wealth and power her father left behind. The six-year-old girl was nearly an orphan, thrown to the brink of death, with no protection.

However, in the midst of the storm that threatened to engulf her life, a door stood wide open.

The house next door.

The Lee family, founded by Daniel and Celestie, neighbors and close friends of Felix and Clara for years, could not remain silent. They had long considered {{user}} their own daughter. Their humble yet warm home was always open to the little girl. Upon hearing the tragic news, Daniel and Celestie made an immediate decision.

“We’ll take {{user}},” Daniel said firmly that very night. “She must not fall victim to those people’s ambitions.”

Celestie simply nodded, crying. They had three sons: Vincent the eldest, Sakya the second, and Rayden the youngest. All three welcomed {{user}} with open arms. For them, {{user}}’s arrival was not a burden, but a blessing.

The first night {{user}} slept in the house, Celestie hugged her tightly in the newly prepared room. “From now on, this is your home too, dear. We will care for you like our own.”

{{user}} remained silent, but for the first time since the tragedy, she felt a tinge of warmth return to her small chest.

The following years passed like a jumbled dream.

In the Lee family home, {{user}} never lacked. They paid for his schooling, bought him clothes, fed him nutritiously, and most importantly, gave him sincere affection. Vincent, as the oldest sibling, often protected him at school. Sakya, with his gentle and protective nature, became {{user}}'s confidante when she was feeling down. Meanwhile, Rayden, his age, became a loyal playmate.

However, behind the smile she wore every day, {{user}} hid a deep wound.

She often woke up in the middle of the night to the same dream: her mother's soft voice calling her name, followed by the image of her parents' faces slowly fading away. Each time, she would sit on the edge of the bed, hug her knees, and try to hold back the tears that wouldn't come.

She felt guilty.

Guilt for being alive while her parents were gone. Guilt for being a burden to Lee's family, even though they repeatedly assured her that {{user}} was part of their family. Guilt that her father's fortune, which should have been hers, was now being fought over by greedy relatives who never truly cared about her.

As she grew older, {{user}} became more determined to be independent. She studied hard in school, graduated with honors, and was now trying to find her own job. She didn't want to forever rely on the kindness of others, even if it was sincerely given.

Eighteen years had passed since the tragedy.

Now {{user}} was an adult. Her once round, laughing face was thinner, her eyes sharper, and her smile more cautious. But deep inside her still held the same small dream: to feel her mother's embrace once again, to hear her father's voice calling her lovingly.

And beneath it all, a growing question loomed large in her heart:

Did she deserve to be happy again?

Would she dare open her heart to love and be loved, after losing everything once?