Barefoot in the Rain to Empire

It took three years for the entity who hijacked my body to fail her mission.

To win over the elite heirs of Manhattan, she had used my face to play a desperate, clawing game of seduction. Instead of succeeding, she made me the laughingstock of the city and tore my family apart.

Before she finally vanished from my consciousness, she left a parting note in my mind, dripping with malice:

"What a shame. I played this hand straight into the ground."

"Your three brothers wish you were dead, and your man treats you like a stray dog he cant shake off."

"Have fun cleaning up the mess."

I gasped, opening my eyes to the sudden, disorienting rush of realityonly to be met with a stinging slap across my face.

"Smack."

My head snapped to the side, a high-pitched ringing filling my ears.

"Summer, when is this endless drama going to stop?!"

The roar of fury came from above me.

I forced myself to look up. Standing over me was my second brother, Dylan. This was the same mana famous pop starwho had once stood in a torrential downpour for three hours just to buy me a limited-edition birthday cake. Now, he looked down at me with nothing but disgust.

A few yards away, the poolside was in utter chaos.

My adoptive sister, Tiffany, was shivering on a lounge chair, wrapped in towels, coughing weakly as water dripped from her hair.

The man holding her was Adrian Lockhart.

Adrian was the untouchable heir of New Yorks old money, and the primary target the soul-hijacker had spent the last three years shamelessly chasing like a dog.

Adrian gently patted Tiffanys back, then raised his eyes to glare at me, his gaze cold and sharp as ice.

"Dylan, your familys lack of breeding is truly something to behold," Adrian said, his voice dropping to a dangerous register. "Since Miss Harrington loves the water so much, perhaps she should spend the night in the pool to clear her head."

Dylans face paled at Adrians words, turning even more hostile.

He whipped around and snarled at me, "What are you waiting for? Get over there and beg Tiffany for forgiveness!"

"If you had actually drowned her today, I would have been the first to throw you to the wolves!"

I said nothing.

For three long years, I had been locked in a dark room of my own mind, a silent observer forced to watch that imposter use my body. I watched her put on gaudy, heavy makeup and throw pathetic, hysterical tantrums just to get attention.

To please Adrian, she had gone so far as to slip drugs into his drink. To steal her brothers' affection back from Tiffany, she had resorted to cheap manipulation, self-harm, and endless lies.

She had dragged my dignity through the mud and exhausted every ounce of my familys love.

And now, she had patted herself on the back and vanished, leaving me to stand in the wreckage.

Seeing my silence, a dry chuckle echoed from the other side of the patio.

My eldest brother, Lawrence, stood up from his chair. He walked over and casually tossed a stack of papers at my feet.

"Don't waste your breath demanding an apology, Dylan. She doesn't have a soul."

Lawrence looked down at me, his eyes entirely devoid of warmth.

"Summer, we gave you countless chances over the last three years. You threw them all away."

"Sign the severance agreement. From this moment on, you are no longer a Harrington."

"Lawrence..." Tiffany whimpered from Adrian's arms, looking up with big, watery eyes. "Please don't do this. Summer only did it because she loves you all so much. It's my fault... I shouldn't have come back to this family..."

"Tiffany, you're far too soft. That's why she keeps stepping on you."

My third brother, Oliver, walked over from the shadows. As a prominent surgeon, his voice carried a clinical, detached authority.

"Summer, you are suffering from severe manic episodes and paranoid personality disorder. As a medical professional, I highly recommend involuntary psychiatric admission."

"Tiffany survived today, but you should use whatever sanity you have left to keep some dignity."

The onlookers at the party whispered among themselves, enjoying the spectacle. They were waiting to see the once-spoiled heiress of the Harrington family get publicly cast out.

According to the memory of the entity who had run my life, this was the part where I was supposed to throw myself at Lawrences feet, weeping and begging for mercy. Or scream at Adrian that I was innocent, that Tiffany had jumped in herself.

They were waiting for my hysterical break.

They expected me to kneel.

But I didnt.

I stood quietly in the cool night air, raising a hand to wipe the corner of my lip. It felt sticky.

I stared at the smudge of blood on the back of my hand for a second, then slowly bent down to pick up the severance papers.

"Do you have a pen?"

My voice was quiet, but it made everyone freeze.

Dylan looked bewildered, his brow furrowing deeper. "What kind of game are you playing now? I swear to God, Summer, you could die right here and none of us would shed a single tear."

"I'm not playing a game."

I straightened my back and looked him dead in the eye. "I asked for a pen. Don't you want me to sign?"

The utter lack of emotion in my face made Lawrence frown.

He let out a harsh breath, pulled a sleek fountain pen from his breast pocket, and threw it at my feet. "Stop acting."

"If you sign this without making a scene, I'll have accounting wire a million dollars to your account, so you don't starve on the streets and embarrass us."

I bent down and picked up the pen.

Without a single word of protest, without even skimming the legal clauses, I flipped straight to the signature page and wrote my name in clear, elegant cursive.

I handed the papers back to Lawrence.

He didn't take them. He just stared at my face, a flicker of shock crossing his eyes.

"You don't want them? I'll leave them here then."

I placed the document gently on the table, then turned my gaze to Oliver.

"Dr. Harrington," I said, dropping the title of 'brother' entirely.

Oliver stiffened, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm not sick, but thank you for the clinical assessment," I said softly.

"Going forward, you should tell the chef to put less salt in your food. Your stomach has always been sensitive. If you keep eating like you do, you'll get ulcers."

I turned my eyes to Dylan.

"That slap just now clears whatever debt we had between us."

"All those embarrassing airport pickups and film-set visits that made you feel so ashamed? You don't have to worry about them anymore."

Finally, my gaze drifted past them, resting on Adrian and Tiffany.

Whether the intruder had actually pushed Tiffany tonight didn't matter to me anymore.

"Mr. Lockhart," I said, looking at his handsome, stony face. "I apologize for the last three years of desperate clawing. I won't cross your path again. Have a long, happy life together."

Saying all of this felt like it had drained the last reserves of my physical strength.

I turned on my heel and walked toward the grand entrance of the estate.

Behind me, the silence was absolute.

They were likely paralyzed by this unfamiliar, eerie calm.

As I reached the threshold, the heavy wooden doors swung open, letting in a gust of cold night wind. It was starting to drizzle.

I was wearing the intruder's favorite dressa cheap-looking, low-cut red gown that offered no warmth. The wind hit me, and a violent shiver ran through my bones.

"Summer!" Dylan's voice came from behind me, sharp and frantic. "If you walk out of those doors, don't you ever think about coming back!"

"Do you honestly think this reverse psychology is going to make us feel sorry for you? Dream on!"

I didn't look back.

I pushed through the heavy doors and stepped out into the rainy night.

The wind was howling now, and the cold rain instantly soaked through my hair. Before I could even make it down the grand stone steps, a dozen blinding flashlights cut through the darkness.

"She's out! Summer Harrington is coming out!"

"Block her! Don't let her run!"

A girl with short hair rushed to the front of the crowd, throwing a cup of ice-cold water directly onto my chest.

"We saw the group chat! You actually tried to drown Tiffany tonight!"

"You toxic, miserable bitch! Why don't you just die?!"

A crowd of young girls carrying light-up signs blocked the path down the steps.

The signs bore Dylan's name.

These were his fans.

Over the last three years, the entity in my body had constantly crashed his filming sets to gain attention, turning his fanbase into my fiercest enemies. The schedule of tonight's private gala was no secret, and they had clearly gathered here specifically to ambush me.

The freezing water soaked through my thin dress. As the wind blew, my teeth began to chatter.

According to the intruder's habits, she would have shrieked, covered her face, and run back inside to throw herself into Dylans or Lawrences arms, screaming for protection.

But I didn't hide, and I didn't cry. I just stood there, letting the rain wash over me.

Behind me, the heavy double doors clicked open again.

My three brothers, along with Adrian who was still sheltering Tiffany, walked out onto the landing.

Security guards immediately stepped forward, holding large black umbrellas to shield them from the elements.

They stood at the top of the grand steps, watching me get swarmed by the angry crowd in the freezing rain.

Dylan didn't try to stop his fans. Instead, he let out a bitter laugh.

"Summer, is this another one of your pathetic pity plays?"

"Did you choose the front exit on purpose just to rile up my fans so I'd feel bad for you?"

His eyes were filled with nothing but disgust.

"I'm telling you right now, even if they tear you apart tonight, I won't lift a finger to save you."

Lawrence adjusted his gold cufflinks, his voice matching the coldness of the rain. "Get her out of here. She's embarrassing the family just by standing there."

Oliver pushed his glasses up his nose, looking at my shivering, soaked figure. "You brought this on yourself."

As for Adrian, he didn't even look in my direction. His attention was entirely focused on Tiffany.

They were waiting.

They were waiting for me to break down under the weight of the crowd's insults, to weep and beg them to save me.

Suddenly, Tiffany pulled away from Adrian's chest and took a small step forward.

"Summer... the rain is so heavy. You'll get sick if you walk home like this."

She blinked her damp eyelashes, her eyes dropping to the glittering diamond necklace around my neck.

"Summer... that necklace is the coming-of-age gift Mom left for me before she died. If you're really leaving for good, could you please give it back?"

The crowd erupted instantly.

Several fans pointed directly at my face, shouting, "How shameless! Even after getting kicked out, she still stole Tiffany's inheritance!"

"She's a thief! Don't let her take Tiffanys things!"

Dylan's face turned livid, and he marched down the steps. "Summer, you really are a piece of trash! Stealing from Tiffany? Take it off. Right now!"

Lawrence's expression grew even colder. He turned to the security guards. "Go strip the necklace off her. If she resists, use force."

Adrian finally looked up, his eyes filled with mocking disdain.

"Summer, if you need money, I could have given you some. But resorting to theft is just pathetic."

Hearing his words, my heart didn't even flutter.

Before the soul-hijacker took over my body, Adrian and I actually had a real engagement.

Back then, he was cold to everyone else, but he saved every ounce of his warmth for me.

He had severe germaphobia and hated physical contact, yet during the freezing winter months, he would naturally take my cold hands and tuck them into his coat pockets to keep them warm.

He was a notorious workaholic, but when I once mentioned offhand that I wanted to see the ocean, he canceled a multi-billion-dollar merger without hesitation just to drive me to the coast overnight. He would frown and scold me for being reckless, all while wrapping his own heavy coat around my shoulders.

But over the last three years, the entity had ruined every memory of us.

She had drugged him, tried to climb into his bed, and acted like a hysterical, jealous lunatic in public. She didn't just throw my own dignity out the window; she systematically turned Adrian's deep affection for me into absolute disgust.

The only reason he was treating Tiffany so well now was because she reminded him of the quiet, gentle girl I used to be three years ago.

Looking at the deep contempt in his eyes, I felt nothing but exhaustion.

This necklace was indeed a maternal heirloombut it belonged to me. My mother had left it to me.

Yet, because the intruder had worn it every single day just to spite Tiffany, everyone in the family had somehow convinced themselves it belonged to her.

Under normal circumstances, the intruder would have screamed and fought to prove the necklace was hers.

But I didn't care to argue.

Explaining anything to these people was a waste of breath.

I reached behind my neck and unclipped the clasp.

"Click."

A triumphant smirk flashed across Tiffanys face, and she reached out eagerly. "Thank you, Sum"

I didn't hand it to her.

With a flick of my wrist, I tossed the diamond necklace directly into the muddy puddle at my feet.

Dirty water splashed up, staining the hem of Tiffany's pristine designer dress.

"Ah!" Tiffany shrieked, jumping back and bursting into tears.

"Summer, if you didn't want to give it back, you could have just said so! Why would you throw away Mom's memory like that?!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Adrian yelled, pulling Tiffany back under the umbrella and glaring at me with raw fury.

Dylan looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel. He rushed forward, raising his hand to strike me again. "You miserable bitch! I'll teach you"

I didn't flinch. I just stood there, staring directly at his raised hand.

"Go ahead," I said, my voice cutting through the rain. "Hit me. If that hand lands, tomorrow's front-page headline will read: "'Pop Icon Beats Defenseless Woman on the Street.'"

Dylan's hand froze mid-air.

He was shaking with rage, but he didn't dare let his hand fall.

I ignored him, turning my attention back to the rest of them.

Right there, in front of the cameras and the crowd, I unclipped my diamond earrings and unclasped my bracelet, letting them drop into the mud.

Finally, I bent down and slipped off my designer heelsthe ones that had rubbed my heels raw, leaving them slick with blood.

I stood barefoot in the cold rainwater, looking up at the figures on the stone steps.

"I am leaving nothing that belongs to the Harringtons. From this moment on, I have absolutely no relation to any of you, or the Lockharts."

I turned around.

The fans at the bottom of the steps seemed stunned by the cold, quiet intensity radiating from me.

Without anyone saying a word, the crowd parted, leaving a clear path through the dark street.

The rain poured over my face as I took my first steps into the night.

Behind me, Dylan's hand was still hanging in the air, his eyes slowly dropping to the pair of discarded high heels on the wet stone.

Suddenly, a cold chill ran down his spine.

The inner back of the heels was completely stained with deep crimson blood.

It wasn't just him. Every man standing on that landing was staring at that smear of red.

For the past three years, the "Summer" they knew would cry and scream for weeks if she so much as nicked her finger on a piece of paper, forcing everyone in the house to appease her.

But just now, with her feet rubbed raw and bleeding, she had walked barefoot onto the gravel-strewn pavement without even a flinch.

The behavior was unfamiliar, yet terrifyingly recognizable.

Because three years ago, before she "went mad," the real Summer Harrington had been exactly like this.

Tiffany sensed the sudden shift in the air.

Seeing the men stare intensely at the direction where Summer had disappeared, a flash of panic washed over her.

She quickly knelt down and scooped the muddy necklace out of the puddle.

"Brothers, please don't be mad at Summer," Tiffany said, holding the muddy jewelry in her hands with a fragile smile.

"She must have just been confused when she took it from my room. I told her I didn't mind, but she still has such a temper..."

She leaned instinctively back toward Adrian's chest.

In the past, Adrian would have immediately wrapped his arm around her.

But this time, Adrian didn't move. Instead, he took a step back, letting her lean into empty air.

Tiffany stumbled, looking up in disbelief. "Adrian...?"

Adrian stared at the muddy necklace in her hand, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

"Tiffany, you said she stole this from your room?"

Tiffany's heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to nod. "Y-yes, it's the coming-of-age gift my mother left for"

"You're lying."