The Unwanted Daughter: When Love Comes Too Late Chapter 280: A Promise Remembered

Tracy's tense body finally relaxed. She pressed her lips together and whispered, "She died for me."

For someone like her—useless, powerless, nothing but a burden—to survive while Yvonne gave up her life, it was unbearable.

If Derek and the others had risked everything to lift her out of that hell, then Yvonne had been the first to reach into the darkness and pull her up.

Tracy would never forget the sight of Yvonne dying right in front of her.

That was the reason she had found the strength to stand up and fight back against the academy.

The car fell into a heavy silence. The air felt heavy.

Finally, Ivy spoke, her voice cutting through the stillness. "Where was Yvonne all those years she was missing? Was it because Simon betrayed her? Who was the employer that took her away?"

She had carried those questions for years, digging and searching, refusing to give up.

But Tracy couldn't answer the first one.

She couldn't let Ivy know the entire truth about the academy.

All she could say was, "Simon sold her out. The man who bought her wanted to break her, but she refused to submit. So, he locked her up and trained her into obedience. That's when I met her. She told me, "That man was Shawn Sander from Cloudville."

The Sanders family wasn't one of the city's most powerful clans, but they had clawed their way up through crime and corruption. By now, they had connections everywhere—both legal and illegal. Nobody crossed them lightly.

Ivy froze. She had never known who that employer was.

For years, she had stayed close to Simon, biding her time, waiting to learn the truth.

But Simon, terrified his men would discover how easily he could betray them, had erased all records of what happened. That was why she'd never found out.

Now she finally had her answer. Years of bottled-up hatred threatened to explode, her rage almost slipping past her control.

She shoved a folder into Tracy's arms and warned, "Simon's after you. Be careful."

Then she yanked the car door open, ready to leave.

She was going after Shawn.

Ivy had endured all these years for one reason—revenge.

Tracy instantly guessed her plan and scrambled out of the car to stop her.

"Wait!" She grabbed Ivy's arm. "You're going to avenge Yvonne, aren't you?"

Ivy's expression was sharp and cold, her face pale but steady. The breakdown from moments ago was gone.

Though she was grateful for the news Tracy had given her, that didn't mean she would allow Tracy to interfere in her choices.

"This is my business. It has nothing to do with you."

She tried to pull her hand free, but Tracy only held tighter.

"Maybe it's not my business," Tracy said firmly, "but I promised Yvonne I'd watch over you—that I'd make sure you could live the rest of your life in peace. The only thing she couldn't let go of before she died ... was you."

Simon and the Sanders were far too powerful, and even with everything Tracy had, taking them on wouldn't be easy. For Ivy, standing alone, it was nearly impossible.

If Yvonne knew her sister was throwing away her life for revenge, she would never rest, even in death.

Ivy's icy facade finally cracked.. Her eyes grew red, her fists clenched tight, and her whole body shook.

She didn't even know if it was from anger or grief.

"But Yvonne's gone ... " Her voice was hoarse. "If I pretend not to know who killed her, just so I can live comfortably, I'll never find peace for the rest of my days."

She feared that if she really chose to drift through the rest of her life, someday she would die with shame, unable to face Yvonne on the other side.

Tracy hadn't spent much time with Ivy, but she could tell—she was stubborn, just like Yvonne.

Once she set her mind on something, she never backed down.

After a long silence, Tracy released her grip. "If you want revenge, I won't stop you. But first, you have to come with me."

She led Ivy to a cemetery.

They stopped in front of a blank grave marker. "This one is for Yvonne," Tracy said quietly. "She left nothing behind. No ashes, no remains. So the grave is empty.

"I planned to wait until I found you so we could fulfill her last wish together before engraving her name. But now, I think it's more fitting for you to do it. You're her sister. Her only family."

Ivy's fists trembled as she stared at the nameless stone. "How can there be nothing? When someone dies, there should at least be ashes. How can there be nothing at all?"

Tracy's gaze shifted across the other headstones. "None of the graves here hold remains. They're all empty. Each of them entrusted me with their final wish. Only when I fulfill it do I carve their names. That's my promise to them."

She turned back to Ivy. "Do you know what Yvonne's last words to me were?"