Maria was standing by the side of the road, gazing up at the sky.
The sunlight was descending harshly from above, striking her eyes. It was glaring, making her slightly uncomfortable.
"You wretched woman. How does it feel now? There's never been a place for you in Kelvin’s eyes. No matter how much you give, you're nothing more than trash to him." Her sister, Jenny was laughing triumphantly.
Clinging onto her arm was Kelvin. The two of them were looking at each other flirtatiously. A true golden couple, stirring up envy in others.
"Alright, Jenny, let's get going…" Kelvin, standing next to them, frowned a bit, an expression of impatience flashing across his handsome face.
Seeing Maria's somber expression, he felt a strange twinge in his heart. To get rid of such feelings, he wanted to move away quickly.
"Mm. Kelvin. We should really go now," Bai Jenny sweetly smiled at Kelvin, then gave Maria a fierce glare as she turned to leave.
Humph! Maria! No matter if you're the pampered daughter of our faher; even though I'm an illegitimate daughter—I am still a hundred times better than you. You adore Kelvin, don't you? Have you been longing to marry him?
I’m taking everything that's yours! Do you see? I have already succeeded! In Kelvin's eyes, you are just a dull and weak girl.
Even if you're the legitimate heir of the Alejandro family…even if you think you're smart— I have won.
You will always be under my foot!
Her sister thought all these in her mind, happily
…
Watching Jenny and Kelvin sweetly leave hand in hand, Maria's heart bled.
Kelvin had been the object of her affection ever since middle school. He'd once told her she was the most beautiful princess, the gem of the Alejandro family, and the starlight in his eyes.
So, she had grown to love everything about him, secretly adoring him for nearly four years. Her father, Mr. Alejandro, having learned about Maria's feelings, had arranged for them to meet early on.
Though there were many interests involved and she was engaged since childhood, she didn't care about creating a rift between her family and her fiance's family, as all she wanted was to marry Kelvin.
She had always believed that she would become his bride, grow old with him, have a handsome child like him, and watch the child grow up together.
But after what happened, everything turned into a mirage…
She couldn't forget how her own sister, Jenny, flaunted her relationship with Kelvin.
She couldn't forget that she had chosen to trust Kelvin, but then somehow witnessed them having sex…
Even more unforgettable was the fact that after all she caught them, Kelvin had remained expressionless, coldly asking her to leave, and then tenderly helped Jenny get dressed!
In that moment, her chest felt as if it was being pierced by needles, an unbearable pain.
Unfortunately, the man she had loved for so many years didn't feel anything at all.
Maria clenched her fists, slowly closing her eyes. Her heart shattered into many pieces at this very moment.
The smartwatch on her wrist started to ring. Maria, momentarily startled, answered the call.
“Maria, where are you?” The voice coming from the other end was unbelievably icy. If she hadn't recognized that voice and the familiar yet stern face displayed on her watch, she would never have believed it was her father.
Her father would never be so callous on the phone but now, his voice sounded like she was a stranger.
“Dad…” Regardless if Mr. Alejandro’s expression was truly apathetic, simply thinking of her parents made Maria unable to suppress the urge to cry. She wanted to express this feeling of unfairness to her parents.
“Don't call me your father, I don't have a daughter like you! From now on don't even think about stepping through the doors of the Alejandro Villa. Our familia doesn’t need a disgrace like you, Maria!” Mr. Alejandro's voice grew harsher. “Go check the news! You have disgraced the Alejandro family!”
An ominous feeling spread across Maria's face. What did her father mean by his words?
She took a couple of steps forward, randomly clicked on a news notification from her smartwatch, instantly revealing the most recent morning news on a virtual screen for her.
And with just a mere glance, she saw a large photo on the main page. It wasn't someone else, but a photo of her being abducted when she was fourteen and in ninth grade!
The frail little girl in the photo was dressed only in a thin school uniform. Her arms and legs were covered in marks from being tied tightly with a rope, showing signs of brutal beatings, with bruises and contusions all over.
A pair of eyes in the darkness were vacant and devoid of life, with the corners of her mouth still bloodstained.
Maria covered her mouth, unable to believe what she was seeing.
How could this picture have surfaced at this point?
The events from when she was fourteen represented a memory so deep in her mind.
It was too painful so she didn't dare to recall it.
But now…
She had been exposed.
