Chapter 3

That night my wounds became infected and my fever spiked to nearly 104 degrees.

I went to find the doctor alone. Paid the bills alone.

Behind me, nurses whispered:

"Vanessa only has superficial injuries, but her boyfriend moved her to a VIP room. That woman's in this condition and she's all alone."

I gave a self-mocking smile and turned around.

Adrian came toward me and slapped me across the face.

"Lydia, you've gone too far!"

"Who told you to use my credit card? Vanessa will find out who you are!"

"I've made myself very clear—I'm definitely going to end things with her. I just need time. I've already done this much. What more do you want?"

My already weak body swayed.

The burning handprint made my eyes turn red.

Only then did Adrian soften his tone and pull me into his arms. "I'm the only person in this world who truly loves you. You should be able to feel that."

"As long as you're willing to wait, I'll definitely come back to our family completely."

When I was an orphan everyone looked down on, and Adrian proposed on one knee, I thought I was the luckiest woman in the world.

People in our circle couldn't believe it. They often remarked:

"You're so lucky!"

I'd been drowning in that love, unable to pull myself out.

Until...

When Vanessa threw tantrums, he openly used videos of me being bullied to amuse her, leaving me ostracized by the wealthy wives.

For one phone call from Vanessa, he abandoned me in the middle of nowhere to walk home, where I nearly got mauled by wild animals.

Later it escalated. He let Vanessa call me in the middle of the night, playing sounds of them having sex, which caused me to miscarry the baby I'd just conceived.

Then he turned around and blamed me for being petty, for not being able to keep a child.

My face felt frozen, and I was drenched in sweat from the pain.

Adrian pressed his car keys into my palm.

"Vanessa can't recover peacefully with you here. Check yourself out immediately."

My whole body was burning up, and my vision kept going dark.

But I still murmured my agreement.

Adrian's expression grew complicated.

Just then, I got a call from Margaret Collins, the orphanage director.

Hearing she'd had a heart attack, I stumbled upstairs.

Margaret's face had turned purple, and she was struggling to breathe.

As the doctor worked on her, he explained:

"A young woman came over and argued with her, even hit the old lady and said terrible things!"

My pupils constricted instantly.

For someone like me with no parents, Margaret wasn't just like family—she was better than family.

I turned around shakily. Vanessa threw herself into Adrian's arms, crying pitifully:

"That old woman called me a homewrecker. I only tried to explain, and she fell down trying to frame me..."

Rage surged through me. "You're lying!"

Vanessa glanced at me and revealed several crude pinch marks on her body, crying louder.

Meanwhile, Margaret's exposed skin was covered in scratches from fingernails and obvious bruises.

Seeing Vanessa's secretly taunting expression, I couldn't hold back and slapped her across the face.

But the next second, an even harder slap landed on my face.