Although I was an orphan, I was adopted by the Phillips family and pampered for over a decade.

I had the best of everything.

But now, my face was sallow, my eyes were dull, and I was wearing ill-fitting old clothes. I was so thin that a gust of wind could blow me away.

My right leg was also crippled.

"Miss, what kind of suffering have you endured these past three years? Mr. Phillips shouldn't have been so heartless back then," Thomas said, choking up.

"You were such a good child... It's such a sin.

"It was just because you liked someone..."

Yes, it was just because I liked someone.

How could that be so unforgivable?

The car arrived at the Phillips residence.

Looking at the large villa in front of me, I felt an unreal sense of having escaped from hell.

I nervously smoothed out the wrinkled old clothes I was wearing and followed Thomas into the villa.

My adoptive parents were seated on the sofa. Their scrutinizing gaze made me uncontrollably nervous.

Somehow, my knees buckled, and I knelt on the ground.

The dull thud startled the servants of the Phillips family, who all looked toward me.

I bowed my head to the ground. "I know I was wrong. I won't have improper thoughts anymore. Please, don't send me away again."

Gianna nodded in satisfaction when she saw me like this.

"You've become much more obedient than before. As long as you behave from now on, you can still be Ms. Phillips."

At that moment, footsteps could be heard.

Dylan's tall figure appeared in the living room.

The moment I saw him, the nightmares I had experienced all flooded back into my mind.

Three years ago, at my 20th birthday party, my secret crush on my adoptive brother was exposed in front of everyone.

The once-envied lady of the Phillips family instantly became a shameless disgrace.

Dylan looked at me as if I were something filthy.

He said, "Chloe, I've always thought of you as a sister, but you had such filthy thoughts about me. You disgust me.

"You don't deserve to carry the Phillips surname anymore!"

He changed my name back to Chloe Morgan and had the bodyguards throw me back to the remote village where I was born.

He loathed me so much. If he knew that I was no longer pure, he would probably wish for me to die in Roberts Village to avoid tarnishing the Phillips family's reputation.

I hurriedly lowered my head. "Mr. Phillips, I know I was wrong. I won't dare do it again. Please don't send me back..."

"Enough, get up!"

Dylan's voice was cold. It seemed mixed with anger.

"Is kneeling the only thing you know how to do now when you see people? Chloe, where's your self-respect?"

Wasn't it he who crushed my self-respect with his own hands?

In the past, the Phillips family cherished me. Dylan never let me suffer the slightest grievance.

One time, he got drunk, and I went to the bar to pick him up. A rich kid mistook me for a bar girl and just grabbed my hand. Dylan beat him until his face was covered in blood.

In the end, he pressed the guy's head down and forced him to kneel and apologize to me. That's how the matter was settled.

When word got out, everyone envied me, the beloved princess of the Phillips family.

Back then, I was proud. I never bowed my head to anyone.

But now, there's no more princess of the Phillips family. There's only the orphaned girl of the Morgan family.

I cowered in silence.

Dylan stood in front of me for a long time.

Finally, he let out a cold laugh.

"It seems you've made quite some progress these three years. You've even learned how to play the victim.

"If you want to kneel, then kneel. Let's see how long you can keep it up."

Of course, Gianna couldn't let me kneel there forever. She tried to smooth things over and help me up.

I flinched.

In Roberts Village these past three years, countless hands have torn at my body.

Any touch from someone else filled me with fear.

Gianna's hand froze in mid-air.

After a moment, she looked at my pale face. She was in disbelief.

"Chloe, why have you lost so much weight? Did they not treat you well?"

Dylan looked at me coldly and said, "Mom, you're overthinking it. They're Chloe's relatives. How could they treat her badly? She probably threw tantrums, refusing to eat this or that, and that's why she's like this."

I lowered my eyes and didn't say anything.

I got up awkwardly.

Dragging my heavy right leg, I limped toward the stairs. I saw the shock in Dylan's eyes.

Gianna exclaimed, "Chloe, what happened to your leg?"

Dylan looked at me intently as if waiting for an answer.

I felt bitter inside. Don't they know better than anyone what happened to my leg?

Over the past three years, I refused to endure the torment from my aunt's family. I tried to escape time and again.

But every time, I was caught and brought back.

The villagers were their eyes and ears.

My last attempt to escape completely enraged my cousin.

He took out a belt and beat me until my skin was torn and bleeding. He shouted, "Don't you get it? The Phillips family has long abandoned you. Even if you manage to escape, they'll just send you back.

"It was their idea to cripple your leg, so you wouldn't run back and embarrass them."

A brick came crashing down, breaking my right leg.

If they didn't still need me to do hard labor, I would've lost the other leg too.

I didn't know why they were pretending to be clueless.

I really didn't want to go back to that nightmare of a place.

I cooperated and shook my head. "It's fine. It's just a minor injury."

Compared to staying alive, losing a leg is nothing.

That night, I had just finished bathing when there was a sudden knock on the door.

I tensed up immediately.

I was terrified that the door would burst open any second and a few leering men would barge in.

"Chloe, open the door."

Dylan's tone grew impatient.

I quickly grabbed a blanket and wrapped it tightly around myself.

I opened the door and immediately apologized, "I'm sorry. I was in the shower and didn't hear you. Please don't be mad. Don't make me leave."

Dylan's face darkened instantly.

"From now on, you're still the lady of the Phillips family. No one will kick you out again."

I thought I saw a flicker of pity in his eyes.

I must have been mistaken. How could he possibly pity me?

If he hadn't given his approval to my aunt and cousin, how else could I have endured three years of living hell?

Dylan handed me a paper bag.

"In two days, it's Dad's birthday banquet. Mind your manners."

Inside the bag, there was a brand-new evening dress, a pair of matching high heels, and a tube of ointment for injuries.

Seeing these items, a wave of bitterness surged in my heart.

He knew my leg was crippled, yet he still sent high heels and medicine. Was he trying to humiliate me?

Or did he think I wasn't miserable enough yet?