Daisy turned her head, her gaze locking with Heather’s, which radiated pure malice. "You really are impossible to get rid of. Even a fire like that couldn’t finish you off."

Heather chuckled, a smug grin spreading across her face. She produced a mirror, holding it up with a gleam in her eyes. "But once you see what you look like now, you might just wish you hadn’t survived."

Daisy’s heart sank as her eyes met the reflection.

Her skin had been scorched from the left side of her forehead to the corner of her eye, a cruel reminder of the flames.

Daisy’s pupils contracted involuntarily.

The satisfaction in Heather’s eyes was palpable, almost overflowing.

To a woman, having her face marred like this was more tormenting than death itself.

Heather leaned in closer to Daisy, a hint of feigned sympathy in her eyes. "Do you think Desmond will still want you after this?"

But the breakdown she had anticipated never came. Instead, Daisy stayed eerily calm. Heather’s eyes narrowed and with an immediate motion, she shoved a scalpel into Daisy’s hand, slashing her own face in one clean stroke.

Before Daisy could process what was happening, Heather let out a piercing scream. "Ah! Sister, don’t!"

In that instant, Desmond appeared at the door.

Heather wasted no time, rushing into his arms with dramatic sobs. "Desmond!"

Desmond froze, his brow furrowing. "What happened?"

Heather trembled in his arms, her voice shaky. "She... she tried to destroy my face."

Seeing the blood running down Heather’s face, Desmond’s eyes hardened in anger.

His gaze snapped toward Daisy, sharp and accusing.

Their gazes locked and Daisy, her expression unreadable, reached for the scalpel that had fallen beside the bed. Without a second’s hesitation, she flung it toward Heather.

The scalpel flew through the air like an arrow aimed directly at Heather. Her eyes widened in terror and she screamed.

Desmond hadn’t expected Daisy to attack, especially not in front of him. Panicking, he raised his arm instinctively, the blade slicing a deep gash into his forearm.

"Desmond!" Heather cried, grabbing his arm, her face painted with concern.

Desmond’s eyes were filled with sorrowful disappointment.

"You used to say we wronged you and favored Heather," he said, his voice cold as ice. "What do you have to say for yourself now?"

Daisy had no intention of justifying herself. Her brush with death had sharpened her view of the world. She looked at the two of them, her eyes icy with disdain.

"Didn’t she say I wanted to ruin her face?"

"Not following through would make me as false as her accusations."

"Daisy!" Desmond’s voice grew colder still, his eyes narrowing as if he had never seen her before.

The parents rushed in, their faces a mix of concern and disbelief. They could hardly recognize their daughter anymore.

Heather’s voice was weak, almost pleading. "Sister, I know you’re upset because Desmond saved me last night instead of you."

"I should’ve been the one disfigured. Forget about me taking the knife from you; if it makes you stop resenting him, I’ll do anything you ask."

At this, Desmond’s brow furrowed, his expression darkening. "You ran into the garage to save her. If anyone should’ve been saved first, it’s you. Besides, who I save is my choice and no one has the right to question that, especially not someone who resorts to violence!"

By the time he finished, his voice had turned as cold as ice, cutting through the tension like a blade.

Daisy remained unfazed, her composure never once slipping.

No number of justifications or excuses could change one simple truth and he didn’t care.

Once Daisy understood that, everything else felt utterly meaningless. When she heard Heather’s words, she couldn't help but smile, a quiet expression that seemed out of place. "I don’t blame you," she said softly, as if at peace. "In fact, I should thank you."

Thank you for showing me just how fragile hearts can be.

The room fell silent, everyone struck by her unexpected calm.

"I don’t think she’s learned anything," Samuel said with a sharp edge in his voice. "From now on, you’ll stay in this room and think about your actions. You won’t take a single step outside!"

With that, they all left, carefully escorting Heather away.

Samuel left two bodyguards to keep watch over Daisy. Once the door to the hospital room clicked shut, she reached for her phone and contacted another hospital.

The one she was currently in was managed by the Thomas Family and she had no intention of staying tied to them or her biased parents any longer.

After securing her transfer, she changed out of her hospital gown, waiting for the bodyguards to leave for their meal break before slipping away unnoticed.

But as she rounded a corner in the corridor, the voices of her father and Heather reached her ears.

Daisy paused mid-step.

"Heather, you acted too hastily! Hiring someone to start that fire will be easy to trace. Thankfully, I stopped Desmond from digging deeper. If they find out who’s behind this, I won’t be able to protect you. Don’t make such reckless moves again."

“Hah! It’s because you’re too useless! You promised my mom you’d give me everything from the Johnson Family. And now? Are you hesitating because you still can’t let go of your precious daughter? Don’t forget, I’m your biological daughter too!”

“Let go? If I truly couldn’t let go, would I have personally planned that car accident five years ago? Heather, you need to understand that I’ve always loved you and your mother.”

A smug chuckle drifted from around the corner. “And Desmond, too. I want him and I want the Thomas Family behind him.”

The words hit Daisy like a lightning strike, the shock nearly paralyzing her.

Her blood seemed to freeze in her veins. The truth was too much to bear.

Daisy stumbled back, her nails digging deep into her palms. She felt as though she were turning to stone; her only movement was the tremble in her eyes.

Her father had been behind the plot to kill her. And Heather... she was his illegitimate daughter?

In that moment, Daisy saw her father for who he truly was, not the upright man she had believed him to be.

A cold gust of air swept through the hallway, snapping Daisy back to reality.

Without another thought, she rushed home.

When she arrived, both her mother and Desmond looked up in surprise at her sudden appearance.

Her mother’s face darkened in an instant. “Why are you back?”

Desmond’s brow furrowed, confusion and concern flickering in his eyes.

Daisy gripped her mother’s hand tightly, her voice trembling with the weight of her words. “Mom, Desmond…”

“I overheard a conversation between Dad and Heather. The car accident from five years ago, Dad planned it. And Heather… she’s his illegitimate daughter!”

Both her mother's and Desmond’s faces drained of color, their expressions twisted in shock.

“Are you sure?” her mother asked.

Daisy nodded, the truth stinging her heart. No matter how broken she felt, her instinct was to warn them, to keep them from being blinded by lies.

But before she could speak further, Heather’s voice rang out from behind her, filled with feigned innocence.

“Sister?”

Daisy’s heart clenched painfully in her chest. Slowly, she turned, facing the two people who had once been her entire world: her father and Heather.

Heather’s eyes filled with disbelief, tears welling as if her heart had been shattered beyond repair.

“I never imagined you’d fabricate such lies. Has Dad’s love for you not been enough? Even a tiger wouldn’t harm its own cub; how could Dad ever hurt you?”

“And as for me… I know I was brought into the Johnson Family as your stand-in simply because I resemble you. If it weren’t for this face, I’d never have been loved by a father, mother and brother who cared for me so much.”

“But just because I look like you, you think it’s fair to tarnish my name like this?”

At her words, Hannah, who had wavered in suspicion, pushed all doubts aside, immediately rushing to Heather’s side. “Of course not. Mom has never once doubted you or your father.”

Desmond turned his cold gaze to Daisy. “Is this your childish attempt to cause a rift between us all?”

It was as if a freezing wave of water had crashed over Daisy.

Her lips parted in shock, but after a moment’s pause, she realized returning had been a mistake.

She should have never meddled.

In the end, a self-deprecating smile curled on Daisy’s lips as she turned toward the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” her father’s voice, cold and seething with silent fury, stopped her in her tracks.

Taking a deep breath, Daisy spoke the words she had long steeled herself to say: “I’m cutting ties with the Johnson Family. I’m leaving.”

A collective shift in the room was palpable.

“Don’t even think about it!” her father growled. “If I have to beat you into submission today, I won’t let you disgrace the Johnson Family outside! Someone, bring the whip!”

A servant hurried forward with a horsewhip, the cold crack of leather snapping through the air.

Daisy was forcefully pinned to the ground and the whip lashed down, searing through her skin and leaving a trail of blood on her back. But the pain was nothing compared to the humiliation that gripped her.

Yet this scene of cruelty unfolded with no one stepping in to stop it. All eyes remained icy and indifferent.

By the end, her back was a mangled mess of raw flesh and she collapsed, her body succumbing to the excruciating agony.

How much time had passed, she wasn’t sure, but the cold air brought her back to consciousness.

Opening her eyes, Daisy saw Desmond sitting by her bed, his hands gentle as he applied medicine to her wounds.

In the dim light, his features were soft, calm and refined, but Daisy recoiled from his touch.

Desmond glanced up at her. “Does it hurt?”

Daisy remained silent.

Desmond reached out, brushing aside the strands of hair that had fallen over Daisy’s ear. "Daisy, there's only so much one can take. If you push too far, all you're doing is digging your own grave, don't you think?"

Daisy remained silent, her gaze distant, as though she could no longer bear to look at him.

She used to argue and push back because she still harbored some flicker of hope and some expectation for these people.

But now, those feelings had turned to ash. She no longer cared for their words, their lies.

Desmond had planned to speak with her and try to reason with Daisy. He wanted to tell her that if she continued down this path, her bitterness would only consume her.

He wanted to say that, despite the scars that marred her face, he would still see her for who she truly was. He wished she could return to the carefree, kind-hearted girl she once was.

He wanted to explain that Heather had feelings for him, that she had fallen into a dark place when he didn’t return them, but that he had always seen her as a sister.

Once Heather was well again, Desmond intended to marry her.

But Daisy remained as cold and distant as ever, her walls firmly in place.

"Don’t shut me out, Daisy!" Desmond's voice grew sharp, tinged with frustration.

Just as Desmond’s patience was about to snap, Heather entered the room. "Desmond, let me speak with my sister. The conflict between the two of you is all because of me. If we clear the air, things will be easier to fix."

Desmond paused, contemplating her words. After a moment, he conceded, realizing that her suggestion wasn’t entirely without merit. However, a lingering hesitation gnawed at him; he worried Daisy might lash out again.

"Don’t worry," Heather reassured him, "she’s been beaten to the point of exhaustion. What strength does she have left to hurt me?"

Once Desmond left, Heather wiped away her crocodile tears and turned to Daisy with a sinister smile. "I didn’t expect you to overhear the conversation between Dad and me."

"Surprised, aren’t you? Your real father actually wants you dead."

"I was just trying to figure out how to replace you when Desmond came to me. And now, he’s chosen me over you time and time again."

"Your mom is even more pathetic, favoring the daughter of the mistress over her own flesh and blood."

Heather’s fingers grazed the burn scars on Daisy’s face as she sighed. "I almost feel sorry for you."

"How about I help end your misery?"

Daisy’s instincts screamed in warning. "What are you doing?"

"I heard you have blood clots in your brain. One wrong move and you’ll be a vegetable again," Heather said, dragging Daisy toward the stairs.

Daisy realized what was happening, but she didn’t have the strength to resist.

Helplessly, she watched as Heather forced her down the stairs.

A deafening crash echoed through the stairwell.

Daisy’s head slammed against the floor and for a few moments, she was enveloped in a haze of nothingness, just like the lifeless state she had once known.