Even in her wildest dreams, Holly never imagined that after giving so much of her blood to Stella over the years, not a single person would think to use Stella's to save her when her life was on the line.

Moreover, it was all Stella's fault that she got hit!

She had thought she saw everyone clearly by now and that no matter how they hurt her, it would never upset her.

Yet, as she heard their cold words, the pain struck her like a thousand arrows through her heart.

The unbearable pain that struck caused her to lose consciousness completely.

It wasn't until three days later that Holly regained consciousness. This time, she felt more exhausted than ever before.

The first person she saw after opening her eyes was none other than Oscar. It seemed he had stayed beside her bed for a long time, as there was a trace of weariness on his face.

When he saw her waking up, a soft smile lit up his cold face. "Holly, you're awake. Are you in pain anywhere? Do you feel like eating? The doctor said you lost a lot of blood and need to take it easy. Just tell me what you want to eat, okay?"

His concern made it hard to believe that he was the same person who had once coldly stopped Stella from donating her blood to Holly.

If Holly hadn't heard it with her own ears, she would still be oblivious, moved by his attentive care.

After Oscar left, she asked the nurse who was giving her an injection, "Who donated blood to me in the end?"

The nurse let out a sigh. After a long pause, she replied, "Well, your family was weird. We tried for ages to get them to let your sister donate, but they just wouldn't.

"Luckily, our hospital has the blood type on record. We managed to call back a doctor on leave, who also had the same rare blood type, to donate the blood and save your life."

The nurse then gave her a confused look. "Did they adopt you? The man who was taking care of you earlier. He's your brother-in-law, right?"

Holly froze, then let out a self-deprecating laugh. A lone tear silently slid down the corner of her eye.

During her entire stay in the hospital, her parents never came to see her once. Oscar was the only one taking care of her.

Holly knew this was the only way she'd give herself to him completely so that she would willingly continue being Stella's blood bank. Even so, he refused to make the act feel any more real.

At the hospital, Oscar was always distracted. He was either on the phone in the hallway, or he'd be staring at the screen with a faint smile.

She knew the person on the other end was Stella. He only ever wore that kind of smile around Stella.

On the day Holly was discharged, Oscar came as promised to take her home.

They were at the hospital entrance when he took a call. His expression changed instantly.

He was normally so unreadable, but now, his expression clearly showed fury.

His fingers gripped the phone so tightly they turned slightly pale. It was obvious he was struggling to tamp down his emotions.

"Holly, something urgent came up at work. Can you take a cab home by yourself?"

Holly nodded calmly, then told him to focus on his work and reassured him that he didn't need to worry about her.

Relieved, Oscar got into his car and sped away.

Watching his car fade out of sight, Holly smirked.

She knew why Oscar was angry, and she knew exactly what made him so desperately anxious now.

A moment ago, Stella had posted a photo of her and a handsome man on her social media.

The caption read, "A cute guy asked for my contact. Should I give it to him?"

Stella knew too well how to ignite a man's jealousy. In the past, Holly would also get jealous, but now, she remained calm.

There was something she had to do.

She pocketed her phone and hopped into a cab to head to the police station.

When Holly returned home from the police station, there was no one around.

She didn't think much and was about to head upstairs when footsteps sounded at the door.

When the door swung open, Frank and Mary stormed in. Behind them was Colin, holding Stella, who was shaking all over from crying.

Seeing Holly, Frank and Mary immediately flew into a fit of fury. "You crazy brat, what were you thinking? Were you the one who called the cops? Stella merely stepped on the accelerator accidentally. She didn't hit you on purpose.

"Why did you call the cops? Do you want her to get into prison?"

While comforting Stella, Colin didn't forget to lecture Holly, saying, "You only got injured a little, but do you realize how long Stella was lectured? If we hadn't signed the waiver, who knows how much she would have suffered?

"Stella's frail. Could you take responsibility if something were to happen to her?"

Yes, she got hurt a little, just barely skirting death, while Stella got lectured for hours.

Holly laughed bitterly with anger and gazed defiantly at her parents for the first time. "Yeah, it was me who called the cops. So what?"

She was usually so obedient that Frank and Mary couldn't tolerate her being openly defiant today. Without hesitation, they moved to strike.

"How dare you say that? I must teach you a lesson today!"

As soon as the words left their mouths, the bodyguards behind Holly stepped forward and tied her up with ropes.

Holly let them tie her up and was forced to kneel on the ground numbly, like a dead fish.

Frank picked up the whip and lashed it sharply against her. "Ungrateful child!"

Each strike of the whip left a bright red mark across her skin.

Once, twice, thrice…

She had lost count of how many lashes she'd taken, aware only of the sharp whoosh of the whip and Mary egging it on.

"Good, she needs to be taught a lesson. If we'd known, we wouldn't have her at all!"

Holly's body shuddered as she suddenly lifted her head, her eyes filled with blood and tears.

Seeing the utter despair in her eyes, Frank instinctively froze, the whip still in his hand.

Holly bit her lips until they turned pale. Every word she uttered spilled out through blood and tears, drenched in pain and despair.

"You don't want me as a daughter, but does that mean I want you as my parents? You brought me into this world and forced me to be Stella's blood bank. Did you ever stop to ask if I wanted it?

"All my life, I wore the clothes she didn't want and ate the food she refused. We share the same birthday, yet you never gave me a gift.

"Have you ever really seen me as your daughter? Do you know what I like to eat, what my favorite color is, what I'm allergic to, and what I'm scared of? If I could choose, I'd never want to be born. No one in this world loves me."

Everyone present froze. Hearing her voice out each of the past hurts aloud made their chests tighten in an unexpected, suffocating way.

When Oscar arrived at the Webster residence, he immediately saw Holly kneeling on the ground, covered in injuries.

When he heard her utter in despair that no one in this world loved her, his heart sank.

He stepped forward to help her up. "Holly, you have me. I love you…"

Holly flashed a half-smile and shook her head before turning to head inside.

Oscar was about to go after her, but Stella suddenly held her own head and collapsed backward.

"Mr. Moss, my head hurts…"

He faltered, then chose to head back to Stella.

This time, the wounds from the lashing left Holly bedridden for two whole days.

Only when her phone began to vibrate did she stir. A message from the staff had arrived, informing her that the island purchase procedures were complete. The secluded island, cut off from the outside world, now belonged to her.

Delighted, she immediately called the number.

The person on the other end asked her again to confirm, "Ms. Webster, are you sure you're coming to the island in three days?"

Holly had never been this determined. "Yes, I'm sure."

The staff replied, "Got it, Ms. Webster. We'll escort you to the island in three days."

The call had just ended when Oscar suddenly pushed the door and came in. "Going to what island?"

Holly pocketed her phone and changed the topic. "It's nothing. Mr. Moss, did you need something from me?"

He did not press further and simply said, "Your previous competition entry won an award. The organizer has invited you to attend the ceremony the day after tomorrow to receive it."

Had Oscar not brought it up, Holly would almost have forgotten about it. She could paint well and had secured a finalist spot in one of the country's most prestigious competitions just a month ago. She never expected that she would actually win.

On the day of the award ceremony, Stella dragged the family along and insisted on accompanying Holly to the venue.

"Holly, you're my sister. Of course we'll want to witness your moment of glory!"

Her tone then shifted. She let out a slightly regretful sigh. "I wish I could win something, too. My health has always been poor, so I never had the chance to learn painting. But it's fine! Your win is just like a win for me."

Holly said nothing, but a slight, ominous feeling rose in her heart.

The award ceremony began. Soon, it was time to announce the gold prize winner.

Holly sat in the audience, sweating nervously all over.

This award meant a lot to her. It was recognition of her work and affirmation from her peers in the industry.

The host pulled out the list of winners and suddenly looked puzzled. But just moments later, he regained his composure and announced, "Congratulations to the gold winner, Stella Webster!"

A murmur ran through the audience. No one had ever heard of that name, and they lowered their voices to whisper among themselves.

"Who's this Stella Webster? Is she new?"

"No idea. I was sure the gold prize was supposed to go to Holly Webster, the artist behind 'Sunset'!"

Holly froze. It took her some time before she regained her composure. She was about to get up to question the organizer when Colin pulled her back.

"Sit down. An hour ago, I contacted the organizers to switch the winner so Stella could go on stage. She enjoys the spotlight, so from now on, all your works will be published under her name."

Holly whipped her head around in disbelief, while Frank and Mary gazed at Stella on stage proudly. When their gaze fell on Holly, it was dismissive. "Don't take it to heart. It's just a prize."

Oscar's gaze was dark, and his attention was focused on Stella, who was glowing on stage. He didn't even notice Holly's pale face.

A chill ran through Holly's body.

Once again, Stella had stolen the spotlight that should have been hers. And the accomplices were all of them.

As everyone applauded, Stella thanked everyone except for Holly.

…

Back at the Webster residence, Holly returned to her room and packed up all her artwork.

And then, there were the dolls she had saved up three months of pocket money to buy, the handcrafted dolls she made alone in her room, and her worn-out clothes and dresses.

Then, she stormed into the living room and dumped everything in front of Stella.

Stella was understandably shocked. "Holly, what are you doing?"

Holly gestured at the items strewn across the floor and said evenly, "They told me to give you all my artwork, right? Well, not just that. You get everything I own."

After speaking, she glanced at everyone around her and smiled bitterly.

Stella could have their parents, Colin, and Oscar, too. Holly no longer wanted them.