I simply watched Maximus and Lalaina seated on the couch while I felt like a ghost standing by the door, invisible to them despite witnessing their betrayal.

I'm used to being treated this way, but it still hurts knowing he replaced me with my stepsister.

"Does your foot still hurt?" I heard Maximus ask as he massaged her foot.

"Yes, Max. My whole body hurts. I badly need a massage," Lalaina said flirtatiously.

As I observed them, painful memories flooded my mind—recollections that still haunted me to this day.

When I gave birth to Stacey, I took care of our daughter all by myself. There were days when I was so sick, yet Max didn’t even bother to check on me. He just left me there, ill; I nearly died when he refused to buy my medicine.

Luckily, I survived those storms. My daughter became my strength. I stood on my own feet and saved myself. I never depended on Max again because I realized he didn’t care about me.

He showed more concern for my stepsister, Lalaina, reminding me constantly how much more important she was to him.

Even on his own daughter's birthday, he couldn't spare the time to celebrate, let alone give her a gift. But when it came to Lalaina, he showered her with everything as if he'd plucked the moon from the sky for her.

Well, Lalaina was right—Max never loved me or my daughter, and I accepted that. I didn’t want to force myself on him anymore.

I felt resolved, ready to take my luggage and leave, but I paused when I heard Lalaina speak about me.

"Max, your wife is always jealous of me. Can’t you see? She’s so obsessed and wants to control your feelings. Now, she’s using her daughter to play with us. She even poisoned Stacey," Lalaina muttered.

My blood boiled again, and my feet propelled me toward them. "How shameless of you to say such nasty things about me, Lalaina?"

This woman knew how to get under my skin.

"Oh? You’re still here, Carrie?" Lalaina looked at me with disdain. "Well, I know you know what I’m talking about. I saw you putting something in your daughter’s food. You plan to make her sick so you can get Maximus's attention." She accused.

I blinked in disbelief at her outrageous lies. "What the hell?!"

"Is that true, Carrie?" Max's gaze turned to me, his anger evident. "Did you do that to my daughter??"

"And you believe her lies?! Come on, Max! Why would I do that to my daughter? I’m not insane!" I retorted.

I watched as Lalaina tightly grasped Max's hand. "Max, I saw it! I wanted to tell you, but I was scared. Carrie poisoned Stacey!"

"I'm amazed, Lalaina. So, you're the storyteller in this little drama and I'm the villain?!" I started, barely holding back my urge to slap her.

Lalaina put on a show, hiding behind Max as if she were a frightened cat. "Look, she has murderous intent in her eyes. She's unwell, Max. You have to believe me."

“Unwell? I don’t think so. I’m in the right state of mind. What about you? Who in their right mind would steal their sister's husband?”

"Carrie, she has no reason to lie, but I know you’re a great liar. You know how to twist your words," Max grunted.

I caught Lalaina smirking from behind him, her satisfaction palpable. "See? You always play the victim card, but now you’re caught!"

In a fit of anger, I lunged at her and slapped her hard across the face.

Lalaina squealed in shock, dramatically collapsing into Max’s arms like a damsel in distress.

"Max! She hit me!" Lalaina cried, voice trembling.

Maximus shot me a sharp glare, and I didn’t anticipate what he would do next. He turned to me and slapped me twice—his strikes harder than mine, sending me crashing to the ground as I felt blood trickle from my nose.

"How dare you hit Lalaina?! She’s your stepsister, and you hurt her, huh? You just showed me your true colors!" he shouted, towering over me.

I was terrified of Max, knowing he would protect Lalaina and do anything to get revenge for her. I glanced back at Lalaina's face, one filled with satisfaction at having witnessed his reaction toward me.

I wanted to rush at her again to make her feel my pain, but I forced myself to stay calm.

"True colors? Are you blind, Max? Can’t you see who the real evil person is in this room? Or do you get along because you’re both evil?" I mumbled.

"Enough, Carrie! Don’t force me to punish you!" Max yelled.

"I’m not the one causing trouble here, Max. Lalaina is the real destroyer—a homewrecker. But you just let her ruin our family! Don’t worry. I’m letting you be with her, and I don’t care what you two do anymore!"

Slowly, I began to stand and make my exit, but Max grabbed my arm again.

"You can’t leave without apologizing to Lalaina!" he commanded.

I couldn’t help but let out a sarcastic laugh. "No way! I would never apologize. I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just giving her a taste of her own medicine!" I insisted.

Suddenly, Max yanked me forward and pushed me down in front of Lalaina. He forced me to kneel, and I stumbled to the ground.

"Do it now! Don’t make me lose my patience!" he grunted, forcefully yanking me down.

I looked up at Lalaina, who was grinning. "Apologize to me, Carrie." She demanded.

"You don't deserve my apology, Lalaina. I would never apologize to a snake like you!" I spat, the words burning my throat.

Their faces were a mix of disbelief and anger. They could try to force an apology out of me, but I wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

Max, ever the hothead, was about to slap me again, but Lalaina stopped him. "I'll let this slide, Max. I think we need to give her time to grieve and reflect on what she did to Stacey." Her voice was laced with a fake sadness that made my stomach churn.

Max furrowed his brow. "No, she hurt you, and I won't let her do to you what she did to Stacey."

"It's okay, Max. I know you want to protect me, but I'll be fine. I just don't understand why Carrie treats me like I'm not her sister." Carrie's voice cracked, and she looked at Max with a watery-eyed, dramatic plea.

I couldn't help but clap internally at her performance. It was so convincing, so believable. All this time, she'd been putting on a show, and Maximus, my husband, had fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.

Max wiped away a tear, then turned to me, his eyes filled with a righteous fury. "You're a monster, Carrie. You hurt my daughter, and now you hurt Lalaina? I won't forgive you!"

Monster? He called me a monster after I showed him kindness despite his constant abuse.

"And what? You call her an angel? Well, Maximus, she's an evil in disguise, and she played you well. You're being her puppet now." I sneered.

Lalaina shook her head, her eyes wide and innocent. "Carrie, don't slander me. I'm not like you, a clown. I've done nothing wrong to you. I want to be close to you, but you keep pushing me away."

I'd tried to warn Max about Lalaina, to tell him she was a manipulator, but he wouldn't listen. I wasn't going to repeat myself a hundred times if he wasn't going to open his eyes.

Now, she had him wrapped around her finger, and there was no point in trying to convince him otherwise.

"I'm out of this. I don't want to play your dirty games, Lalaina. You've won, so get your prize." I said sarcastically, my eyes fixed on Max.

"And Max, believe what you want to believe, but I'm not going to waste any more time trying to prove myself to you."

Max frowned. "What about Stacey? Did she die? I need an explanation!"

I reached into my luggage and pulled out Stacey's death certificate. I needed him to see the proof, to finally understand that our daughter was gone.

I handed it to him, and his face went pale as he read Stacey's name and the cause of death.

"Why didn't you call me?" he demanded, his voice laced with anger.

I opened my phone and showed him the call history. "I called you countless times, Max, but you never answered."

Max was speechless, his lips sealed as if by a zipper, while Lalaina hung her head, avoiding my gaze.

"That's it, Maximus. While you were frolicking on the beach with Lalaina, our daughter was fighting for her life in the hospital. If you only knew how hard she fought, how she waited for you at the festival, but you never came. She grew weaker and weaker because you weren't there." Tears streamed down my face.

My voice choked with emotion every time I thought of Stacey's face. "She even wished to be with the stars so you could see her shining. You were so focused on your sunshine, Lalaina, who was right beside you when everything was fine. You forgot about your daughter, who became the light during your darkest times."

I saw tears forming in his eyes. "I-I'm sorry..."

"It's too late now, Max. She's gone."

"Carrie..." He reached for me, but I pulled away.

"Don't make excuses, Max. I'm done listening."

I turned and walked towards the gate, my luggage in hand. Max followed me.

"Carrie, don't leave, please."

"Don't stop me, Max. This is what you want, right?"

"No, Carrie. I want us to talk about everything. I-I feel so guilty. I didn't know you and Stacey were hurting this much."

I turned back, my eyes meeting his. "Maximus, if you're truly guilty, then face the consequences. There's nothing left to talk about. It's pointless to keep repeating ourselves if you still don't understand."

"Max, don't stop her. Let her run away." Lalaina reached out to Max, urging him to let me go.

I smiled at her, a cold, cruel smile. "Run away? That's not what I'm going to do, Lalaina. I'm freeing myself from this miserable marriage. I can't stay in that boring house, not anymore. But if you want to stay there, go ahead, have it all to yourself."

Max hung his head, frustration is evident in his posture. "Carrie, don't leave me like this. Our daughter died. I can't face this alone."

"Our daughter? You gotta be kidding me. Now you realize she's your daughter?"

"Carrie, please. Listen to me. I know I'm a jerk, but I didn't know you called. I didn't receive any calls from you."

My eyes narrowed, and I looked at Lalaina. "Why are you asking me? Why not your sunshine, who prevented you from coming to the festival, and who knows, maybe blocked my number?"

Max turned to Lalaina, his face filled with suspicion.

"What the hell did you do, Lalaina?"