The day I buried Arthur, I was barely holding it together.

Lillian showed up just in time, stepping in to handle everything.

That night, I found her crying alone. When I asked why, she finally cracked—said her husband had just beaten her.

The bruises were everywhere. I teared up just looking at her.

She'd just been through hell and still showed up for me. How was I supposed to ignore that?

I jumped into action. Collected every shred of evidence I could, hired the best lawyer money could buy, and made sure she had a fighting shot in court.

While the case dragged on, I let her crash at my place. I was scared her husband might come back for round two.

She was all thanks and sweetness—cooked, cleaned, kept the house running.

Even Arthur's parents, Bobby and Whitney—who had a complaint for everything—started singing her praises.

There was even that one time a dog came charging at them, and Lillian threw herself in the way. Landed in the hospital for days after the bite.

From then on, Bobby and Whitney treated her like the daughter they never had.

But then... things started getting weird.

Liam, deep in his rebel era, started turning to Lillian for heart-to-hearts. She even began showing up at his school events—in my place.

Next thing I knew, he ditched his grades, got starry-eyed over music, and swore he was destined to be famous.

Bobby and Whitney, who used to nitpick everything I did, started acting like I was invisible. Family dinners? Happening without me.

When I asked why, they gave me the classic "we didn't want to bother you while you heal" excuse.

I didn't want to jump to conclusions, so I stayed quiet.

Meanwhile, work at Vectorial Corp kept stacking up.

Lillian, all smiles, said she'd handle things "for now."

She had a solid résumé—worked at a few big-name firms, knew Vectorial Corp like the back of her hand. I figured, why not?

But Liam? He kept slipping further away. Weeks would pass without a single visit.

Even asking if he'd eaten was enough to make him slam the door in my face.

Then came the day I told Lillian to fix a botched project. Liam snapped.

He stormed in, grabbed a cup off the table, and chucked it straight at me.

"Mom's just trying to help you! You're nothing but a useless patient—who are you to blame her?"

Just like that, the switch was complete.

From "Ms. Pegg," to "Lillian," to "mom."

Bobby and Whitney decided I was the villain—cold, ungrateful, heartless.

Behind my back, they told people I'd killed Arthur and was clawing at the company for myself.

Then my ulcer came back with a vengeance. Blood, blackouts, black stools—the whole horror show.

They didn't care.

They locked me in my room. Said I was "faking it for attention" and refused to take me to the hospital.

That's when it hit me.

I'd been erased. Replaced. Lillian had my life.

I collapsed on the floor, bleeding out.

They covered it up as a "fire." Nice, clean little story to keep her hands spotless.

And Liam's words still echo in my head:

"You used your power to steal my mom's husband and ripped me away from her. You deserve this."

Drained. Burned.

It still feels like a nightmare I never woke up from.

But not for long.

This time, every ounce of pain they gave me? I'm handing it right back—double.

I drummed my fingers on the desk. A second later, the door slammed open.

Lillian barged in, fake smile long gone. "Clara Quinton, why'd you freeze my card? The TV reporters are still outside! Are you trying to tank Vectorial Corp's rep?

"I've worked my butt off to build this image, and now you're tearing it down?

"You never even cared about this company, and now look at you—wrecking everything. What kind of person..."

Blah, blah, blah. She was on a roll, playing the betrayed saint like I was the villain wrecking her charity act.

I rolled my eyes, dropped my phone, and finally met her stare. "My card. My company. I'll do whatever I want."

I raised my voice. "You're more worked up than the owner. At this rate, people might think you're running Vectorial Corp!"

Lillian froze. Her face twisted, then melted into fake guilt real quick.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "It's just... this really matters to the company. I got emotional. Can you unfreeze the card now, please?"

I arched a brow and shot her a look.

"Oh, so the company's rep depends on you buying houses for those 'underprivileged students'? You mean your half-literate cousins?" My voice was loud enough to hit the hallway. "You blew MY company's money and called in the press. Bold move."

Outside, the staff traded glances, unsure who to side with.

Lillian clenched her jaw, eyes darting away from the door. Rattled.

She was still scrambling for a comeback when the door swung open again.

Liam stormed in, slammed his hand on the desk. "If you're still sick, go lie down! What are you even doing here? Don't you get how hard Mom works? Why are you wrecking everything?"

He'd been here before with his dad, so the employees knew who he was.

Now, hearing him call Lillian "Mom"? Yeah, that sealed it. No one was questioning her act anymore.

"That's the sponsored student Ms. Pegg helped, right? I heard Mr. Melville mention her."

"Huh? She really doesn't know her place. Showing up just to stir drama at Ms. Pegg's company?"

"Exactly. Gross. She's a grown woman still begging for money—no shame, no gratitude."

The stares turned sharp. Every whisper dripped with contempt.

And there he was—my own son—standing in front of Clara like she needed protecting. Like I was the threat.

He let them all believe I was some greedy parasite. Didn't flinch.

As I watched him, something in me iced over.

He'd handed my name to someone else, called me the charity case, and crowned Lillian as his "real" mom.

Even if she tricked him—if he cared about me at all—how could he not see who I was?

What he wanted was a mom who nodded along with everything he said. Since I didn't, he dumped me into the trash heap of his memory.

Ungrateful scum. But this time? I'm done going soft. Not even for you.

In my past life, I trusted them—no questions asked. They shoved me out of the office with some weak excuse about my health and told me to go rest. Stay away from Vectorial Corp. Heal.

I thought they were looking out for me. Thought they cared.

But really? My blind trust handed them the keys to destroy everything.

I shot Liam a look sharp enough to cut, then turned to Lillian.

Backed by his support, she looked smug enough to burst.

She faced the staff and flipped on her fake-sweet voice.

"Don't be like that, everyone. Clara's still recovering and hasn't been working. I'm just helping where I can."

Right on cue, the flattery started rolling in—loudest from those so-called "underprivileged students."

"People like Lillian deserve the world! That sponsored student doesn't know how lucky she is!"

"Seriously. She's a full-grown adult with working legs and still shows up begging? Pathetic."