Olivia’s Pov

I stood there frozen as she almost hit me. Her body was trembling with anger, and it was all thanks to Mr. Carter, who hurriedly held her back before she could lunge at me.

“Daughter?” she muttered, a scoff escaping her lips. “You’re not my parents’ daughter!” she spat, her eyes blazing with fury. “You’re just a fake, trying to steal my position in their hearts.”

“Calm down, Juliana. We can talk this out peacefully,” Mr. Carter said to her, his grip on her still firm as he tried to calm her down.

“Let go of me, Dad!” she hissed, struggling against his grip, her face still red with anger. “There’s no way she’s your real daughter and I’m not! You can only have one daughter, and that’s me!”

She insisted again.

Despite Mr. Carter’s firm grip on her, she continued throwing her legs and hands at me. I’m sure if she had been left to do as she pleased, I would have been six feet underground by now.

How did she even have the guts to come after me like this?

She had been sleeping with my husband for months, took him away from me, and now she’s threatening me again?

“If you don’t leave this house quietly, I will kill you! I promise you that, Olivia. I will be the one to end your fucking useless life!” she snarled, her voice dripping with malice. “You’re not welcome here, and you never will be! Nobody wants you here. My parents don’t care about you! We’ve been living perfectly all these years without you being involved, so what makes you think anything will be different now? I’m warning you, leave quietly, or you’ll find yourself in another world by tomorrow morning because I will definitely make sure I end your miserable life for good!”

A chill ran down my spine as her threats escalated. I couldn’t believe she had the audacity to say all of this in front of her parents. She didn’t even look scared at all.

One part of me wanted to leave this place as quickly as I could, but another part of me desperately wanted to stay.

This was what I had been wishing for all my life.

I grew up without parents, not knowing my identity or even who I truly was. I was treated like a nobody, and now, now that I had finally found my real identity, why did it have to be Juliana?

Of all people to have a clash of fate with, why did it have to be her?

All of a sudden, she broke free from her father’s grip and dashed toward her mother.

“M… Mom… Mom, please, just send her out of this house. I can’t stand having her here with me! I don’t even think I can stand another second with her in this house. You always listen to me, right? You always do whatever I ask… Remember, I’m your favorite daughter, so please, just send this bitch out of here and we will be happy once again. I’m going to continue making you happy, just like I’ve always done. You don’t need her here. I’m here with you. So please… please, please, please, just throw this bitch out of our house,” she begged desperately, clutching Mrs. Carter’s hands tightly.

Instead of replying to her, I watched as Mrs. Carter raised her hand, her eyes burning with anger and disappointment, and landed it roughly on Juliana’s cheek.

I was shocked. Not only me, but everyone else in the room was too.

Juliana, especially, looked completely stunned. Her face contorted with shock, anger, and humiliation. Tears welled up in her eyes as she touched her stinging cheek.

I could tell she was deeply hurt and surprised that her mother could hit her.

For some weird reason, I didn’t even feel sorry for her.

Rather, I was hoping for more.

“ENOUGH! That’s enough, Juliana Carter!” Mrs. Carter snapped. “I’ve heard enough of your silly and annoying attitude. It needs to end now. I’ve always tolerated your bad behavior because I felt you were my only child, and I should always make you happy. But right now, the situation has changed. Olivia here is my blood and flesh! And I won’t let you disrespect her or hurt her in any way. Am I understood?”

So, it was really true?

I was truly their daughter?

I had really been taken away from them right after my birth?

“M… Mom? Yo… You just slapped me?”

“And I will do it again and again if you don’t stop this stupidity of yours right now. Now, go to your room. We will discuss more about this tomorrow morning,” she ordered, her expression stern and unwavering.

Juliana’s gaze slowly darted toward me, her eyes blazing with resentment. For a moment, I feared she would lunge at me again.

But then, something seemed to break inside her. Her shoulders slumped hopelessly as she turned to face her father.

“Dad… Dad, please talk to Mom. She’s been bewitched by this girl.”

Without listening to her words, Mrs. Carter’s gaze turned toward me, warmth and love shining in her eyes.

“I’m so sorry for that. This is all my fault. I pampered her too much, and most times, she tends to forget her manners.”

I nodded, still trying to process everything that was happening.

“Please come with me, dear. Let’s get you settled into your new room,” she said softly.

As we sauntered upstairs, Juliana’s desperate pleas echoed through the house, growing fainter with every step.

“Moooom!! Mom, please, wait! Don’t do this! You don’t even know her that much. How can you trust her and believe her words?! Why can’t you just see that she’s here to separate you and me?”

But Mrs. Carter remained unmoved, her silence showing that she had deliberately chosen to ignore Juliana’s outburst.

Her soft caress on my arm made me turn to look at her. She nodded once more, giving me a comforting smile that softened my heart and made me feel safe.

We reached my new room, and Mrs. Carter opened the door, revealing a beautiful space that took my breath away.

“This is your room, dear. Welcome home once again,” she said softly, her eyes shining with happiness and warmth.

I stepped inside, looking around in wonder.

There was no doubt that this room had been designed to make me feel calm and comfortable. Soft, creamy walls painted in a light purple color, complemented by a dark wooden floors.

A big king-sized bed in the middle of the room, looking incredibly soft and comfortable, decorated with purple and white pillows. The bedding looked so inviting.

To my left, a large walk-in closet beckoned, with shelves and organizers waiting for my things. A cozy reading spot caught my eye, with a plush chair and footrest beside a tall bookshelf filled with various books.

My goodness! How did they know that I loved reading books?

They must have done their research so well because everything in this room screamed nothing but my taste.

The room was so huge— three times bigger than my old room at the Cooper’s house.

For the first time in my life, after looking around carefully, I felt like I truly belonged here.

The nagging questions about my past and the uncertainty that had bothered me for so long started to fade away.

I had finally found my family— MY ROOTS.

Mrs. Carter’s gentle squeeze on my arm brought me out of my thoughts.

“Olivia, dear, I’m so glad you’re here with us. Your father and I will make sure we try our best to make it up to you for all those times that we weren’t there for you,” she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes again.

I smiled happily, already feeling close to the woman standing right in front of me.

“Thank you,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

Her soft touch still sent shivers down my spine as she tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear.

“Do you like your room, dear?” she asked, her voice gentle.

I nodded, my heart filling with nothing but joy and gratitude.

“I love it. It’s beautiful.”

I watched as her smile grew wider after hearing my response.

“Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat? I can prepare you anything of your choice.”

I shook my head, already feeling overwhelmed by everything that had happened.

“No, thank you. I just… I mean, I will just take a rest.”

She nodded her head in understanding.

“Dear, I know everything seems difficult and confusing right now, but don’t worry too much. You will definitely get used to living with us. I… I know about everything that has been happening with you lately, even before we found you, but I want you to know that I will always be here for you. I’m here now, in your life, and I will never let you get hurt again.”

Before I could reply, she glanced at the clock on the nightstand and smiled.

“We still have a lot to discuss, but it’s getting late already. Let’s continue tomorrow,” she said, her calming words wrapping around me like a cozy blanket.

“Just go to bed and sleep peacefully, okay? Don’t worry about anything else,” she added, her voice soothing.

I nodded, gratitude overwhelming my whole body.

“Thank you, Mrs. Carter,” I muttered.

But her smile faltered for a moment before she corrected me.

“Not Mrs. Carter, dear. Call me Mom. I will be more than happy to hear you call me that.”

My heart skipped a beat.

The word felt unfamiliar, yet wonderfully close.

I nodded again, and Mrs. Carter— I mean, Mom, kissed my forehead gently.

“Sleep tight, my beautiful daughter. Always remember that Mommy loves you so much,” she whispered.

As she left the room, I felt a lump form in my throat. The door clicked shut, and I was surrounded by silence.

I looked around my new room, and I felt like I truly belonged here.

For the first time in my life, I was finally experiencing what it felt like to have a real family— to have a mother who cared so much about me wholeheartedly.

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I whispered the word, “Mom,” to myself.

My mind went back to everything I had been experiencing all these years, how Daniel’s family had treated me like a piece of trash.

Even when he promised to always love me and stand by me, I later found out he was expecting a child with his ex-girlfriend—and she was my parents’ fake daughter.

He was so desperate to take over his father’s empire that he said he needed Juliana by his side because she was the Minister’s daughter.

What would he do when he eventually found out that I was their true daughter and not Juliana?

Would he leave her for me too?

What a bastard and a betrayal!

I hate him! I really, really hate him so much, and I would never forgive him for doing this to me.

This was not the promise he made to me.

He promised to always love me. He promised that no one would ever come between us, but he broke that promise.

I thought I only hated him, but I was even more hurt by what he had done to me.

I missed him so much.

And I knew I was so stupid to be having these kinds of feelings despite everything he had done to me, but I couldn’t help it.

My heart still beat for him.

I had loved him too much. I trusted him completely, without any doubt.

I didn’t realize I had been so lost in my thoughts until I heard continuous banging on my door.

Assuming it was Mrs. Carter or Mr. Carter, I walked toward the door and opened it.

But my expectations were shattered when I saw Juliana standing before me, her eyes burning with anger and her face twisted with hatred.

Not only that, but her hand was gripping a shiny, small sharp knife, and from the look on her face, she was ready to strike me with it.

I stood there paralyzed, my heart pounding so loudly in my chest.

“You think you’ve won, don’t you?” she spat, her voice poisonous. “You think you can just walk in here and take everything away from me? Well, Olivia, be ready to face death because not on my watch will I let you do that!”

I tried to speak, but my voice got stuck in my throat.

Before I could think of any possible way to escape her, she had already raised her hand, ready to stab me with the knife.