On the day the Carter Family fell into ruin, Richard Parker rescued me from it and brought me into his home.

For ten years, he spoiled me without reserve, turning me into the most dazzling little princess of the elite social circle in Washington. I thought his affection would last forever—until that night when everything changed. He came home drunk and had a wild and crazy night with me.

He came home drunk and in the haze of that night, we shared a fleeting moment of passion.

Seizing that moment, I confessed the love I had buried deep within me for years. But instead of joy, I was met with disgust.

He thought I had schemed, drugged him and trapped him in my bed. “Shameless,” he spat. The following day, he announced his engagement to Winnie Blake, his beloved first love, crushing any hopes I’d ever had.

People around me thought I would be the same as usual and make a big mess. But this time, I remained silent. Quietly, I terminated the pregnancy I’d just discovered. And on his wedding day, I disappeared without a word, leaving behind the life I had dreamed of sharing with him.

——

The day I found out I was pregnant was also the day I received Richard’s wedding invitation. The golden embossed lettering on the card burned my chest like a hot iron. I crumpled the pregnancy test report and threw it into the trash.

As I turned away, I heard a petite female voice behind me.

“Richard, stop touching me like that! There are kids around,” Winnie giggled playfully.

My whole body went rigid, drained of strength. But through the reflection in the glass window, I saw them— walking hand in hand, so close it made my heart ache. He was still wearing the scarlet tie I had picked out for him earlier. My heart sank, almost rolling down in tears.

For years, ‘Richard’ had been a name that only I dared to call him. To everyone else, he was the proud heir of the Parker Family, a figure to be addressed respectfully as ‘President Parker’. But I had never been afraid of him.

From the first time we met, I refused to call him ‘uncle’ or ‘president’. Even though he was eight years older, I stubbornly called him by his first name.

“Richard,” I had said, daring to be different.

At that time, everyone had thought he would get angry. But he only smiled and pinched my cheek. “As long as you’re happy, Lily, you can call me whatever you like.”

At the time, I thought fate had only granted me a fleeting connection with him. But then tragedy struck—my parents passed away and the Carter Family went bankrupt. Overnight, those who once affectionately called me “Lily” turned into predators, circling me with fabricated debts, ready to devour me whole.

When I was at the end of my rope, Richard rushed into the Carter Family and protected me. “Don’t be afraid, Lily,” he said gently. “I’ll take you home.”

From that day forward, I was no longer the first daughter of the Carter Family but the cherished jewel in Richard Parker’s world. He, usually cold and reserved, went out of his way to make me feel safe. He painted my bedroom pink and connected it to his with a door, left ajar so I would never feel alone. My room overflowed with the finest clothes and jewelry; his care filled every corner of my life.

But the dream shattered on that fateful night. In his drunken state, he gave me a glimpse of a love I had longed for. But when he woke up, he destroyed everything with his cold eyes and cruel words.

“How did I end up raising someone as shameless as you?” he sneered. “You make me sick. You schemed me!”

He ordered the door between our rooms sealed. Then, without hesitation, he proposed to Winnie—the one thing I had dreamed of all my life but would never have: a rightful place by his side as his wife.

At that moment, I finally understood. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in marriage; he just didn’t want me.

From then on, I was no longer the proud mistress of that house. Winnie uprooted the flowers I had planted, destroyed the swing he built for me and spent sleepless nights flaunting her intimacy with him, her moans echoing through the walls.

That was the night I called my second uncle, who had settled overseas. I accepted his offer to take over the family business abroad.

“Lily, I regret turning my back on your family all those years ago. I don’t expect forgiveness, nor do I ask you to take care of me in my final days. All I want is for you to manage the family’s legacy after I’m gone.”

“I’ll do it,” I said without hesitation. “There’s nothing left for me here.”

Once, I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Richard. But now, I was nothing more than a stain on his life, something he couldn’t wait to forget. Leaving was my only option.

Before I left, I just wanted to say a proper goodbye.

Seeing Richard and Winnie being so affectionate with each other left me speechless. Just as I was about to return to my room to pack my things, Richard called me.

I froze, startled. It had been a long time since he spoke to me first.

“Lily Carter, Winnie wants you to attend our wedding as the bridesmaid,” he said, his voice steady.

Of course, it was for Winnie. I forced a bitter smile. “Alright, Uncle.”

It was the first time I ever addressed him as “Uncle.” He looked uncomfortable as if something about the title didn’t sit right with him. He opened his mouth, but Winnie cut him off with a playful laugh before he could say anything.

“Not a bridesmaid, silly! A flower girl!” she chirped.

“After all, our Lily is still just a child!”

A flower girl in her twenties—how ridiculous and humiliating.

Once, Richard would never have let anyone mock me like that. But now, he only gave me a cold, unyielding look that left no room for argument. Numbly, I nodded in agreement. My gaze drifted to the bracelet on his wrist—a woven charm I had made for him years ago, symbolizing eternal unity.

I had once foolishly believed that I held a place in his heart. Why else would he leave million-dollar deals behind just to care for me when I was sick? Why else would he get jealous whenever I talked to other boys, pinching my cheek possessively? Why else would he whisper to me repeatedly, “Lily, stay by my side forever, okay? I’ll give you the best of everything in this world.”

I thought those words meant something. I thought I meant something.

—

But the moment Richard caught me staring at the bracelet, he furrowed his brow and, without hesitation, tore it off his wrist. He tossed it into the trash can as if it was worthless.

Panic surged through me. The pregnancy report was in that trash can. What if he saw it? Without thinking, I called out to him like always did.

“Richard!”

His expression turned cold as ice.

“Lily Carter, remember your place,” he warned.

“Alright, alright, don’t fuss over a kid,” Winnie said, pulling his arm and planting a kiss on his cheek.

The frost in his eyes melted in an instant. Only a piece of tenderness remained in his gaze towards Winnie. It was the tenderness I had once briefly possessed and then completely lost overnight.

At that moment, I realized some feelings are better left buried deep inside. If you bring them to light, you lose everything.

After soothing Richard, Winnie turned to me with a bright smile.

“Come shopping with us, little one,” she said sweetly.

“Richard told me you have good eyes—after all, you used to pick out all his clothes and shoes. Why don’t you help us choose some things for the wedding?”

I was nothing more than a powerless orphan living under someone else’s roof. I didn’t have the luxury of refusing the new mistress of the Parker Family. So, I nodded in quiet resignation.

Winnie insisted that Richard drive us himself—she didn’t like having a chauffeur around. And, as always, Richard indulged her every whim without complaint.

He skillfully opened the front passenger door when we got to the car. But this time, it wasn’t for me. Winnie slid in gracefully, giggling.

The lucky charm I had embroidered for Richard and hung on the rearview mirror was replaced by a new set of matching couple’s trinkets. Not satisfied, Winnie demanded a personalized sticker to mark the seat as hers.

“You’re so childish,” Richard chuckled, his tone soft and amused.

Hearing him say those words—the same ones he used to say to me so many times—stirred up a storm of emotions. I turned my face toward the window, pretending to watch the scenery flash by.

A deafening crash tore through the air in the middle of my thoughts.

We had been in an accident.

My forehead hit hard against the front seat and a sharp pain radiated through my abdomen. I tried to lift my head and cry out for help, but the first thing I saw was Richard shielding Winnie with his body.

He held her protectively as they climbed out of the car, calmly making phone calls to handle the situation. It wasn’t until I struggled to crawl out from the backseat that he seemed to remember my existence. His gaze, filled with surprise, finally fell on me.

“My stomach… it hurts,” I whispered, my voice trembling.

Hearing me, Winnie peeked out from Richard’s arms, half-smiling.

“Why do you always find a reason to get his attention whenever you see us together?” she sneered and continued, “Can’t you stand seeing us happy?”

In the past, even a small scrape on my knee would send Richard into a flurry of concern—he’d bandage me carefully, offer me candy and tell jokes to cheer me up. But this time, he stared at me disgustingly, watching the cold sweat drip from my face.

“Lily, how long will you keep pretending?” he snapped.

“I’m not… pretending,” I murmured, my voice growing weaker by the second.

Even as they loaded me into the ambulance, he didn’t glance at me once.

At the hospital, they stitched up the gash on my arm from the broken glass—three stitches, no anaesthetic. The doctor looked worried, but I barely felt anything. The pain was dull compared to what I carried inside.

Unloved children learn how to endure.

The doctor tried to comfort me with a soft smile. “Luckily, the baby is fine.”

I shook my head. “Can you schedule a termination?”

He blinked, confused. “You don’t want to keep it? I thought… When we brought you in, you were clutching your belly the whole time, protecting the baby.”

In my dazed state, I had imagined the old Richard—sitting by my bed, his eyes filled with tears of concern. And instinctively, I had tried to protect what I thought was ours.

But reality hit me like a slap. This baby wasn’t a symbol of love. It was a mark of shame. Both the child and I were stains on Richard’s perfect life. Neither of us belonged.

The doctor told me I wasn’t physically ready for the surgery just yet. I would need to rest for a couple of days.

After leaving the hospital, I decided to apply for my visa. It was already late when I finally returned to the Parker Family home. I thought Richard would be out with Winnie, watching fireworks.

But to my surprise, he was sitting on the sofa, waiting for me.

“Why are you back so late?” he asked, his tone sharp but lacking warmth.

“There were many people at the hospital,” I lied, lowering my gaze instinctively.

In the past, he could always see through my lies. But this time, he believed me without hesitation.

“I saved some food for you,” he said flatly. “After you eat, call Winnie and apologize.”

I didn’t know what I had done wrong, but if he told me to apologize, I had no choice but to comply.

I sat down at the dining table. It was covered with Winnie’s favourite spicy dishes. I forced myself to eat a few bites, even though the spice burned my throat and brought tears to my eyes.

Richard’s face darkened with irritation.

“Stop playing the victim, Lily. Who do you think you’re fooling now?” he said, his voice rising in rare anger.

“Do you really have to ruin everything on such an important day?”

I gripped my chopsticks tightly, swallowing the food along with my tears.

For a moment, he just stared at me in silence. Then, with a cold expression, he rummaged through the medicine cabinet and tossed a jar of expensive scar cream onto the table before me.

“The Parker Family won’t let you starve,” he said. “Clean yourself up. Don’t embarrass me at the wedding.”

I wanted to tell him that I wouldn’t be around to embarrass him much longer.

In a few days, I would be gone from his life forever.

But before I could say a word, he was already leaving me behind again.