When my parents passed away in an accident, they entrusted my uncle, Andrew, who wasn't related to me by blood, to take care of me.

But I developed feelings I shouldn't have. After a reckless night, I ended up pregnant.

"I have a fiancée. I took care of you because I promised your parents. You crawling into my bed. I can let that slide.

"But this child can't be kept."

He dragged me to the hospital and forced me to have an abortion. When his fiancée beat me until I was covered in blood, not even that moved him as much as a single tear from her.

At that moment, I finally broke down and walked away.

"Are you really sentencing me to this?"

"Andrew, you're already tainted. I don't want you anymore!"

——

"I have a fiancée. I took care of you because I promised your parents, but you shouldn't have crawled into my bed.

"So, the child you're carrying has to be aborted. We're going to the hospital right now.

"And besides, last time wasn't your first. Who knows which guy you've been messing around with. I don't want that trouble in my life."

"What are you saying?"

It wasn't my first. My first time was a few months ago, when he got drunk and forced himself on me. The next day, I didn't know how to face him, so I snuck away.

And now, it became his excuse to not trust me.

I had been excited, thinking this child would make him see me differently.

Instead, I received this terrible news.

"Andrew, you have a fiancée? Then why..."

"Why were you so kind to me? Why would you even do things like buy me tampons?

And now, you tell me you have a fiancée. What did those two nights mean, then?"

"Lilian, get rid of those thoughts. I'm not interested in a woman who would climb into my bed."

So, in his eyes, I was just like any other woman trying to get into his bed.

"Do I have to get rid of it? What if I said I wanted to keep it?"

I begged him one last time, but he didn't care.

"Don't make me force you!"

"I understand."

I held back my tears and followed him. In just over an hour, I had gone from joy to devastation.

But the man in front of me remained as cold as ever, as if it hadn't been his child that was just taken away.

I weakly leaned against the wall, taking slow steps forward. Andrew tried to help me, but I avoided his touch.

"Lilian, could you stop being so troublesome? I can't keep cleaning up after you all day."

I forced a smile, holding back my tears.

"I'm sorry, Andrew. I understand."

Ignoring the shocked look on Andrew's face, I returned to the villa, only to run into his fiancée.

"You must be Andrew's niece, right? I'm his fiancée. I'll be living here from now on."

So, they were already living together. The pain in my heart hit me in waves.

"You'll stay at the downtown apartment for the next few days. Leah had a fight with her family, so she'll be staying here for now. It would be inconvenient for you to stay."

I lowered my head.

"Okay, understood."

Suddenly, I noticed a few trash bins near the couch, in the kitchen corner, and at the foot of the stairs.

Quietly, I walked over to check, and the sight nearly made me faint.

"Lilian, are you okay?"

Leah walked over, holding my hand, noticing how I was staring at the familiar items in the trash.

Leah playfully glared at Andrew.

"It's all Andrew's fault for being so reckless. Now everything's a mess, and Lilian had to see it."

Andrew kissed Leah in front of me.

"You minx, it's your fault for being so irresistible. We're all adults here, there's nothing to be shy about."

Holding back the pain, I stood up and quickly walked to my room. The moment the door shut behind me, I couldn't hold back my sobs anymore.

After returning to the Scott Manor, I thought I would no longer have any interaction with Andrew. Unexpectedly, his fiancée invited me to join her for the company's anniversary celebration.

"Don't upset Leah. She doesn't have many friends right now, so she asked you to keep her company.

"Just make sure not to make her unhappy. I'll send a driver to pick you up tonight."

I didn't even get a chance to refuse; I was just a transitional figure for his fiancée, stepping in because she had no friends.

Leah looked beautiful, and standing next to her made me feel like a swan next to an ugly duckling.

Any man would know how to choose; no wonder Andrew likes her. If I were a man, I would choose her too.

Halfway through, I felt unwell and wanted to leave, but I couldn't find Andrew or Leah anywhere. I accidentally wandered into the back garden.

Hearing voices, I quickly hid. From the sound, I realized it was Andrew and Leah.

Just as I was about to step out and tell them I wanted to go home, I heard a man's heavy breathing and a woman's soft moans, which startled me into hiding.

"Andrew, does Lilian like you?"

"Focus. How can she compare to you? When she's beneath me, I don't even react.

"You little enchantress, a single glance from you captivates me. Have you forgotten that night?

"Although I can't remember what you looked like that night, I know how out of control I felt with you."

When Andrew finished speaking, he didn't notice Leah's guilty expression.

For a whole hour, I covered my mouth. I was afraid to let myself cry. I didn't even feel the branches scratching my skin.

The next morning, I was groggily pulled from my bed.

"Lilian, I looked for you all night with Leah, and here you are sleeping?"

When Andrew saw the injuries on my body, I thought he was concerned for me, and I instinctively tried to cover up.

"So you disappeared all night to fool around with another man, huh?

"Why do you lack self-respect? After all, you're the type who would crawl into your own uncle's bed.

"Sleeping with a few men isn't a big deal. It's a pity Leah even defended you, saying you're just playful."

"Andrew, is that how dirty I am in your eyes? Then why did you sleep with me in the first place?"

Andrew's words pierced my heart, making it hard to breathe, and he shifted his gaze away from me.

"Lilian, don't forget, that was you climbing into my bed while I was drunk. Otherwise, with someone like you, would I even have touched you?"

"What about that first night?" I asked instinctively.

"What? What first night?"

I shook my head; saying it didn't matter anymore, it was no longer important.

"Lilian, I promised my brother and sister-in-law to take care of you; they've done me a favor, but you shouldn't have such thoughts."

I watched Andrew's back and felt like everything was coming to an end.

When I returned to Hall Manor, I saw Leah acting like the lady of the house, ordering servants to throw her unwanted things outside.

"Lilian's back, but it's a pity Andrew isn't home!"

I didn't know what she meant by that, but I could feel the hostility in her tone.

"Miss Torres, I'm just here to get my own things."

"Shouldn't you call me 'Auntie'?

"I know you like Andrew, but he doesn't like you.

"It's so degrading for you to cling to him like this."

I stubbornly wiped my tears, feeling like a stripped clown in that moment.

"You've misunderstood."

"Hmph, do you really think I don't know?

"You even drugged him to crawl into his bed, and then shamelessly threatened him with a child.

"It's a pity Andrew isn't falling for your tricks. How does it feel to be taken away for an abortion?

"Let this be a lesson for you. Stop dreaming about things that don't belong to you."

I looked at Leah, who seemed different from usual, not understanding why she was treating me this way.

"Because last night, in the heat of the moment, he called out your name. How pathetic to seduce your own uncle."

Leah's words gave me hope; I thought I had a place in his heart.

"Happy? I'll make sure you get plenty of happiness today."

Leah kicked me hard in the stomach. I had just had surgery a few days ago and hadn't fully recovered; my lower body was still bleeding.

"Have you lost your mind, Leah? Aren't you afraid Andrew will come after you for this?"

Leah kicked even harder at my words.

I could only protect my head, but each of her kicks landed forcefully on my abdomen, and soon my lower body was stained red with blood.

"Do you think Andrew would punish me because of you? Want to give it a try?"

Leah yanked a handful of her hair and threw it on the ground, then dumped the boiling tea from the coffee table all over herself.

She even slammed her head into the coffee table. Just as I was about to get up, she kicked me against the wall.

"Lilian, you really don't know when to stop, do you? How dare you treat Leah like this?"

"Andrew, can't you see that I'm hurt?"

I thought he at least cared about me, but he acted like I didn't exist, despite my injuries.

He only focused on Leah, completely ignoring my presence.

My pants were soaked in blood, and the floor was covered with it, a strong metallic smell filling the air. Yet Andrew acted as if he couldn't see it; his eyes were only for Leah.

"Andrew, don't blame her. I just told her to call me 'Auntie' from now on, but I didn't expect her to go crazy and throw all my things outside.

"I must have been daydreaming. I just pushed her a bit; I don't know why she's bleeding so much."

Andrew's eyes were filled with anger as he glanced at the luggage by the door, looking as if he wanted to strangle me.

"What else could it be? Running around, seducing random men, getting pregnant, just having an abortion, and not fully recovering? You won't die from it.

"I'll take you to the hospital."

Before leaving, Andrew paused. I thought he finally saw me, and I looked up at him.

"Clean up the floor before you leave. My home can't have dirty things."

The pain in my body was unbearable, but the pain in my heart was even worse. I scrubbed the blood off the floor as hard as I could.

But the more I cleaned, the more it spread, as if I could never get it all. Every time I wiped one spot clean, more blood appeared behind me.

I kept scrubbing, but it was hopeless. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore and sank into darkness.

"You're awake? Pack your things. I bought you a ticket to Manville.

"Everything's arranged over there, just bring what you need. Everything else will be provided."

I raised my hand to block the light, it was too bright for me to remember what had happened.

"Andrew!"

"Stop pretending. You hurt Leah, and I promised her that if I send you abroad, she wouldn't press charges.

"My wedding is in three days, so you need to be gone by then. I don't want to upset her.

My mind had been blank, but then a rush of painful memories hit me. I remembered everything before I passed out. The physical pain returned, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my heart.

I struggled to sit up.

"Andrew, do you really believe her?

"What if I told you she hit me, and I never laid a finger on her?"

"Are you still trying to argue? If you didn't hit her, did she hit herself?

"Lilian, I'm really disappointed in you."

"So no matter what I say, you've already decided to send me away, right?

"Even if I don't agree?"

It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Andrew wanted to explain. Every time he opened his mouth, he swallowed his words.

"Yes."

Lilian closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and finally made a decision.

"Andrew, I'm afraid I won't be able to attend your wedding.

"But I'll send a surprise to the ceremony.

"Consider it a wedding gift from me. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness and many children!"

When Andrew heard me bless him, his smile seemed genuine. I could tell he was a bit angry, but it didn't matter anymore.

I had already decided. I wouldn't love him anymore. The cost was too high.

I only went back to grab a few changes of clothes and threw out my SIM card.

"Hi, could you help me buy the earliest ticket to Tanaxes?"

At the largest hotel in the city, the wedding of Andrew, the CEO of the Hall Group, was taking place.

Andrew stood in the center of the stage, waiting for the bride, but he didn't feel as happy as he had imagined. Instead, a sense of unease gnawed at him.

Behind him, the screen displayed wedding photos of the couple. Just as Leah, in her wedding dress, was about to step onto the stage...

The screen abruptly switched to footage from the day I returned to Hall Manor to grab my things.

The footage clearly showed how Leah had bullied me and then framed me for it.

"No, no! Andrew, it's not like that. This is fake. Lilian must have set me up.

"Please believe me, it wasn't me!"

Leah, panicking, grabbed Andrew's hand and kept pleading with him.

Andrew watched the footage of Leah kicking me repeatedly, his fists clenched, and his eyes reddened as he stared at the screen.

"Is this the truth you were talking about?"

Andrew demanded, glaring at Leah, who shook her head wildly in denial.

"No, Andrew, it's not! Today is our wedding day, let's just go ahead with the ceremony, okay?"

Andrew shook off Leah's hand.

"There's no need to continue with the wedding."

As Andrew walked away, he ripped off his tie.

"Mr. Hall, Mr. Hall! The plane that Ms. Scott was on just encountered severe turbulence. The pilot made an error, and the plane crashed into the ocean. The chances of survival are zero!"

"What did you just say?"