After saying that, he turned on the fire suppression system inside the boiler room and said to me coldly. “Since you claim there was an explosion in here, let me help cool you down a bit!”

Then he walked away with Blair, who giggled sweetly without even looking back at my screams.

They didn’t know that the water meant to spray from the system had already turned into sulfuric acid.

I crawled desperately into a corner.

There was a divider here, just big enough to shield me from the falling acid.

Hiding under a panel once used for workers during renovations, pain tore through my chest.

I couldn’t understand how someone who once loved me so much could turn so cruel the moment he found out I wasn’t the real daughter of the Lewis Family.

He burned down the house we were supposed to live in after marriage and destroyed all the photos we took together.

He even gave away all our savings and assets to Blair.

Blair, who had never seen that much money before, was thrilled but still kept teasing Spencer, never really giving herself to him.

Until he drugged her.

Every time I saw Spencer chasing after Blair, I remembered how he used to hold my hand so sincerely, telling me that all he wanted was to marry me, Scarlett and grow old together.

But now, the pain and the will to survive pulled me back to reality.

I banged on the walls of the boiler room, shouting, hoping someone would hear me.

But the person who came was the Lewis Family’s steward.

“Still pretending to be the young miss of the Lewis Family, huh? You don’t even see what you are and you still dare to cause trouble in the boiler room!”

“Do you not understand your place now? A bastard worse than a dog. How dare you bark around here!”

Ever since it was revealed that Blair was the real daughter of the Lewis Family, my adoptive parents' attitude toward me had changed completely.

I had always felt guilty toward Blair and my parents, thinking I had stolen her rightful place, keeping them from their true family. So, I always gave in.

But I never expected they would just keep pushing further.

The servants in the estate saw the shift and followed their lead. Now, they treated me worse than a dog.

But at this moment, desperate to survive, I had no choice but to swallow my pride and beg softly.

“There’s something wrong with the boiler room. The fire system is spraying sulfuric acid. Please, I beg you, let me out, or I’ll die in here!”

The steward hesitated.

Maybe because he sensed it was truly life and death, he gave in and made a call to ask for instructions.

The call went to my adoptive parents. As soon as they heard it was about me, the father who once loved me dearly now spoke with nothing but disgust.

“Sulfuric acid? That brat can’t even lie properly! She just wants attention again. Does she really think she can do whatever she wants in the Lewis Family just because she’s a stray?”

Mother hesitated for a moment.

“That doesn’t sound right. Scarlett was never the kind to lie like that. What if it’s true?”

Then Blair’s voice came through the phone.

“Mom, how could something like that even happen? Scarlett just can’t stand to see us happy. That’s why she’s saying such scary things, to get you to go back and check on her. Who knows how she even ended up in the boiler room!”

Blair’s words made Mother upset as well.

“If that’s the case, Scarlett, you’ve really gone too far! We raised you all these years and you have no gratitude. Now you want to tear this family apart? Have the steward lock the door! If she wants to stay in there, then let her stay!”

Before the steward or I could respond, the call ended abruptly.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but I thought I heard a hint of satisfaction in the steward’s voice. He shrugged and said, “Miss, you heard them. There’s nothing I can do.”

Then he added ten more locks, completely cutting off any hope of escape.

The sulfuric acid crept closer.

At that moment, I closed my eyes in despair.

Dad, Mom, when will you finally realize that I’m your real daughter?

That Blair was the fake one.

Then, I heard the steward making a call just outside the door.

“Miss Landers, it’s done. Just like you asked.”

“The boiler room’s filled with sulfuric acid. Even if she survives, her face will be ruined. When that happens, even if the Lewis Family wants her back, they won’t be able to bring themselves to acknowledge someone so hideous.”

“Miss Landers, from now on, you will be the Lewis Family’s one and only little princess! All of the Lewis Family’s fortune will belong to you alone!”

The steward’s words felt like ice water pouring over me from head to toe.

So this had all been a setup between the steward and Blair.

She had tricked Mom and Dad just to steal everything from the Lewis Family.

Then Blair’s smug voice came through the phone.

“I never thought just switching the DNA samples would get me such a big reward! I already have everything that used to belong to Scarlett. Now, Scarlett’s parents treat me even better than they treated her!”

“Who would've guessed that the powerful Lewis couple, so respected in the business world, could be fooled this easily? And that pathetic rich boyfriend of Scarlett? He worships me now like a loyal dog!”

Her arrogant words echoed over and over.

In the boiler room, tears streamed down my face.

I never imagined my parents and Spencer would be so cruel to me, all because of one lie.

In their eyes, I had never truly mattered. What they really valued were those unseen, intangible bloodlines.

Tears of pain ran down my face and I made up my mind: I had to save myself.

I tore down a wooden board and used it to shield my head as I moved toward the boiler room’s internal phone.

It was only connected to the estate’s internal line, but after pulling it apart and fixing the wires, I managed to link it to the emergency rescue team.

The toxic fumes and heavy blood loss were clouding my mind.

With the last of my strength, I whispered into the phone.

“Enrico… help me…”

I heard a panicked voice on the other end, but I was too weak to respond.

I didn’t know how much time had passed until suddenly, I heard someone pounding hard on the door.

“Scarlett! Hold on!”

But right after, I heard the steward trying to stop him.

“Young Master Moore! You’re damaging Lewis Family property! Be careful, or the master will be furious and ruin you!”

Enrico’s cold laugh rang out from outside.

“A mere Lewis Family thinks they can bankrupt me? What a joke. Hand over the keys now, or I’ll ruin your life instead.”

The steward was so scared that he didn’t dare resist.

He stood frozen as Enrico snatched his phone and called my father.

“Uncle Magnus, Scarlett is trapped in the boiler room. Her condition is very serious. Where is the spare key?”

As soon as Dad heard Enrico’s voice, his tone softened right away.

“No need to worry, Enrico. It’s just Scarlett’s old mental issues acting up again. You should go back for now…”

“No! The situation is very serious! Scarlett’s been breathing in sulfuric acid fumes and is barely hanging on! She’s also lost a lot of blood, either one of those could kill her!”

Dad let out a cold laugh.

“So it’s her again, feeding you this story, isn’t it? That girl would say anything just to steal attention from Blair. Why doesn’t she just drop dead already?”

“Enrico, listen to your uncle, go home. Scarlett’s just being dramatic again! Don’t waste your time. She’s probably already done playing her little game in the boiler room and saved herself. She’ll be fine once she cools down!”

“The location is confirmed. She’s in the boiler room! I’m going to save her!”

Dad was stunned for a moment, then replied with utter contempt.

“Enrico, the Lewis Family really misjudged you! You can’t even see through such a simple lie and you let that bastard toy with you. Someone like you doesn’t deserve to be the heir to the Moore family, the richest family in the world!”

Enrico didn’t waste time arguing. He hung up and immediately ordered his men to break down the door.

I clung to what little consciousness I had left, trying hard to stay awake.

Then, against the light, Enrico appeared like a god descending from the sky. He rushed to me, scooped me into his arms and ran out.

His voice trembled as he said, “Scarlett, you must hang in there!”

But no one expected that just when I needed urgent medical care, the ambulance Enrico had called would be blocked by a crowd in the middle of the road.

At the front stood Spencer, leading Blair and a group of people throwing a street party, celebrating Blair finally reuniting with her "family."

When the ambulance staff shouted for them to clear the way, Spencer responded with arrogance.

“Who’s in there? Don’t you know today is the day our real Lewis daughter is welcomed home? She’s finally getting back the life that was stolen from her for twenty years!”

“And now, on such a big day, you want to drag some half-dead girl here to ruin the mood?”

“We’re not moving! That dying girl, how can someone like her compare to Blair’s noble status? If she dies, so what? No one cares!”

His words made the thugs around him burst into laughter.

The ambulance staff had never seen such shamelessness. It was like reasoning with people who refused to understand.

At that moment, Enrico stepped forward, pulled the driver out and climbed into the ambulance himself.

He said nothing.

He just slammed the gas pedal, revving the engine to full power.

At first, Spencer looked a bit nervous. But when he saw Enrico only revving the engine, his smugness returned.

He didn’t get to enjoy it for more than two seconds because Enrico drove the ambulance straight at him.

The heavy vehicle moved like a race car in Enrico’s hands.

When it was just five centimeters from Spencer’s nose, Enrico hit the brakes hard.

“I’ll ask you one more time. Are you moving or not?”

Terrified, Spencer nodded again and again.

Just then, the medics in the back shouted in excitement. “She’s awake! The patient is breathing on her own again!”

Enrico’s eyes turned red. He pressed his lips tight and stayed silent, gripping the wheel and steering through the crowd with focus.

As the ambulance passed Spencer, a flicker of fear flashed in his eyes.

“Did I just see the person in that ambulance was Scarlett?”

Just as Spencer was about to run after it, Blair stopped him.

“Isn’t Scarlett still relaxing in her apartment? I heard she’s enjoying the air conditioning and eating ice cream, she’s probably more comfortable than we are!”

Those words quickly erased Spencer’s doubts.

He returned to the party, celebrating Blair’s return with full excitement.

That life-saving ambulance didn’t just pass by Spencer physically. It also slipped right past his memory.

Three days later, some workers came to repair the boiler room. One of them asked Spencer.

“I heard the boiler room was used to punish the disobedient fake daughter and she’s been locked in there for days. We’re here to repair it, can you confirm if there’s still someone inside?”

Spencer froze.

Then, looking anxious, he led the workers toward the boiler room.

The path was a mess, chaotic and disturbing.

Just before stepping into the boiler room, Spencer accidentally stepped on a puddle of leaked liquid.

The moment it touched the sole of his shoe, a foul, burnt smell rose up.

His heart sank instantly.

He remembered my screams from that day.

Suddenly, like he had lost his mind, he began pounding on the door with all his strength.

When he finally forced it open, he collapsed to the ground, screaming in despair and agony.