Chapter 9

Meanwhile, Serena's social media was flooded with comments. She picked a few to reply to.

After responding, she stumbled upon Damien's post and her own announcement about the marriage certificate.

Serana clicked on it and even liked it, leaving three heart emojis in the comments.

She noticed that Damien's social media had only that one post—the scant announcement about the certificate. That was so typical of him.

The fact that he posted it at all was surprising to her. With so many women around him, wasn't he worried about jealousy or drama?

Then again, considering the number of women in Damien's life, he probably didn't care about such things!

Even though Serana was married to Damien, she still lived with the Vale family.

As soon as she got out of the taxi at her doorstep, she was blocked by Katrina.

"Congratulations!" Katrina said with a smirk. Serena forced a smile, her expression not matching her words.

"Thank you and I hope you find your perfect match soon."

Katrina chuckled. "Serena, do you really think marrying Damien means you've hit the jackpot? Oh dear! How does it feel to be left at the registry office right after getting your marriage certificate?"

Serena frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

Katrina tossed a stack of photos at Serena, hitting her face. "Take a look! Do you really think you've married a catch when he leaves you at the registry office?"

The photos slid off Serena's face and scattered on the ground. She bent down to pick them up, examining each one. They were all candid shots taken outside the registry office.

The photographer had quite the skill, capturing the most unflattering angles. For instance, in one photo, Damien was frowning under the bright sun, clearly not a fan of the heat.

But to an outsider, it looked like he was displeased about marrying Serena.

Another photo showed Damien turning away and walking off without a backward glance, leaving Serena standing alone.

The sun was blazing, and she was already feeling unwell from lack of sleep, making her look even more distressed.

Her expression was somber and to anyone who didn't know better, she appeared like a forlorn bride left behind.

After looking through the photos, Serena felt a mix of emotions. She smiled, "I didn't expect you to have a habit of secretly taking photos of people, but, you know what? This picture is actually pretty good. How about you give it to me?"

Katrina thought Serena would be furious when caught in such a situation, but to her surprise, she complimented the photo instead.

Katrina couldn't let this slide.

"You shameless brat! If you don't care about your reputation, the entire Vale family does! Of all people, you had to marry Damien Kade... We don't have someone as disgraceful as you in the Vale family..."

Laura looked as if she wished she could shove Serena back into her womb, regretting ever giving birth to someone who brought such shame to the family.

Serena was unfazed by Laura's insults. They didn't consider her a part of the Vale family, so she decided she would consider herself an orphan without parents.

Holding a photo, Serena smiled and said, "It's fine, just pretend you never had me. I don'tneed cold-hearted, unjust parents like you. I'm just here to grab a few things and then I'll be gone..."

Laura, pointing angrily at Serena, retorted, "Without the Vale family, you're just a little nobody. Let's see how you live without us..."

Serena was mostly indifferent, but being called a nobody struck a nerve. What kind of parents call their own child a nobody?

Taking a deep breath, Serena replied, "If I'm a nobody, then what does that make you? Without your sperm and egg, I wouldn't exist. If I'm a nobody, then you're the parents of a nobody, aren't you?"

Laura was so furious she fainted on the spot. Katrina, alarmed, rushed to help, calling for the servants to assist in getting her to the couch.

Serena went to her room to gather her meager belongings. Among them was a silver necklace, which she held tightly in her hand. She had returned specifically to retrieve this important necklace.

From now on, even if they begged her to come back, she wouldn't give them a second glance.

Serena packed her few possessions into a suitcase, mostly books and clothes, not much at all.

When she came downstairs, Laura had already calmed down. Katrina was dutifully by her side, soothing her with gentle words, telling her not to get angry over people who weren't worth it.

Serena found it amusing but agreed, there was no point in getting upset over people who didn't matter.

As Serena dragged her suitcase down, Laura glared at her with a look that could tear her apart. "Walk out that door and don't ever come back to this house."

Serena smiled. "Don't worry! Even if you begged me to come back, I wouldn't."

Laura was furious, practically seeing red. Katrina quickly tried to calm her down.

Serena had no interest in playing the dutiful daughter role. She turned and left without a second thought.

At that moment, the sky was dark and her heart felt even darker. Despite the bright sun, she felt no warmth, only a chilling coldness inside.

She remembered the first time she came back, filled with anticipation for her new home and curiosity about her biological parents.

But upon her return, she discovered that Chris and Laura didn't like her at all, constantly neglecting and making things difficult for her.

It was almost laughable. She was the real daughter, yet she felt like the swapped imposter.

Katrina feigned concern and said to Laura, "Mom, maybe I should go see Serena off."

Laura, still fuming, refused. "Don't bother with that little brat. Why should you care? She married that man; she'll get what's coming to her.”

Katrina put on a fake concerned voice, "Mom, she's still my sister. Even if she did something wrong, she's still your daughter."

Laura felt instantly appeased by Katrina's words. "Katrina, you're the good one. You should have been my real daughter."

Katrina smiled happily.

As she stepped outside, she saw Serena still waiting for a ride.