002

Camilla's POV:

After completing my kitchen chores, I heaved a sigh of relief. Ensuring the kitchen was neat and orderly was the last task I had for the day. I dropped the mop on the floor and strolled to the fridge to get a jug of water to quench my thirst. As I opened the fridge, my attention was drawn to a pack. Inside, I found hamburgers and fries, and my stomach growled at the sight.

Since morning, I had only consumed half a cup of chocolate and a slice of bread. I knew I wouldn't eat again until the next day, as that was the usual food routine for maids in this house.

 "It's not like they would notice if I took a bite,” I thought before taking a bite of the hamburger. From one bite to the next, I found myself devouring the hamburger and fries.

"What the hell?" I froze at the sound of the voice. My mouth stopped moving, and my fingers still. I turned to see Lily approaching me, anger evident on her face. I knew I had landed myself in trouble. The Lily I once called my best friend would not have had an issue with this, but the stranger she had become surely would.

"How dare you steal from us?" she questioned in a sharp tone. Before I could respond, she delivered a resounding slap to my cheek. Six months ago, I would have been shocked, but now, nothing she did could surprise me. If she could set me up with a stranger after getting me drunk just to steal my boyfriend, then there was nothing she couldn't do.

"You are a bloody thief," she accused. "You're so shameless. How can you steal from us after my parents took you in when your criminal parents left you behind?"

I felt anger boiling inside me as I clenched my fists, struggling to hold back from lashing out.

"Who are you looking at like that?" Her voice was laced with mockery as she poked my shoulder repeatedly.

"Stop," I muttered, my fists clenched.

"Oh, she's angry with me. What to do?" she exclaimed. "Come and beat me then for telling the truth about your parents," she added, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look her in the eyes. I could hear my heavy breathing.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. You are exactly like your father, who died as the most wanted criminal in the country, even though you have your mother's features, who is currently lying in a hospital bed like a useless vegetable..." Before she could finish, I punched her in the face, and she staggered backward, staring at me in shock.

"I have had enough of you," I yelled, tears in my eyes. "You can frame me, shame me, and insult me all you want, but you have no right to insult my mother. She has done nothing wrong."

"Mum!" Lily shouted, and soon enough, her mother came rushing into the kitchen. She glanced at me curiously before turning her attention to Lily, who was now crying loudly.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Patricia questioned, rubbing Lily's back. Pointing at me, Lily replied, "Camilla hit me because I caught her stealing food."

"What?" Patricia exclaimed, turning her glare toward me. "How dare you hit my daughter?" she demanded, walking towards me.

"She deserved it," I replied, and she slapped me.

"Apologize to my daughter right now," she commanded.

"She deserved it," I said, standing my ground.

"You're being stubborn, but you seem to have forgotten your place in this house. If you don't apologize to my daughter right now, forget about your mother's hospital bills," she said, and tears trickled down my cheeks.

"I'm sorry," I muttered.

"I want you to beg on your knees," Lily said. Thinking about my mother in the hospital, the only family I had left, I dropped to my knees. "I'm sorry for hitting you, Lily. Please forgive me."

"That will be all for today. The next time you go against me, I will destroy you. Just thank your gods that I am in a good mood today because my boyfriend proposed to me," she said, flashing the diamond ring on her finger at me with a smirk.

"For hitting my daughter and stealing food, you're to starve for a week. I will inform the housekeeper about that. After starving for a week, your senses will come back," Patricia said before leaving the kitchen with Lily, and I fell to the floor crying.

I didn't know whether I was crying because the guy I loved had proposed to my ex-best friend, because I would starve for a week, or because my mother's condition was used to blackmail me. Whatever the reason, the pain was overwhelming, and I just wanted to let everything out. There was nobody I could talk to, so crying was the only option.

After crying until no more tears flowed, I went to my small room and removed my maid uniform. Wrapping a towel around myself, I walked to the bathroom I shared with the other maids. As the cold water from the shower cascaded over me, I closed my eyes and felt a sense of calm wash over me. The only time I felt this way was while bathing. As the cold water caressed every inch of my skin, memories of the night six months ago with the stranger resurfaced, stirring something within me.