Chapter 1

In the dimly lit private room, Carl Lester frowned in confusion.

He said, "Dad, how can you still not trust me? I've done a great job keeping everything a secret these past few years. That idiot never suspected a thing. Once Ms. Short wins the photography award, our family will finally be able to live a good life."

Sebastian Lester sighed cautiously and replied, "Don't let your guard down. The most important thing is for Jolene to win the award. When Jolene's work goes on display, we'll still need to use her to create media buzz.

"Netizens nowadays love playing moral police. With her as a contrast, Jolene becoming wildly famous is only a matter of time."

Carl nodded like he understood, but not completely. "Fine. I'll put up with her since she is still somewhat useful. Otherwise, I'd feel disgusted even calling her Mom. How can a former convict like her be worthy of being my mother? How is she worthy of being with you?"

I had always thought Carl was sensible and lovable. Now, he was viciously mocking me with unbelievably cruel words.

My mind went blank. I couldn't believe any of this was real.

Five years ago, I treated a patient suffering from an eye disease. She was a well-known photographer.

After hearing that I had a way to ease her pain, she came to me for help.

But during her final treatment, the eye drops had been switched with industrial cleaner. Her eyeballs became damaged, and she went completely blind. Unable to accept the blow, she jumped from the 20th floor.

After the hospital investigated, the only thing they found on the bottle was my fingerprint. No matter how I defended myself, it was useless. I was sentenced to five years in prison.

By the time I was released, the Medical Alliance had expelled me. Feeling disgraced, my family had cut all ties with me and had driven me out.

Everyone treated me like trash. The photographer's fans publicly condemned me everywhere. Even beggars on the street knew I was a murderer.

Just when I was drowning in despair and ready to swallow a handful of pills to kill myself, Sebastian and Carl found me in the nick of time.

He held my hand tightly and said sincerely, "Pamela, I believe you. You're a kind person. You would never do something like that."

Ignoring the objections of his family elders, he brought me home.

The two of them had been like a beam of sunlight that illuminated my dark world. I regained the hope to keep living and willingly devoted myself to taking care of them.

But I never expected that all those years I wrongfully suffered in silence had only been to help Jolene gain fame and praise.

Tears silently slid from my eyes as I dragged my heavy steps away from the private room. The salvation I once believed in had actually been a carefully planned trap from the very beginning.

In a daze, I returned home, wanting to find more evidence of the conspiracy between Sebastian and Carl. I went into Sebastian's study and yanked open the drawers. Then, I started searching frantically.

In the bottom drawer, I found a thick stack of letters carefully stored away. Every single one was a love letter Sebastian had written to Jolene. There were 99 of them in total. Inside the final pink envelope was a diamond ring he had treasured for years.

He poured all his love into those letters. Each and every word was filled with deep affection.

To everyone else, Sebastian was a man of few words. After so many years of marriage, I had never once heard a single confession of love from him.

It turned out he wasn't incapable of saying such things. He had simply saved them all for another woman.

I closed my eyes in bitter disbelief and gathered up all the letters wordlessly.

Five years ago, Jolene had only been an up-and-coming photographer. She had been constantly overshadowed by my patient. So, she lacked the chance to become famous.

So, Sebastian and Carl had switched the eye drops. Jolene lost her strongest competitor and transformed into an internationally renowned photographer overnight.

Meanwhile, I became the murderer everyone hated and scorned.

How ironic.