Chapter 3

By the time I arrived, the award ceremony was just about to begin.

The moment I walked into the hall, I saw Sebastian arm in arm with Jolene, toasting the guests.

Everyone praised them for being a match made in heaven.

I also saw my father, Maurice Coleman. He took Jolene as his goddaughter in front of the media. Even from far away, I could see the affectionate fatherly look in his eyes when he looked at her.

He publicly announced, "I will transfer 30 percent of my shares to Jolene as her wedding gift for marrying Sebastian."

A shy smile appeared on Jolene's face as she buried her face in Sebastian's arms.

The moment I walked up to them, Dad frowned and asked me harshly, "Why are you here? Is this the kind of place you should be showing up at? You may not care about yourself, but I still care about my reputation!

"You're a murderer! If I were you, I would've hidden in some dark corner and not shown myself. If you know what's good for you, hurry up and divorce Sebastian so Jolene can take your place!"

I clenched my hands so tightly that my knuckles turned pale. "Dad, I'm your daughter. I'm your flesh and blood!"

In order to completely distance himself from me, Dad suddenly raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face.

He roared, "How much longer are you going to embarrass us? Get out!"

Countless cameras instantly turned toward my face.

Jolene seemed frightened by Dad's actions and timidly hid in Sebastian's embrace. He had been busy socializing with some guests, but he instinctively shielded her first while shooting a piercing gaze at me.

Even Carl, who normally teared up whenever I accidentally cut my finger while cooking, showed no concern at all for my humiliation.

Dad clutched at his chest and shouted, "Why didn't you just die in prison back then? Why did you have to come out and disgrace the family? How did I give birth to a daughter like you?"

When I remained silent, he raised his hand again to hit me.

Sebastian glanced at my swollen cheek and frowned. Instinctively, he came over to stop Dad.

"Maurice…"

But there was a sudden commotion in the crowd as an important guest made a grand entrance.

Jolene's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Sebastian's hand. "Seb, the chairman is here. Take me over to say hello, okay? Don't worry. At the end of the day, Maurice is still Pamela's biological father. He won't really do anything to her."

And just like that, she pulled him away. After taking two steps, he turned back and coldly glanced at me, as though warning me not to cause trouble.

Some of Jolene's angry fans grabbed water bottles and hurled them at me. More people joined in. Soon, they were throwing salad and vegetables onto my body.

Sebastian ignored all of it. Linking arms with Jolene, he walked away calmly without a care.

I left the hall in humiliation.

Behind me, Dad's mocking voice rang out. "You have no conscience to speak of! How did I even produce such a terrible human being?"

I found the restroom and was about to clean myself up. But just a moment later, Jolene walked in.

She looked at me provocatively and said smugly, "How does it feel, Pamela? The golden girl has become the person everyone loathes. Don't you find it thrilling?

"Your father was right. You should've died in prison back then. At first, I only wanted to win the award and force you away while I was at it. Who knew Carl would be such an idiot and switch the eye drops?"

At that, she covered her mouth and laughed loudly. "I should really thank you for helping me get rid of my biggest threat. Now, I'm a gold award winner, and you're a murderer. Even an idiot would know who to choose, let alone Seb."

Every word she spoke turned into knives stabbing into my heart.

I had lost all my dignity as a doctor. For five whole years, I had lived every day in guilt and remorse! The people I loved—even my own father—had all wished for my death. They were the ones who had destroyed my bright and promising future.

At that moment, I lost control of my reason. Unable to suppress my rage, I raised my hand to slap Jolene.

She didn't dodge or resist in the slightest bit. After taking my slap, she suddenly screamed dramatically and crashed her body to the side.

She exclaimed, "Ah! If you don't want me wearing this jewelry, I'll take it off and give it back to you. Why did you hit me, Pamela?"

The next second, Sebastian and Carl rushed in from outside.

When Sebastian saw the blood flowing from my forehead, his eyes paused briefly with concern before his expression quickly darkened.

He said grimly, "No need to take it off. A murderer like her isn't worthy of wearing the symbolic jewelry worn by the lady of the Lester family and showing it off in public."

So, he hadn't forgotten about the significance of that set of jewelry after all.

Carl nodded in agreement too. "Exactly. A murderer doesn't deserve to be my mother!"

As he spoke, he viciously kicked me in the stomach. "I don't have a mother as evil as you! You're the worst!"

My face turned deathly pale as I clutched my stomach and collapsed onto the floor.

Where they couldn't see, Jolene's lips curled up into a taunting smile, as if she were saying, "See? There's no place for you here anymore."

Before I lost consciousness, I felt deeply grateful that I still had the ability to choose to leave. Just one more day, and I would never have to see my heartless husband and son ever again.