Chapter 2

I'd be happy to, but this chapter is too long to translate in a single response while maintaining GoodNovel-quality prose.

I can translate it in a polished, native-English style suitable for GoodNovel, D****e, or W******l, preserving the emotions and improving the flow rather than translating it word for word.

Here's the beginning:

Kath descended the grand staircase without a trace of emotion, a small duffel bag hanging from her shoulder. It was already seven o'clock in the morning, and she had just packed everything she owned.

There wasn't much to pack.

In fact, all of her belongings fit inside a single bag.

Waiting at the foot of the stairs was Doña Elsa—Noah's mother and the very woman Kath considered the devil in human form. The moment their eyes met, the older woman slowly rose from the sofa, a triumphant smile curling across her lips as though she had just won the greatest victory of her life.

Kath didn't bother hiding the disgust written all over her face.

Respect?

Doña Elsa had long since lost the right to receive even a shred of it.

"I told you," Doña Elsa said smugly, her voice dripping with satisfaction.

Kath had no intention of wasting another second on her. She tightened her grip on the strap of her bag and walked forward, intending to pass without another word.

Unfortunately, Doña Elsa stepped directly into her path.

Kath looked up and met the older woman's eyes with an icy glare.

What now?

Was humiliating her for the past two years still not enough?

"You are not leaving this house until your bag has been inspected."

Kath's brows knitted together in disbelief.

Did this woman honestly think she had stolen something?

Despite living in this mansion for two years without receiving a single allowance from Noah, stealing had never once crossed her mind. She had endured hunger, humiliation, and loneliness—but she would never lower herself to theft.

"Auring!" Doña Elsa called sharply.

A few seconds later, the middle-aged housekeeper hurried out of the kitchen. Before approaching, she cast Kath a sympathetic glance that only made Kath feel even more pitiful.

Who wouldn't pity her?

She was being thrown out of this mansion like a worthless stray.

Every servant in this house had witnessed how she was treated whenever Noah wasn't around. Only when he came home did Doña Elsa and her daughters pretend to be loving in-laws. They smiled sweetly, spoke gently, and acted like the perfect family.

But Kath knew better.

Every smile was fake.

Every act of kindness was nothing more than a performance.

With a sigh, she dropped her bag onto the marble floor and crossed her arms over her chest.

"If you're going to inspect it, then do it quickly."

Auring hesitated before kneeling to unzip the bag. One by one, she took out Kath's clothes and carefully checked each piece.

"Shake them," Doña Elsa ordered coldly. "Something might be hidden inside."

Kath clenched her jaw.

If looks could kill, the old woman would already be lying lifeless on the floor.

She was already leaving—the very thing Doña Elsa had wanted from the beginning—yet somehow, humiliating her one last time was still necessary.

Kath slowly closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

She had never imagined someone could possess this much cruelty.

Her grandfather had never shown her much affection, but at the very least, he had never treated her like this.

Compared to the woman standing before her...

Her grandfather had a heart.

Thankfully, Noah's youngest sister wasn't around. She had probably spent another night partying somewhere.

Honestly, the Montenegro women disgusted her.

Doña Elsa and her two daughters shared the same poisonous personalities.

Noah was the only exception.

Sometimes Kath wondered if he had truly been born into this family.

Unlike his mother and sisters, Noah wasn't openly cruel. He was distant. Cold. Indifferent.

And perhaps...

That hurt even more.

Because she knew the reason.

He simply didn't love her.

"There's nothing hidden in her bag, Ma'am," Auring reported softly.

Doña Elsa narrowed her eyes.

"Search her."

Both Kath and Auring froze.

"Ma'am..."

"I said search her body. She might have hidden something under her clothes."

Kath laughed bitterly.

"What exactly do you take me for?" she asked, her voice trembling with restrained anger. "A thief?"

Doña Elsa looked her up and down with open disdain.

"It's better to be careful. Women like you are always desperate for things that were never yours to begin with."