Chapter 3

Gina flinched at the news. After all, she had pushed me off that cliff with her own hands.

Her expression tightened. "W-When did you see her? She has been out of touch for a while. Everyone's worried sick."

The caller paused, recalling, "A few days ago. I went to the hospital and ran into her. Her face was deathly pale."

Gina let out a tiny breath of relief, quickly masking it with performed panic. "Don't talk nonsense. Mabel isn't like that."

Nicolas exhaled sharply through his nose, his face reddening with fury. "That disgraceful tramp, embarrassing us out there for the world to see! How did I end up with such a shameless daughter?"

Jeremy patted Leo's shoulder. "Good thing you never liked her. Mabel's just a lying, filthy witch."

Leo nodded solemnly, then looked at Gina tenderly. "The only woman I love is Gina. I would never marry someone as shameless as Mabel."

Listening to his righteous tone, I gave a cold, mocking smile.

Of course. Whether it was my fault or not, none of them had listened to my explanations. They just convicted me in their heads, no evidence required.

I had lived on eggshells, praying only to survive. But they made even that an impossible dream.

I could have lived. After Gina knocked me unconscious and pushed me off the cliff, I woke up with 1% battery left on my phone.

Thinking of Nicolas and my brothers, who blamed me for my mother's death and always sided with Gina, I made a desperate choice and called the one person who was supposed to save me—Leo Sawyer, captain of the rescue team.

I still remembered vaguely, before I was kidnapped as a child, how he had held my hand and sworn, "Mabel, I'll protect you forever."

But memories had become nothing but chains keeping me cold and alone.

With the last breath left in me, I had begged, "My phone's dying. Please come save me."

Before I could even say where I was, he had cut me off with irritation. "Another accident? You think I'd believe you? Die somewhere I don't have to see you."

Before the line went dead, I heard him coo to Gina, "Does your ankle hurt? Mabel caused all this by dragging you alone to hike. And now she's faking an injury and asking me to save her. Pathetic."

I felt as though I could hear my blood spilling out of me. Heavy raindrops beat against the torn skin on my face. The pain was gone; only a hollow numbness remained.

The tight, sour pull of my heart reminded me of the cruel reality. That was the day I died, abandoned by the entire world.

And even then, I still foolishly longed for my family to accept me, to clear my name, to have my brothers apologize, and to have Nicolas hold me and believe me.

Gina's voice brought me back, fake concern dripping from every syllable. "Maybe we should wait for her to come home and ask whose child she is carrying. If Mom were alive to see this, she'd be heartbroken."

Nicolas patted her shoulder, comforting her. "Don't worry. I'll make her get rid of that child. Once she comes back, I'll cut ties with her. Your mother died looking for her, and she wouldn't even come home to pay her respects."

Just like that, Gina easily stoked their rage again. She lowered her gaze, hiding the gloat in her eyes.

"Guys, don't be upset," she murmured. "She just blames you for adopting me. She never cared about Mom or this family."

Jeremy's veins bulged on his neck as he ground out, "That ungrateful piece of trash! Dad was too lenient, just blacklisting her. We should have broken her legs and locked her in an asylum."

All the pain and hatred I had swallowed for years exploded inside me. I wanted to grab him and scream that I'd never done anything wrong.

I'd gone to the OB-GYN clinic only because I found a pregnant woman fainting on the street and rushed her to the hospital.

But my family never even looked at the medical report. They simply decided that I had fooled around and gotten pregnant.

Gina stole my design work, leaving me no choice but to get a job, but Nicolas shut every door. He threw a teacup at my forehead, not caring about the blood running down my face.

"You're the daughter of the richest man in the city, and you want to take a menial job?" he roared. "You want to humiliate me?"

Desperate, I entered small anonymous contests to survive. With the prize money I earned, I bought them gifts, only to be tossed straight into the trash.

To them, everything I did was just a ploy to get more of their money. When I tried to break off the engagement with Leo so he could be with Gina, he slapped me hard enough to make my ears ring.

The man who once promised to protect me sneered, "You want to break the engagement now? So, people will think Gina bullied you? You just want to ruin her reputation."

Orlando's phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. Neville's panicked voice came through. "Boss, is your sister at home?"

Orlando glanced fondly at Gina. "Of course, she's home. Calling to congratulate her on entering the finals?"

Neville let out a shaky breath. "I mean Mabel."

Orlando's face darkened instantly. "Why are you asking about her? She's off doing God knows what. Her phone's been off for days. No one can find her."

After a pause, Neville spoke again, his voice tight like a wire about to snap. "You should come to the station right now. We think she has been murdered."