Chapter 3

I locked myself in my room. I was too afraid to come out. Terrified, I realized that I was experiencing symptoms of early menopause.

I had no choice but to rush to the nearest hospital. The doctor said that my ovaries were failing.

She sounded apologetic as she said, “Your symptoms are unusual. You’re very young for this. We’ll need to run more tests to understand the cause.”

I knew that this issue would not be solved by medical science.

Someone had snapped a photo of Harriet and me picking up takeout and posted it online.

[Do you all remember Emery Chase, the woman Gordon’s been looking for? This is what she looks like now.]

[Goodness, who’s that hag? Was there a mistake? Emery’s the other woman, right?]

The photo went viral. Something inside me broke when I saw the two women side by side in the photo.

I looked at the white hairs that had started to appear at my temples and the liver spots on the backs of my hands.

I could not deal with it anymore. In a frenzy, I barged into Harriet’s room and ripped the mask off her face.

“What did you do? How are you getting younger while I’m aging overnight? How are you reaping every benefit of my skincare routine?” I asked.

Harriet’s expression twisted with rage before she slapped me. “What are you going on about, you wretch?”

The noise brought Warren running into the room.

He did not say anything when he saw me but slapped me hard.

“Didn’t I tell you to go on a diet? Look at you! You looked pathetic! If Gordon doesn’t like you, I swear you’ll marry that bald guy back in our hometown! You’re such a waste of space!”

I covered my face and glared at him. “You think I haven’t tried? Why don’t you look at her? Tell me this isn’t strange to you! After I turned twenty, whatever skincare I did only benefited her!

“You hit me so openly. Why don’t you ask her what she’s done?”

Warren shot Harriet a look.

In the past, he always cursed at her and called her a hag. He always said that he could not take her anywhere with him because he could not stand looking at her.

But that had changed. Harriet’s skin was fair and smooth. Her figure looked like it belonged to a young woman.

Warren looked shocked.

Harriet cried and said, “Have you seen a doctor? You must have some kind of disease. That’s why you look like this now! How could you come in here and blame me for this?”

Warren nodded. His eyes were glued to Harriet, like he could not bear to look away. He suddenly moved and pulled Harriet into his arms.

He no longer treated her like a hateful hag. He looked at her like she was a goddess.

He turned and kicked me in disgust. “Shame on you! How could you blame your mother for this? You’re just jealous that she’s prettier than you!

“Look at yourself! You don’t look like you’re twenty. You look way worse than your mom.”

I could only scoff as I looked at them. “You keep hitting me and yelling at me. Aren’t you worried I’ll cut you both off once I marry into a wealthy family?”

Warren seemed to be stunned by the fact that I would say such a thing. His expression changed as he looked at me in disbelief.

Harriet covered her face and sobbed loudly. “What a horrible daughter! After everything we’ve done for you, you dare to turn your back on us! Warren, I don’t think we should let her stay here anymore. Get her out of this house so we don’t have to see her again!”