Roxanne never expected her father would sell her out to be a disabled man's wife, instead of her step-sister, Reina. Heartbroken and threatened with her brother's treatment, Roxanne discovered Reina had seduced her fiancee and got pregnant for him. Hurt and escaping from home, she ended up at a bar and made one of the greatest mistakes of her life but it later turned out to be worth it, as the entire thing was a big misunderstanding. Her husband-to-be wasn't disabled, it was something more. He was the perfect man and Reina grew to regret her decision, to forsake the privilege to be his bride. As he helped her raise up, Roxanne discovered a heart-shattering truth her father was hiding from her.
Lihat lebih banyakCHAPTER 1
“Father.” Roxanne’s voice rang out in the living room as she watched the man supposed to be her father, support her stepmother in her evil decisions.
“Don't call me your father if you can't even do such a simple task as this.” Roxanne’s father, Mr. Derek Renwick spat out, sitting beside his wife, Evelyn Renwick.
“Father, you want me to get married to a disabled man? To a man rumored to be even more ugly than a dog?” She asked again as tears rolled down her face, staining her face and shirt in the process. All these words coming from Derek were because his wife, Evelyn, suggested that Roxanne get married in place of Reina, her stepsister, To the son of the Sébastien family. The son is rumored to be handicapped and ugly.
Everyone knew that the Sébastien family was the richest in the whole of Northpass City. Being the only old-money family to own half of the riches of the Northpass region. The Sébastien family also had three sons, but two were allegedly killed in a plane crash that happened some years back. Now they were left with just one son who never showed himself to the public, and he was even rumored to have become a handicap after the incident.
A few days back, The Renwick family had faced crashes In business and the only people capable of helping the family climb back to the ladder of success happened to be the renowned old money Sébastien family.
Derek reached out to them for help, but the Sébastien family saw the Renwick's as nothing before them, and they found out about the Renwick's daughters. The Sébastien family then sent a proposal to the Renwicks, asking for their daughter's hand in marriage for their only surviving son, Ciel Sébastien, In exchange for a partnership in making the Renwick family legacy blossom in Northpass.
Initially, everyone knew Reina as the only daughter of the Renwicks, given that Roxanne wasn't even treated as a maid, not to talk of a family member.
Roxanne sniffed as she watched her father looking nonchalant without a care in the world.
“But father, why me?” She asked, knowing fully that the question was dumb, considering that her father would always give the same answer.
“What do you mean why?” It was Evelyn this time, “You're the oldest one amongst you two and you're the rightful person fit for this marriage. Besides, the Sébastien s are crazily rich, they'll take care of you and you don't have to suffer anymore” She said casually as she sipped the wine before her.
“But they didn't even ask for my hand in marriage!” Roxanne raised her voice this time, thinking they would at least see the sense she was trying to make. But Derek got mad and stood up to hit her across the face.
“Firstly, you don't raise your voice for us, and Secondly, you will get married whether they asked for your hand in marriage or not. Without this marriage, our family will crumble and your brother needs medical help as fast as possible or he might die, right? Also, our Sofia is too beautiful for him. You'll do just fine. You're fat and ugly.”
Hearing the words coming out of her own father’s mouth, Roxanne felt her body tremble.
He spoke as if Finn and herself weren't his own.
“Father, he is your son. Why are you saying all this? Finn needs money for his surgery.” Roxanne said again, trying to make him understand her words since he seemed not to have heard her the first time.
Derek gave her a disgusted look and snorted, “Finn is not my son, your mother was a cheating whore!” He spat out, making Roxanne freeze in her tracks as his words registered in her mind.
Her mother? A whore?
“Father! How could you?!” She yelled again in anger as her tears fell down her face. Derek said nothing more and just sat down with Evelyn who had a smirk on her face.
“Reina is my precious daughter, the only young lady of the Renwick family and to you, do you think she deserves to end up with a disabled child like Ciel Sébastien ?” Derek asked as she stood quietly, Roxanne watched her father as pain flooded her senses.
There was nothing else she could do at this point. Finn was her younger brother and he was currently hospitalized since he was diagnosed with a severe case of Aortic dissection requiring immediate surgical intervention.
But Evelyn had suggested that they would only help in taking care of Finn’s hospital and surgical bills if only Roxanne agreed to marry Ciel in place of her Reina.
She was left in a dilemma of marrying a man she never even knew for her brother's sake, or refusing the marriage and losing her only family, Finn.
Derek watched her expressions, seeing the hurt, pain and other emotions that were heart-wrenching.
“I can't do it Father, I just can't.” She said softly and without waiting for a response, she dashed out of the living room and out of the house. Her tears weren't drying up no matter how hard she tried to hold it in.
Just when she thought all hope was lost, she remembered her fiance, Devian Willow. The only son of the Willow family.
She had been betrothed to him for a few years and in those few years, she never asked him for any financial help. She would rather struggle for the money than ask him for help. But at this point, she was desperate for help in saving her brother’s life.
With the newfound hope, she got into a taxi and went straight to Devian’s house which was a few blocks away from the Renwick Manor. Hopefully, Devian would help her since he was her fiance.
The Taxi arrived at the entrance of Devian's house In no time and she got down from the taxi. After paying up, she hastily made her way into the premises and straight to the front door. The door was locked, surprising her as she had already seen his car in the parking lot.
She shrugged it off and just reached into her bag to pull out the spare key Devian had given her for his apartment.
She unlocked the door and stepped in. The living room was empty and she raised a brow in surprise, but quickly shrugged and headed upstairs to his bedroom.
Halfway to Devian's bedroom, Roxanne heard strange noises, or so she thought, coming from Devian’s bedroom. She hastened her footstep, thinking a burglar broke in.
But when she got to the door, she discovered that it was slightly open.
She reluctantly peeked in, to confirm If truly it was a burglar, but what she saw next shattered her entire world and hope.
Right before her, Devian was making out with another woman on his bed.
Roxanne subconsciously placed a hand on her chest as pain assaulted her.
Betrayal left a sore taste in her mouth.
Without warning, she went ahead to push the door open, to confront Devian for his actions.
“Devian!” she yelled and prepared to lash out at the woman in his arms, but the head that poked out to meet hers was none other than Reina Renwick's.
Roxanne’s words got stuck in her throat, seeing that her fiance was having an affair with her stepsister.
The wine glass trembled slightly in Evelyn’s hand as she waited in the dimly lit lounge of James Ferguson’s private estate. The soft ticking of the grandfather clock was the only sound in the room. It had been days since her release, and in that time, her world had shifted into something grotesquely unfamiliar. Her relationship with Derek can be described as strained.He barely looked at her and spoke to her, unless she does.She bad not seen her daughter since she cane back.James had told them she was being attended to in a mental institution.He did not tell them the location and spoke like he wanted them to know.She and Derek had also been too disoriented to ask.Evelyn was a woman used to control. To power. To having answers before questions were asked.Now, she had none.The door opened smoothly. James entered with his usual charisma wrapped in tailored black, his expression unreadable but his eyes sharp as razors.“You came,” he said, voice soft yet mocking. “I was not su
Few days after Derek and Evelyn were released, Devian was finally released.Ciel had captured him alongside Derek and Evelyn as a collateral then.But he also decided he was no more a threat.His time in detention should have been enough to teach him a lesson.Aside his businesses he lost, now he would know better than to mess with Ciel and Roxanne.He found his way back to his father's mansion after his release.The house was silent and he felt like his family had moved out.The usual ambience was not always this quiet.He knew his absence would have caused a lot of commotion.And now that he is back, he was hoping his return would be joyous.Especially when they see him.But now, everything was looking grim.He walked slowly up the path that leads to the house, as each step felt heavier than the last.The grandeur of the mansion felt hollow, even though it still looks imposing.It was not the home he remembered.Right now, it looks more like a shell of pride and past glory.The door
After James left, Derek had been sober.For the first time in many years, he wandered through his house with heavy heart.For the past few weeks, he had been held captive, but now, he was free.But for some reasons, the wight on his shoulders felt more heavier than ever.As he stood in the hallway, the distant ticking of the clock echoed through the house like a countdown to something he was not sure he could face.Everything felt different. The light did not shine the same way through the windows. The warmth of the place was gone, stripped away by betrayal, regret, and the unbearable truth.He moved slowly through the foyer, his steps heavy with uncertainty. On the far wall hung a series of framed pictures.The ones he had passed a thousand times but never truly looked at.His eyes locked on a small photo tucked near the edge. It was old, faded at the corners, but unmistakable.It was that of Roxanne.She was barely five years old when the picture was taken.Her smile was angelic.
On the outskirts of the city, an isolated building, almost like a safe house, stood.They sky above hung low with soem thick gray clouds, which cast a somber hue over the building.It was the institution where mentally ill people are kept and being catered for.It was the place Reina had been brought to few weeks earlier when she broke down.The weight of everything was too much for her, and with the absence of her parents, she lost her drive and it affected her.James had wasted no time in rescuing her and bringing her here.It was the least he could do since he realized she was his daughter.The iron gates to the building creaked loudly , and opened to allow a black car enter in silently.James Ferguson was sitting in the black car, looking composed.He had a firm expression on as his fingers tap the armrest in a rhythmic manner.The car came to a stop, and the driver stepped out, opening the door. James adjusted the cuffs of his tailored coat and stepped into the cold air, the sce
The taxi pulled over in front of the house.Derek and Evelyn came out slowly with heavy emotions on their face.Luckily for them, Derek had some rumpled notes from months ago in his pocket, with which he paid the cab man.And off he sped.Leaving Derek and Evelyn.Isolated.They were two broken figures, their pride gone.They went in.The whole house was silent.Looking at it, there seems to be no one around.The maids must have left when their bosses disappeared.Evelyn stared out the window at the overcast sky, her hands wrapped tightly around a cup of untouched tea. Derek sat across from her, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor as though the answers to his life’s ruin might appear in the carpet fibers.The doorbell rang.Evelyn stiffened."Expecting anyone?" Derek asked, his voice brittle from not talking.She shook her head slowly. Derek stood and approached the door cautiously. When he opened it, the last person he expected to see stood on the porch, flanked by two suite
It was barely afternoon when a black SUV pulled over to a quiet stop at the edge of the city one day.The gravel crunched beneath it's tires as it screeched to a stop.The door opened and two figures came out slowly.They were Derek and Evelyn.They were both silent.It has been exactly two months since they were taken into custody by Ciel's private security team.They had been isolated in different cells.No contact with one another and with the outside world.They had thought they had no chance at forgiveness, and redemption.Until today, which was rather unexpected.Derek looked thinner, the weight of his sins having carved hollows into his cheeks. His once-confident stance now sagged with uncertainty. Evelyn, usually poised and sharp-tongued, looked weary, as though her guilt had aged her ten years.The doors of the SUV slammed shut behind them, startling them both. A single security agent nodded at them before turning his attention to the road."You're free to go. You've serve
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