LOGIN"Did you ever think about how the daughter you abandoned in the desert died in despair? Did you ever consider how she felt when her life slipped away from her fingers like the sand drowning her? "How do you even sleep at night? Did that brave daughter of yours haunt your dreams, demanding your lives?"Every word I spoke was like a poisoned blade, driving straight into their hearts.Heidi covered her face and let out a shrill, broken scream. Derek's face turned ashen, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. Serena had long since gone rigid with fear, sitting frozen in her chair, unable to move.The dark truth had been exposed in the cruelest way possible. I had personally ripped apart the mask of hypocrisy the Carters had worn for a decade. And so, they went from being pitied, heroic parents to monsters despised by all. Now, they were known as murderers with hearts as venomous as snakes.…After the press conference, what awaited them was the judgment of the law.I formally f
Heidi even stopped crying as she stared at me in confusion.I didn't respond to them. Instead, I turned to the large screen. "Now, please turn your eyes to the screen to watch, or rather, listen to a recording."I pressed play.Derek's smug, calculating voice immediately echoed through the entire venue. "Remember to dress modestly tomorrow… Make sure you cry—the more pitiful, the better… Once we show the public that we're related, everything the Sherwood family owns will become ours!"When the recording ended, the hall fell into a deathly silence. Everyone stared at the stunned Carters on the stage, whose faces shifted from flushed cheeks, ecstatic with joy, to pale with shock before finally settling on an ashen, livid green."That's… That's fabricated! She's framing us!" Derek was the first to snap out of it, pointing at me as he shouted hoarsely.Heidi followed with a shrill scream. "That's right! It's fake! We never said those things! She's trying to drive a wedge between the
Only after he finished did I ask evenly, "Are you finished?"Derek paused for a moment. "Yeah, I'm done. Why?""Oh." My voice remained flat. "Well then, I'll let you get back to your daydreams."I hung up the phone right after that and pressed the button to save the recording.…The venue was packed to the brim on the day of the press conference. Top reporters from major media outlets across the country had gathered, cameras and microphones all trained on the stage.The Carters sat on one side, dressed in deliberately worn-out clothes. Their makeup made them look haggard, their eyes red as if from endless crying. Serena, especially, threw herself fully into the role, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a tissue every so often. Yet, her tissue remained dry after all this time.On the other side, I sat with my adoptive parents. I wore a custom white dress, my makeup flawless, my posture composed and radiant.After a brief opening by the host, the Q&A session began.A repor
My gaze was as cold as ice.What they owed me wasn't just a life. They owed me every bit of pain and every nightmare I had suffered over the past 10 years. I would ruin them and strip them of everything they had. I would let them see what it felt like to be abandoned by the entire world.…Over the next week, the Carters shot to notoriety.They accepted interview after interview from major media outlets, tearfully recounting the hardships of searching for their missing daughter for ten long years.In their version of the story, I became a rebellious, ungrateful girl who had run away from home over something trivial, only to be lured away by a wealthy family. As for them? Well, they painted themselves as the patient, loving parents who had never once given up on their child.Public opinion exploded. Countless netizens, unaware of the truth, were taken in by their performance and began condemning me without restraint."This Eliana girl is unbelievable. She has such great parents
"Come home with us, alright? I'll give you everything I have. My room, my clothes, my jewelry… Everything!"Serena acted even more sincerely than her parents. She was behaving as if she hadn't been the one who poured ink into my water cup and stabbed my arm with a compass all those years ago.Ivan's expression had turned glacial, his voice carrying a storm of barely restrained fury. "Security! Throw these three lunatics out!"The guards immediately stepped forward to pull them away, but Heidi clung tightly to my leg, refusing to let go. "I'm not leaving! Not unless my daughter comes with me!"She pulled out her phone as if to dial 911. "Police! I'm calling the police! There are human traffickers here!""Alright," I said quietly.Everyone froze, their attention snapping back to me.I looked down at Heidi, who was kneeling at my feet in a disheveled mess, and a cold curve formed at the corner of my lips. "Since you're so certain that I'm your daughter, let's do a DNA test."My wo
Heidi's scream hit the room like an explosion. Every gaze instantly turned to me. They bore at me and then at Heidi, who seemed on the verge of madness.Derek and Serena were both stunned, staring at me with a mixture of shock and fear.Maria's expression shifted slightly. She tightened her grip on my hand and asked in a low voice, "Eliana, she…"I squeezed her hand in return, giving her a reassuring look before meeting Heidi's bloodshot eyes, speaking calmly, "I'm afraid you have the wrong person. My name is Eliana Sherwood.""No!" Heidi shook her head frantically, tears and snot running down her face. "I wouldn't get it wrong! Absolutely not! Your brows, the mole at the corner of your eye… They're exactly the same as my daughter's! And your eyes!"Her voice grew even sharper as if she was recalling something. "The way you looked at me just now was exactly the same as when she was little after we locked her outside! Her eyes had been so cold and so full of hatred!"Her words mad







