Chapter 3

The moment I stepped into the Reed residence, a bodyguard kicked me down to my knees. Mr. Reed Senior glanced at me indifferently, as if he were looking at a pile of garbage.

"Kneel outside for a day and night first."

In the dead of winter, I kneeled outside wearing nothing but thin clothes.

A camera was placed in front of me, and Mr. Reed Senior grabbed my chin as he warned, "You had the guts to hurt my granddaughter, so I'll let your parents see just how I'll torture their precious daughter!"

I looked at the small camera and smiled bitterly. Unfortunately, he was wrong. I was not their precious daughter. They would not feel anything for me.

That night passed very slowly. My vision gradually blurred, and I eventually lost consciousness.

A bucket of bone-chilling water splashed me awake, and a foot stomped hard on my back.

"You were so arrogant when hitting Millie! How are you so weak now?"

I coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood that sprayed onto the pristine snow, blooming like a spider lily.

Mr. Reed Senior snorted coldly and had a bodyguard hand him a knife. He gently slid it along my cheek.

"My granddaughter has three scars on her face. You'll pay for that."

I trembled in terror and closed my eyes in despair as sharp pain shot through my cheek. I screamed and struggled desperately, clutching my blood-covered face.

Meanwhile, Mom, Dad, and Jonathan were in the dining room, celebrating Adriana's narrow escape.

Three days later, I appeared before Jonathan with a scarred face. He froze for a moment. Clearly, he did not recognize me. Two seconds later, he looked at me with heartache, tears glimmering in his eyes.

"Elena... you've been through so much... Don't worry, I'll definitely compensate you! I'll take care of you for the rest of my life!"

He held me tightly in his arms, but when he caught sight of my disfigured face, he averted his gaze.

Five years ago, he fell in love with me at first sight because of my face, saying I was the most beautiful woman in the world. He pursued me frantically, sending me all kinds of expensive gifts. When I told him about the unfair treatment I faced at home, he even wiped the tears from my eyes.

He promised to give me a new home and let me find happiness and joy. He truly loved me then, but when did things start to change?

Probably at the wedding, when he first saw Adriana's face that was identical to mine yet more fragile. Compared to me, she was more in need of protection.

He fell in love with me at first sight because of my face, so naturally, he would feel the same about Adriana, who looked just like me. He might even prefer her due to the feeling of novelty.

Thinking about that, I pushed Jonathan away in disgust and walked upstairs. However, soon after, I heard him on the balcony talking to my parents on the phone.

"It's good that only her face was injured and no other parts. Otherwise, it'd be difficult for her to proceed with the drug trials."

Every word he spoke was like a sharp sword piercing through my heart.

At that moment, I suddenly felt that my impending death might be a good thing. I would no longer have to face all this misery.

With red-rimmed eyes, I opened the door, only to see Adriana lying on my bed. When she saw the scars on my face, she froze for a moment, then slapped the bed and laughed so hard that she could not catch her breath.

The force of her movements showed no trace of her status as a patient. I had known for a long time that she was faking her illness. I had seen her throwing pills into the gutter at school.

I had told Mom and Dad about it once, but it only earned me several slaps and countless insults.

"Elena, we don't look identical anymore. Now, your husband will completely give up on you." She caressed the scars on my face like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

I gripped her wrist and said softly, "It's good if he gives up. He'll belong completely to you."

There were three days left before the drug trials began, and my life was about to come to an end. When the time came, the medication would react in my body. I would break out in rashes, vomit profusely, and be riddled with pain.

Finally, I would have difficulty breathing and get a cardiac arrest due to the complications the drug triggered, leaving behind a cold, foul-smelling corpse.

At that time, what would Mom's, Dad's, and Jonathan's reactions be? Shock? Fear? Would they feel sad for me and shed a tear?

I guessed they would not. They would only feel happy about the departure of someone unwanted.

Three days passed in a flash. Mom, Dad, and Jonathan personally escorted me to the pharmaceutical research center. At the center's entrance, Mom and Dad joyfully embraced Adriana as if the drug trials had already succeeded.

"Hard work really pays off! Adriana, your suffering is finally about to end."

"Let's go have a big feast later to celebrate in advance. We'll have all your favorite dishes."

Jonathan looked at this scene tenderly and stepped forward to hold her hand. "Once you're better, how about I take you on a trip around the world?"

Even though I was the one heading to the execution ground, their attention remained on Adriana. I thought I had grown used to it, but in the final moments of my life, my heart still felt like it was being cut by knives.

I could not help but turn back and ask them, "Will you be sad if I die in the center?"