Chapter 3

Karen, who typically carried herself like a refined lady, had now completely lost all semblance of control.

That resounding slap definitively extinguished any reverence I had once felt for Karen. I stayed silent, struggling to hold back my tears as I fixed my gaze on Karen, who was standing before me.

Yet, Karen perceived me as the embodiment of malice, uttering cutting remarks that tore into my very core. "Who do you think you are? How dare you harm my daughter! Why don't you just drop dead? You've been nothing but trouble. I don't expect you to be as brilliant as Liam and Tina, but at the very least, you shouldn't be so wicked! I truly wish I had given birth to Tina instead."

I clenched my hands tightly, gathering my composure before saying, "It's not my fault. You are well aware that it was Tina who cheated on the exam. I never—"

Yet, before I could complete my sentence, Liam cut me off. "Have you lost your mind, Kiara? You ought to know that Tina's excellence is common knowledge, having ranked first in every high school exam. You, on the other hand, were always dead last. How dare you accuse Tina like that!"

I merely looked at the people before me. I had endless explanations and mountains of evidence against Tina. Ever since I got into Evergreen High School as the top-ranking student, Tina had always switched out all my test papers. This competition was the only time she didn't manage to pull it off.

Still, I knew that no matter what I said, my family wouldn't believe me, as Tina was the only one they cared about.

Tina, nestling in Karen's embrace, looked at me tauntingly. She said, "I know this is all my doing, and you dislike me, Kiara, but I hold no grudge against you. I only wish that I had perished in that accident."

Upon hearing that, Karen and Liam, who were already seething with revulsion, became even more enraged.

Karen directly pointed her finger at me, yelling, "You vile creature! You lured Tina into the river and almost drowned her ten years ago! You wouldn't even be around if Tina hadn't been so magnanimous. How dare you still target her! You are to withdraw from school today! You ought to head back to the countryside and never come near Tina again!"