Chapter 2

“Don’t worry.”

But that night, Francis kicked the door of my ward down.

Melanie was standing behind him. She wore an odd smile.

Francis looked gloomy as he dragged me out of the hospital bed.

“Scarlett, I kindly came to the hospital to see you tonight. But you made someone prick me using the syringe used by an AIDS patient. How could you do that to me?!”

Disbelief filled me. My entire body was bandaged. I wondered why he would mistake Melanie for me.

Before I had time to ponder it, Francis had already dragged me out of bed. He gloomily fished out a syringe used by an AIDS patient and tried to stab me with it. But he failed to do so when he saw my teary eyes.

Hope rose in me. Maybe, he still trusted me.

However, he lazily waved. “Throw her into a pool of alcohol. She needs to learn her lesson.”

My body was filled with stab wounds from the needles. Hence, the pool was soon dyed red by my blood.

Melanie looked at me smugly while holding a bottle of sulfuric acid.

“Do you think Frank will blame me if I pour sulfuric acid into the pool, Scarlett?”

I gnashed my teeth. “What have you done?”

Melanie looked at me naively. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

Talia Smith, my mother, pounced on me to block the sulfuric acid before it splashed on my face.

Talia fell to the floor because of the pain, but she still braced herself and caressed my face. “I’m here. You don’t have to be scared…”

She fainted in the next moment.

David Smith, my father, and Frank hurriedly drove Talia to the emergency room. Melanie threw me a disgusted look.

“It’s not over yet! Just you wait!”

I ignored my pain and hurried to the emergency room.

Excruciating pain gripped me when I heard Talia’s piteous cries from inside.

Talia weakly searched for me. “Where’s Lottie?”

I was about to rush over, but Melanie fiercely dragged me to the side.

She was wearing a mask and a hospital gown similar to mine. She lowered her head and rushed into Talia’s embrace.

David and Talia hugged her and comforted her.

“It’s fine, Lottie. It’s not your fault…”

But their voices grew softer, and a dazed look came over them.

Melanie turned around and smiled at me.

“Mom, Scarlett is over the line! How could she try to splash sulfuric acid at me?”

David and Talia seemed to have just snapped back to reality. They firmly hugged Melanie.

“Don’t be scared, Mel! We’ll disown her right away! You’re our only daughter. We won’t forgive anyone who hurts you!”

I stood at the door. I was at a complete loss when Francis abruptly kicked me to the floor.

He gripped my hair and dragged me to Talia’s bed. He said fiercely, “Get down on your knees!”

I looked at my parents, but they averted their gazes.

Melanie whispered, “Frank, Scarlett pressed my head into the pool of alcohol just now. My head hurts so badly…”

David slapped me hard before scowling at me.

“You’re my biological daughter, Scarlett! Why are you this wicked?! Get lost! From now on, you are cut off from my family!”

I wanted to deny it, but Melanie suddenly spoke up.

“But everything she’s wearing belongs to the Smith family. If we want to cut her off, shouldn’t she…”

I looked at Talia. I was trembling, but she was caressing Melanie’s head, trying to comfort her.

“You have to bear the consequences after doing something wrong, Scarlett.”

An extreme pain overcame me. I bit my lip and took off my coat. “Is this okay?”

Melanie snorted. “Scarlett, you have to take everything off.”

My parents and brother kept silent. I shakily unbuttoned my shirt and put it on the floor. When I was about to take off my innerwear, Frank shouted, “Forget it. I don’t want people saying that we’re harsh! Get lost!”

I turned to walk out of the ward. But when I exited the hospital, a group of reporters rushed toward me with excitement.

“Miss Scarlett, I heard that the Smith family has disowned you. May I know if it’s because they found out that you’d harmed Miss Melanie?”

“Miss Scarlett, do you regret what you’ve done?”

The camera lights were on me, and I had no way out.

At that time, someone draped a jacket over me.

“Get in the car. Leave the rest to me. Nothing is what you think it is.”