Lahat ng Kabanata ng Love, Lies and Legacy: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 8

"I fell. Anyway, my period just started—can you step out for a bit?" I said without emotion.Nicholas froze for a moment before I pushed him out the door. “What’s there to cry about just because your period came?” he muttered.Leaning against the door, I slid to the floor, utterly drained. I didn’t understand. Three years ago, Nicholas would have made me hot chocolate, and prepared heating pads and hot water bottles without being asked. Now, he complained that I was being dramatic. How could a coma turn him into someone I hardly recognized? The next morning, I spoke to my landlord and arranged to move into a small studio apartment. Nicholas and I had shared this place, but with me ending the lease early, the two thousand dollar rent would now fall entirely on him. Not that it mattered—I'd been the one paying the rent all along. After packing my belongings, I was about to head out when I overheard hushed voices outside. “Stop it! Why are you here so early today?”

Nicholas’s words made my head pound. My chest tightened, and I felt a sudden chill come over me. Was it raining? “Beatrix.” Through the misty rain, a man approached, holding an umbrella. His well-tailored black coat accentuated his tall, upright figure, and sharp features. “Get in the car. I’ll take you to see your mom.” Sitting on the warm leather seat, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Trevor broke the silence abruptly. “The cemetery is pretty high up the mountain and the temperature will drop by at least ten degrees. There’s a women’s down jacket in the back seat. Put it on.” I glanced at the label. It was a best-selling winter item, and its official price tag far exceeded what I had in my savings. “Thanks. I’ll clean it before returning it,” I muttered. “No need. It’s yours,” Trevor replied indifferently.As I placed the flowers on my mother’s grave, I caught sight of a familiar figure in the distance—someone who bore a striking resemblance to Pearl. Could

Trevor hung up the phone and turned to me, his face filled with concern.“I’ve asked my lawyer to gather the relevant evidence. For now, avoid looking at your phone, it’ll only affect your mood.”He was right. There was so much going on that my emotions had almost turned numb. The insults from strangers didn’t bother me. I was an orphan, and they could only bombard my Instagram account with their fury.Before work, Trevor gave me a new SIM card, one just for work. It was more convenient that way.I handed over access to my Instagram account to Trevor’s lawyer for handling. The lawyer contacted some of the victims who had been scammed by Pearl before, as well as some media outlets, and started exposing her slanderous actions.Netizens realized their kindness had been manipulated, and apart from a small group of blind followers who stubbornly resisted, most people began turning against Pearl.In no time, Pearl, who once posed as a defender of the disabled, became a notorious

The police determined that my parents died from carbon monoxide poisoning and the summer heat had accelerated the decomposition of their bodies. I was lucky. As soon as I realized something was wrong, I opened the window and called the police. Everyone said that I had survived a great disaster and that good fortune would follow. But after that day, I became an orphan. Luckily, my teacher applied for a scholarship for me. With the help of part-time jobs, I managed to get through high school without much trouble. When I met Nicholas, I was still attending a junior college. He looked at me with regret and said, “With your grades, you shouldn’t be here, Beatrix.” I was numb to his words. Over the years, I didn’t know what I was living for. Without family, friends, or any ambitions, I lived each day in a daze, staring at the blue sky outside my rented room. Because of the debts my parents had left behind, the small home I had lived in for twelve years was taken away. “