Semua Bab A Worthy Sacrifice: Bab 1 - Bab 10

"Why did you bring a maid to Elaine's birthday party? Send her back, now!" my brother, Quentin Wilde, shouted, pointing at me, who was standing behind Andreas.I glanced down at myself—the cheap clothes I’d bought online had faded from washing, my canvas shoes were worn out, and my hands were covered in calluses from years of lab work. Compared to Elaine's elegance, I really did look more like a maid."Quentin, it's me," I said hoarsely.Quentin glanced at me in shock, then his expression quickly turned to disgust. I followed behind them, tiptoeing into the house. The last time I came home was for Mom's birthday, but she had angrily thrown away the birthday gift I'd carefully prepared. I had also been kicked out of the Wilde residence like I was nothing.Once inside, I discovered that every corner of the house was decked out in birthday decorations, warm and inviting.Andreas went to the study to discuss business with Dad, while Mom accompanied Elaine to her room to change cloth

Mom blurted out, "I want you to give Elaine the bracelet you got from Andy."The bracelet was what the Fitzgerald family had given me when Andreas and I got engaged. Everyone knew this was meant for the future Fitzgerald family daughter-in-law.So, in the end, my bond with Mom as her daughter meant less to her than Elaine's marriage.I turned to look directly into Andreas' eyes and asked sincerely, "Is this what you want, too?"The room fell silent. Andreas kept quiet for a long time. I thought I already knew his answer.Even though I already knew what it would be, my chest tightened with pain, and I struggled to breathe. In the end, I said softly, "If you want the bracelet, I'll give it to you."Elaine's eyes lit up instantly. Even Mom stared at me, as if she couldn't believe her luck.Quentin snapped, "Don't tell me you're thinking of asking for shares in the family company. Let me be clear—that's all going to Elaine. Don't even think about taking what's not yours.""I don't

After returning home that day, Andreas discovered he could no longer reach me by phone. Even my social media accounts had blocked him completely. Kenny Meyers, his assistant, whom he'd sent to pick me up from the hospital, reported back with troubling news."Mr. Fitzgerald, it seems Ms. Wilde has already been picked up by someone else."When Andreas heard that, his mind immediately went to my senior, Samuel. He had never met the man, yet every day, someone told him that I was having an affair with Samuel."Isadora, call me back." He typed those five words with an air of superiority. Then, he set his phone aside to handle work. He figured I was just throwing a tantrum, and he didn't need to indulge my behavior. But time slowly passed. Three minutes turned into half an hour, and then a whole day. Before long, ten days had gone by, yet there was still no response from me.Andreas finally couldn't contain himself and rushed to the hospital, only to be told, "Ms. Wilde was discharged

After Samuel left, Mom clutched her chest and called out my name for the first time in years. She tried to call me but realized she hadn't even saved my phone number. Her phone contained absolutely no trace of my contact information.Then, she ran to my room to look for clues, only to discover that none of my belongings remained there. She asked, "Where are Isadora's things?""Mom, this room is closest to mine, so I moved my piano here for convenience..." Elaine explained."Where's Isadora's stuff?" Mom demanded, glaring at Elaine.Elaine kept her head down, not even daring to meet Mom's eyes. "I threw them out."A loud smack echoed in the room as Mom slapped Elaine hard, her hands trembling. "Since when did you start calling the shots in this house?"No matter how hard she searched, Mom couldn't find a single trace of me. In the end, the only thing she dug out was a signed disownment agreement between the Wilde family and me.With a tearing sound, she ripped the document into s

When I saw Elaine again, she was no longer the elegant woman she once was. Her skin was wrinkled, her hair tangled and crawling with lice, and her entire body reeked of rotting stench. She hissed, "Isadora, you won—you stole Dad, Mom, and Quentin. And now, you even took Andy. You must be so proud now, aren't you?"Stole them? My parents were mine to begin with, and Andreas was the fiance Grandpa had arranged for me. Unfortunately, I no longer wanted any of them.Elaine lunged at me like a madwoman, but the prison guard held her back behind the bars. She screamed in disbelief, voice cracking, "No! There's no way! You gave Andy up? You actually gave him up? That's impossible!"I had only come today to tell her that what she treasured was what I had discarded. Like me, my husband, Callum Beaumont, was a core rocket program member. And unlike Andreas, he could stand shoulder to shoulder with me at the very top."The Wilde family has disowned you," I told Elaine, then gestured at the