All Chapters of Hate Me Then. Beg Me Now.: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The autumn wind stung my eyes until they burned.I wiped away the tears and rushed to the supermarket. Peanut butter pie was simple in theory, but the filling had to be smooth and the crust perfectly crisp. I told myself this would be the last day the Colobo family sat together, so I made it carefully.The oven chimed just as they came back with Sophia.I carried the pie to the table and glanced toward the living room.They were laughing together.My father, who was always busy, sat across from Sophia, listening as she talked about the hunt at the Rizzo estate. She mimed riding a horse, and he laughed openly.My brother took the glass from her hand.“Let me,” he said, his voice soft with indulgence. “You’re going to the equestrian club tomorrow. Your hands shouldn’t shake. You’ll represent the Colobo family in front of the Rizzos.”Luca Rizzo was there with his parents.It was obvious they were more satisfied with Sophia than they had ever been with me. She was polite, attentive, and n

By the middle of the night, I was finally done packing.There was not much to take. Everything fit into one small suitcase. I had no intention of taking anything that belonged to the Colobo family.I carried the suitcase downstairs.Just as I reached the entrance hall, they came back with Sophia.I stood in the shadows. They did not notice me at first and kept talking among themselves.“Good thing she didn’t eat much,” Luca’s mother said, still shaken. “The reaction wasn’t too serious, but it was frightening. Isabella went too far this time. She needs to apologize to Sophia later.”Sophia spoke in a small voice.“There’s no need. I’m sure Isabella didn’t mean it.”My brother’s voice was cold.“Sophia, you’re too kind. Kindness is a good thing for people in the Colobo family, but not for someone like her. She needs to be punished properly. By the way, haven’t you always wanted her bedroom with the fireplace? Let her give it to you as an apology.”My father frowned, as if he wanted to s

After redecorating Isabella’s room to Sophia’s taste, the Colobo family took her to Switzerland for the ski trip she had always wanted.But after only a week, Marco began to feel restless.He kept checking his phone, but the notification he was waiting for never came. The day before had been his birthday, an important day for the eldest son of the Colobo family. In the past, Isabella had never missed it. Even if she could not be there, her message and gift would always arrive on time. She remembered every date that mattered. Their father had taught her that.This was the first time there was nothing.An uneasy feeling settled in his chest. Something felt wrong.He finally spoke.“Father, I want to go back.”Victor had been in a foul mood as well. Over the past two days, he had been drinking more than usual. The bottle of whiskey on the bar had gone down by nearly half in less than a day. He poured himself another glass but did not answer right away.Nearby, Sophia was playing with a sn

Time passed at a steady, quiet pace.Life at the institute was calmer than I had imagined. Every morning, I reported to the lab at seven, and every night, the lights went out at ten. There were no family banquets, no obligations to entertain powerful people, and no one standing beside me telling me what I should or should not do.There were only data and reports, Tom occasionally handing me a cup of coffee, and Professor Hayes saying, in his usual calm voice during meetings, “Good work.”That was enough.My room stayed exactly the way it had been when I first arrived. A bed, a desk, a chair, and a wardrobe. I never added anything unnecessary.I had once owned a much larger room. It had a fireplace and faced the main house of the Colobo estate. It was the room that had belonged to the eldest daughter of the family for generations. Later, that room was given to someone else.Now this small cabin was mine.No one could take it from me.Before I knew it, Christmas had arrived.I woke early

Victor suddenly reached behind him and dragged someone forward.It was Sophia.I had not even realized she had followed them to Australia. She had been hiding silently in the hallway the entire time.“Isabella,” Victor said, his voice shaking, “I was wrong. I know that now. She lied to us from the beginning.”Sophia kept her head lowered, her lips pressed tightly together without saying a word.“That allergy incident wasn’t your fault,” Victor continued. “She bought the honey herself and rubbed it on her own skin before dinner.”His grip around Sophia’s arm tightened so hard that his knuckles turned white.“We found it in her drawer. And all the other things too. She broke the jewelry herself. She cut her own dress. The injuries on her arms were self-inflicted.”With every sentence, his voice grew quieter.“She framed you every single time.”Then he looked at me with bloodshot eyes.“Isabella… your father was wrong.”Marco stood behind him in silence, his eyes red, his lips trembling f