جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

Not long after Chandler left, he texted me an address, followed by a photo of a keycard.He said the apartment was mine from now on and added that he wouldn't be stingy with money either.The last line was the worst of it."Don't cause a scene in front of Brina. I'll make sure you're well taken care of."I read it and sent back a brief reply."I'm not going."My phone rang almost immediately. I answered but said nothing.On the other end, Chandler paused, impatience already creeping into his voice."Lena, don't be difficult," he said. "I told you I'd come back for you. "You're in love with me, aren't you? What do you get out of making this so ugly?"I clutched the phone, a suffocating tightness gripping my chest.Of course I loved him.I loved him enough to run out in the middle of the night for medicine whenever he complained of a headache. Loved him enough to stretch my meager paycheck to buy fresh ingredients when he had no appetite. Loved him enough that a single furro

Chandler had probably come straight from the wedding venue, given that he was still wearing his black suit.He walked up to me, and his expression shifted when he noticed the bandage on my forehead."Brina did this?"I didn't answer.He reached for me, but I stepped back before he could touch me.His hand froze in midair. Then, he lowered his voice and made me a promise I had little faith in. "I'll talk to her. I'll make sure she never lays a hand on you again."I looked at him, amused by how absurd he sounded."Again?" I sneered.Chandler pressed his lips into a thin line. "The wedding is tomorrow. Just put up with it for now. Once it's over, I'll make it up to you."As those words landed, the last lingering feelings I had for him shattered.He could see I'd been badly beaten and knew exactly who was responsible, yet all he could tell me was to endure it.I grabbed the paper cup off the bedside table and hurled it at his feet."Get out!" My voice cracked. "Chandler, get th

After all that chaos, there was no way the wedding could go ahead as planned that day.The Shaws cleared the venue immediately, while the Paynes moved just as quickly to handle the press, trying to contain the fallout inside the hotel.But a scandal of that magnitude was never going to stay hidden. Within two hours, secretly recorded videos were already circulating online.#PayneShawWeddingDisaster#BrideIdentityInDoubt#PayneHeirFakedAmnesiaForSexBeforeWeddingEvery hashtag was sensational enough to stop anyone mid-scroll.By that evening, the results of the expedited paternity test came back, confirming that I was the real Shaw daughter and that Sabrina was the baby who had been switched with me all those years ago.When the results were laid out, Victoria covered her mouth and burst into tears. She sank onto the couch as if all her strength had suddenly drained away.Matthew's face was grim.Having the wedding devolve into a public spectacle was humiliating enough, but wha

I was right. Sabrina's final counterattack was just as filthy as I'd expected.She knew there was no changing the truth about our identities, and arguing over who was the real Shaw daughter would only humiliate her further. So, she changed tactics.Before long, secretly recorded videos and maliciously edited photos began circulating online.The posts claimed that during the years I'd spent living in poverty as the real heiress, I'd slept around to get ahead. They accused me of knowingly seducing Chandler even though he was engaged, and some even implied that I'd crashed the wedding not to reunite with my biological family, but to use my status as the real Shaw daughter to pressure Chandler into marrying me.The moment those posts went live, the Internet exploded.Most people didn't care about the truth. They just wanted front-row seats to see who would end up looking more pathetic.When I checked my phone, I was flooded with messages and comments. Even my former coworkers were

A year later, I officially changed my name back.My name was Lena Shaw.A lot had changed over the past year.My relationship with the Shaws had slowly begun to improve too. We didn't suddenly become close. Too many years had been lost for everything to be made right overnight.Victoria still teared up from time to time. If I didn't eat much, she'd ask if something was wrong. If I stayed up too late, she'd urge me to go to bed.Matthew still wasn't one for affectionate words. But whenever I came home late from work, he'd have the kitchen keep some soup warm for me.Sometimes when I went back for dinner, he'd casually mention a new project that might be a good experience for me to take on and ask if I wanted to take a look.They were learning how to get closer to me, and I was no longer as resistant as I'd been in the beginning.I never casually told them I forgave them, but I didn't deliberately shut them out to get back at them either.I simply accepted that some regrets coul