All Chapters of My Spring at Last: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

"You're right. Sienna's face probably looks like a ghoul's by now. She shouldn't get in the way of Kate becoming a dancer anymore," my brother, Tim Blanden, said as he fiddled with a stack of photos. He sounded almost relieved.The photos showed the horrors I'd suffered in the kidnappers' den, every bit of the abuse and torment.Oliver Edmond, meanwhile, crushed one of them viciously in his fist. In that one, I'd been stripped completely naked."If she wants to blame anyone, she can blame herself for being so stubborn and refusing to tolerate Kate. Now, her face is ruined, and on top of that, she's a murderer with a record. Let's see what she's got left to fight with."Everything here belongs to Kate."My heart caved in completely.I'd spent five years in prison, and now Kate Hewitt's presence was stamped on everything in the house.There were the ballet shoes she'd worn over the years and the award certificates she treasured in a glass cabinet. Even Oliver's study was littered

Tim's face darkened. He cursed through gritted teeth, "From now on, don't tell anyone you're my sister. You're a goddamn disgrace!"With a sweep of his hand, he knocked my bag off the table, and a pill bottle rolled across the floor to their feet.I dropped to my knees like a mad dog to grab it."Who are you trying to fool, playing the victim? You bought these pills to put on a show so you could frame Kate when the time was right? You haven't changed one bit!""Don't you forget, Sienna. If it weren't for you, Kate's face would never have been scalded. Why can't you behave yourself even after getting out of prison?"But I was the one walking around with a hideous, revolting face now...If they knew about my illness, would they be willing to believe that Kate had framed me?The truth lodged in my throat like a fistful of jagged broken glass. No matter how I tried, I couldn't get it out.Suddenly, everything went black. Without warning, I threw up a mouthful of blood. It felt like

Oliver grabbed the hospital bed and roared again, "Where are you taking her? Why does she suddenly need to go into surgery?"The doctor remembered what Sienna had asked of him. After a moment's hesitation, he chose to keep her secret. "Ms. Blanden needs her appendix removed. Please step back and don't disturb the patient."Tim frowned. "Why would she need surgery out of nowhere? Making such a fuss over a little appendicitis. She's being so dramatic.""Forget it. Kate's competition is about to start. If we don't leave now, we'll be late."Oliver stayed rooted to the spot. Seeing Sienna's deathly pale face filled him with unease.Then Kate gently tugged at the hem of his shirt. "Oliver, you promised you'd be there for my competition. A real man doesn't go back on his word."Tim threw an arm around her, his eyes crinkling into a smile. "Of course he's coming. Let's go, let's go."Though Oliver still felt uneasy, he followed them anyway.At the competition venue, Kate waited backst

Kate thought she could brush it off, but Oliver grabbed her by the throat. "By accident? You think we didn't hear what you just said?"You wanted to drive Sienna out and take her place as the Blanden heiress! Isn't that right?"You're also the one who framed her for scalding your face!"In Tim's eyes, Kate's face grew more and more hateful. Unable to hold back his fury, he said, "We agreed this would stay secret. You know how serious this is. Sienna is going to hate us!"Trembling, Kate looked at the two men in front of her. She'd never imagined they would react so strongly.She'd thought that over the years, she had completely won both their hearts.After all, they'd been willing to have Sienna kidnapped for her sake, and had even sent Sienna to prison.Now, she'd only told the truth, and they'd turned on her for it. She couldn't make sense of it.Kate's eyes were full of resentment. "She's dying anyway. What does it matter whether she knows the truth or not? Don't I matter

Tim caught my meaning and fell silent. It took him a long while to speak. "It's my fault for trusting the wrong person. Kate is nothing but a schemer. She wanted to use Oliver and me to take your place."I was wrong, okay? I'm sorry. I'll never see her again."A belated apology was truly meaningless.Oliver yanked Tim aside and appeared in front of me. "Sienna, I can see it now too. Kate has ulterior motives. She's not nearly as innocent as she looks."Don't worry. No matter what, I'll marry you. No matter how you look, whether your illness is cured or not..."I slapped his hand away hard. "I don't want it!"For five years in prison, I'd lived in constant fear, secretly crying every time I looked at the scars on my face.I'd been afraid Oliver wouldn't want me anymore, that he'd be repulsed by how I looked and by the fact that I'd been in prison.But right now, the one who truly deserved to be despised was him!"You don't have to act all noble. You think I'd actually want to