Chapter 1

1

Caleb and I were childhood sweethearts. I thought our love was unbreakable.

Everything changed the day I needed him to sign my surgery consent forms.

A single phone call from my cousin, Vivian, was all it took for him to abandon me.

My mother told me to be the bigger person. She insisted Caleb should be with Vivian because of her depression.

My father scolded me, calling me selfish. He demanded I always give in to my sister.

I didn't understand. I was their biological daughter.

Why did they force me to bow down to the thief who stole my life?

Later, I finally decided I didn't want them anymore.

But that was when they started to regret everything.

...

"Caleb, are you really going to leave me because of one word from her?"

I lay on the hospital bed, staring at Caleb in disbelief.

The physical pain from my illness was sharp, but the words I just heard hurt far more.

Vivian is my cousin.

She had just called my husband, Caleb. She claimed her depression was acting up and she needed him.

Caleb didn't even say goodbye. He just turned to leave.

But I was waiting for my surgery. I needed a family member's signature on the forms.

Besides, it was just a depressive episode. What did that have to do with Caleb?

Caleb stiffened when he heard my voice. He reached out and squeezed my hand.

"Honey, you're about to go into the OR anyway. I'm not a doctor; I can't do anything here."

"I'll be back the second you're out, okay?" he promised.

Being there and not being there are two completely different things.

I tried to stop him, but the hospital door was shoved open with force.

My mother rushed in, looking frantic. She grabbed Caleb's arm and looked at me pleadingly.

"Elena, I am begging you. Just be generous this once. Let Caleb go to Vivian."

"Her depression is spiraling. She needs him right now."

I looked at my mother and felt a surge of cold laughter in my chest.

I was the one sick in a hospital bed, yet she wanted me to be generous with my own husband.

Before I could even argue, another person walked in.

It was my father.

He approached me with a stern, oppressive aura. Without a word of comfort, he began to scold me.

"Elena Lennox, how can you be so selfish? Your sister is in that state, and you still won't give in to her!"

I recoiled, my heart sinking.

The three people in this room were my closest family.

Yet all of them chose Vivian. Not a single one cared about how I felt.

"I'm sick too," I whispered, my voice trembling.

My father showed no pity. Instead, his anger flared even brighter.

"You should be thanking Vivian! If she hadn't begged us to keep you back then, we would have sent you away years ago."

"You wouldn't even be married to Caleb if it weren't for her."

I froze, the words echoing in my mind like a death knell.

I was their flesh and blood. How had I become a burden that only Vivian's mercy could save?

They rushed out as quickly as they had come. They didn't look back at me once.

They pulled Caleb along, heading straight for Vivian's room.

The hospital room felt deathly silent and empty.

Suddenly, a sharp cramp twisted my stomach. I curled into a ball, clutching my gut.

I reached out, trying to press the call button for the nurse.

But my phone on the nightstand started buzzing incessantly.

Irritated, I picked it up. It was a string of messages from Vivian.

"Elena, I heard you're sick. How pathetic. Mom, Dad, and Caleb aren't even by your side."

"You should have stayed gone after those traffickers took you. Why did you have to come back?"

"Seeing everyone choose me must kill you, right? Well, get used to it."

"This is just the beginning. I will replace you piece by piece until I'm the only daughter left in the Lennox family."

I threw the phone aside and closed my eyes, feeling numb.

This wasn't the first time Vivian had sent me such venomous messages.

The first time it happened, I took the screenshots to my parents. I wanted them to see her true colors.

But my mother just slapped me across the face.

"Elena, how dare you use such disgusting lies to frame your sister? You really are a low-class girl from the slums."

She insulted me like I was some kind of monster.

But I was the victim.

I realized later that Vivian had planned everything.

She had already turned my teachers and peers against me, whispering that I was manipulative.

My parents believed her without question. They never once doubted her.

But it wasn't always like this.

When I was little, they adored me. They never laid a hand on me or raised their voices.

They wanted me to be the happiest girl in the world.

When did everything start to rot?

It was probably when I was five. Vivian's parents died in a car crash.

We were her only relatives, so my parents took her in.

Vivian was an expert at playing the victim. Within days, she had won my parents' hearts.

On my birthday, they took us both to a theme park.

But something went wrong with one of the rides.

The crowd panicked. It was total chaos.

In the middle of the scramble, my parents both rushed to protect Vivian.

They completely forgot that I was there too.

In the confusion, it was so easy for the criminals to snatch me away.

They covered my mouth with a chemical-soaked rag. My limbs felt heavy and useless.

I tried to scream. I tried to make my parents notice me.

But their eyes were only on Vivian.

They didn't even look up as I was carried right past them.

Before I lost consciousness, I realized they hadn't even noticed I was gone.