Chapter 3

Chapter 3

But before she could finish, Lily interrupted, "Dad, Mom, it's okay. I'm sure Vivian just didn't sleep well and was in a bad mood. She didn't mean it."

Vivian looked at her sister's phony act and felt disgusted.

When Lily first came back, Vivian had pitied her for the years of hardship she had endured.

She had naively given Lily her favorite teddy bear, completely unaware of how much pain this "poor" sister would bring her.

It started with small things.

Lily would cut down Catherine's prized rose bushes and hide the shears in Vivian's room.

She would break Richard's antique vase and then lure Vivian near the shards, blaming her for it.

Later, things got worse.

For the national science competition that Vivian had prepared for tirelessly for six months, Lily "accidentally" lost her entry pass.

She even jumped into the swimming pool herself, choked on water, and claimed Vivian had pushed her.

And every single time, their parents would side with Lily without question, scolding Vivian.

When she tried to defend herself, they accused her of making excuses and being immature.

Gradually, she realized the truth―Lily had never seen her as a sister, and her parents' love no longer belonged to her.

And now, just like before, she was being framed for something she didn't do.

Richard, as usual, didn't bother asking for her side of the story and began to berate her loudly.

"You've ruined a perfectly good breakfast. When will you ever change that temper of yours!"

"Why can't you be more like Lily? She never causes me this kind of trouble."

Vivian bit her lip, watching as Lily was shielded by her parents, a triumphant smirk on her face. Vivian was so angry she started to laugh.

When she was younger, she might have cried and tried to defend herself.

But now―

"Trouble?"

She curled her lip. "Fine. I'll show you what real trouble looks like."

She grabbed the tablecloth and yanked it with all her might.

With a deafening crash, the entire exquisite breakfast spread smashed onto the floor, creating a complete mess.

Elias looked at Vivian, a flicker of something in his eyes.

Richard's furious roar echoed through the living room. "Vivian, get the hell out of my house!"

Vivian just sneered and walked away without looking back.

She only had two weeks left. She hadn't wanted to make things ugly, but Lily just had to provoke her.

However, just as she stepped out of the estate, someone grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth and nose.

"Mmph!"

Vivian struggled, but she quickly lost consciousness.

When she woke up, she found herself locked in the wine cellar in a remote part of the estate.

Above her, she heard the voice of a bodyguard.

"Elias said to let Miss Vivian cool off down here so she won't hurt Miss Lily again."

Vivian froze, her fingers digging into her palms.

Just because of Lily's barely-there burn, Elias was having her locked in the wine cellar?

"Let me out!"

Vivian yelled through gritted teeth, but she could only watch as the heavy cellar door slammed shut. She screamed until her voice was raw, but no one answered.

Darkness and cold consumed her instantly.

She curled up in a corner, shivering, her heart colder than the cellar itself.

Before her phone lost signal, she received a text from Lily.

It was a photo. In it, Elias was carefully treating Lily's nearly invisible burn, his concerned expression stabbing Vivian's eyes like a needle.

He was so gentle and caring with Lily, while she was locked in this dark, cold place.

She didn't even know if this was Elias's idea or another one of Lily's schemes.

Vivian stared at the photo, her eyes turning red.

She had told him before that she was afraid of the cold and the dark. At the time, he had seemed unfazed but still took off his jacket for her.

She thought that was a special kind of care, reserved just for her. It turned out she was just fooling herself.

It was nothing compared to how he treated Lily.

Vivian laughed, tears streaming down her face.

Just as she was about to lose consciousness from the cold, the cellar door finally opened.

Through her blurry vision, a familiar figure appeared before her.

Before she could react, Elias lifted her into his arms.

"Let go…"

She struggled, but Elias held her wrist firmly.

His voice was low. "It's okay. I'm here now."