Chapter 3

3

The sound of the slap echoed through the massive hall.

I stumbled back a couple of steps, my cheek burning like it was on fire.

"You ungrateful brat!"

My mother screamed at me, her voice shaking with rage. "I spent a fortune raising you, and you show up on this big day just to ruin everything?"

She grabbed a handful of my hair, pulling so hard my scalp felt like it was being torn off.

"Look at yourself! You spend a few years abroad and forget how to be a human being?"

I was forced to look up. I saw the fire in her eyes, but also a hidden flicker of panic.

"Mrs. Sterling!"

The butler gasped. "What are you doing...?"

"I'm teaching my child a lesson. I apologize for the mess," she said, forcing a smile while her grip on my hair tightened.

"This girl has been difficult since she was a kid. Today, she's completely lost it."

She turned to the guests, raising her voice so everyone could hear.

"I apologize, everyone. This is my sister's daughter. Her parents died when she was little, and we took her in."

"The stress of caring for the old master must have broken her mind. She's having a breakdown."

Sienna started crying right on cue, leaning against my mother's shoulder.

"Mom, don't be angry. I'm sure my cousin is just tired."

"See how kind Sienna is!"

My mother used the opportunity to shove me hard. "And look at you!"

I stumbled into a champagne tower. Glass shattered everywhere, cutting into my legs.

My mother didn't even glance at the blood dripping down my ankles.

"I'm going to teach you some respect today!"

She grabbed a decorative cane from a nearby stand and whipped it across my back. "Stop lying! Stop slandering Sienna!"

The air hissed with every strike. I bit my tongue so hard I tasted copper, refusing to scream.

The guests looked at each other, some wanting to help but terrified by my mother's crazed expression.

"Mrs. Sterling," the butler finally tried to intervene. "Regardless of the reason, this kind of punishment in public...."

"I am teaching her how to live!"

My mother cut him off hysterically. "This girl is a chronic liar! She's pretending to be the Sterling heir!"

She went to swing the cane again, but I reached out and caught it. I looked her dead in the eye.

"Go ahead, Mom. Hit me. Kill me. That's the only way your secret stays safe."

Her hand froze in mid-air. A look of pure terror flashed in her eyes.

"Stop your crazy talk!" she shrieked, swinging with all her might.

She was swinging to kill this time. I had nowhere to run. I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact.

"Slap!"

The sound of wood hitting flesh was sickening, but the pain never came.

I opened my eyes to see a frail figure standing in front of me. She had taken the hit.

"Maria?!"

She stumbled, the fabric of her uniform torn by the strike. But she gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound.

My mother's face twisted when she saw her. "You trash! Who told you to come in here?!"

Maria ignored the insults. She turned and grabbed my hands, her eyes red with tears.

"Miss Elara, you're finally home...."

My heart hammered against my ribs.

Maria was the nanny who raised me. She was the only person I ever truly trusted.

Five years ago, she had chased my car down the driveway, crying until I disappeared.

And now, she was shielding me without a second thought.

I touched her back with trembling fingers. "Does it hurt?"

She shook her head, tears spilling over. "No. As long as you're home, nothing hurts...."

My mother was livid. She raised the cane again.

"Two pieces of trash! Someone drag them both out of here!"

The servants hesitated. Maria turned around and spread her arms, guarding me.

"Who dares touch my lady?!"

She was just a nanny, but her eyes were so fierce that the guards actually stepped back.

My mother was shaking with fury. "This is a revolt! A servant acting like she owns the Sterling house?!"

She screamed at the butler. "What are you waiting for? Hit her!!"

The butler raised the cane and struck Maria across the spine.

She groaned in pain, her thin body doubling over.

"Maria!"

I let out a raw scream and pulled her behind me.

My mother looked at me with pure venom. "How pathetic. Protecting a lowly servant."

"Keep hitting them!"

I stared at my mother, my voice cold as ice.

"Try to touch her one more time. See what happens."

My mother actually flinched. For a second, she was speechless.

Sienna saw the momentum shifting and immediately started her fake sobbing again.

"Mom, look at her.... She cares more about a maid than she cares about me...."

That was all it took to reignite my mother's rage.

She gripped the cane. "I will beat the shame out of you if it's the last thing I do!"

As the cane came down, I pulled Maria close and braced myself.

But then, a booming, authoritative voice echoed from the entrance.

"Who is bullying my favorite granddaughter?!"