Back then, his hands shook and his eyes turned red as he gently touched the scar on my face.
He swore to me in that same tone, “Sienna, anyone who has ever hurt you, I won’t let a single one of them go.”
I let out a faint laugh and spoke calmly. “My adoptive mother is Heidi’s real mother.”
“By what you said, she’s the one who should’ve inherited her mother’s bad side.”
“After all, she’s the one who pretended to be crazy and acted pitiful just to steal her sister’s marriage.”
“Aren’t all of you part of it too?”
There was silence on the other end of the call for a few seconds before I heard my foster sister crying in panic.
“Sister, I really didn’t mean it… I’m sick and can’t remember some things. I didn’t know about you and Atlas…”
“Mom, Brother, Atlas. I didn’t know my illness would upset Sienna. I might as well just die…”
Then my mother’s angry voice came through.
“Enough, Sienna! If you still have any conscience left, come and apologize right now! Otherwise, from this moment on, we’ll cut all ties with you!”
I heard a commotion, then the phone was snatched away.
It was Atlas. His voice was calm but impatient. “Sienna, cancel the wedding now and go kneel before Heidi to apologize, or I’ll break off the engagement.”
I looked down and answered without a fight. “Okay.”
Then I hung up.
The police officers exchanged looks, and nobody offered to have my brother come with me again.
The wedding car stopped at the hotel. When I opened the door, a foul smell hit me, eggs, fruit peels, and spilled drinks covered my wedding dress. I was shoved back and almost fell.
“Slut! You stole your sister’s boyfriend, forced a marriage, and used the Butcher case to play the victim! We’ll teach you a lesson today!”
“Her movie-star mother is so kind, and she still made her cry! A daughter like this should be beaten to death!”
Only then did I realize my family call had been broadcast live by my movie-star mother.
They pulled my hair, kicked me, and forced me to kneel and bow. Someone ripped at my wedding dress while another raised a camera to record my shame.
“Kneel and apologize to your sister and the actress!”
“And that wedding dress! Does someone like you deserve to wear it? Tear it off! Let her see how you steal a man!”
The pain made my hands shake, but I still lifted my head and shouted, “I did nothing wrong. Why should I apologize?”
The crowd grew restless, and my brother and mother’s bodyguards rushed in, pushing everyone back.
My brother’s voice shook with anger. “You still dare say you did nothing wrong? I told you not to provoke Heidi about Atlas, so why are you holding a wedding in a dress? Why make this mess just to force a marriage?”
But when he rushed over and saw me clearly, he froze.
My wedding dress was already torn, barely covering me, and bruises marked my skin. My forehead and body were smeared with dirty liquid.
He moved closer, wanting to wipe it away. Then he turned to my mother, his voice low and shaking as he tried to stay calm.
“How could you stream those words live and attract those crazy fans here?”
“What if this drags Heidi into it?”
Guilt flashed in my mother’s eyes, but after hearing that, she snapped, “Who told her to do wrong? She brought this on herself.”
I stepped back, avoiding his hand, and spoke calmly.
