I fell for Gabriel completely, drowning in his gentleness. I loved him hopelessly, giving him all my trust and dependence.
Who would have thought that the person who treated me the best would also be the one who hurt me the most?
My eyes reddened, but before I could speak, Alyssa suddenly burst into tears.
"Gabby, now that Sister Ellie is back, are you going to leave me?"
"It’s fine... Everything belonged to her in the first place. I’ll give it all back. Someone as unnecessary as me shouldn’t exist anyway!" With that, she pulled out a knife and slashed her wrist.
The blade was dull, leaving only a faint red mark. Yet my parents and Gabriel were all utterly horrified.
My mother sobbed as she held Alyssa tightly, while Gabriel, filled with concern, called for a private doctor.
My father, on the other hand, stormed toward me and slapped me hard across the face.
Teeth clenched, he seethed, "You wretched thing, why did you come back? The moment you show up, misfortune follows!"
"What has your sister ever done to you? Why must you force her like this? Someone as vicious as you should’ve died in prison!"
Alyssa’s sobs only fueled my father’s rage. He grabbed a teacup from the table and hurled it at me with full force.
But the pain I braced for never came.
When I looked up, I saw Gabriel standing in front of me, shielding me.
"Uncle, Auntie, please don’t be too hard on Ellie."
My parents shot me one last furious glare before rushing Alyssa to the hospital in a panic.
Once they were gone, Gabriel gently pulled me into his arms, comforting me in a soothing voice.
"Don’t be sad, Ellie. You still have me. My love will always be only for you."
I looked up at him.
His gaze shimmered with tenderness, filled with what seemed to be deep affection.
As if he truly loved me.
I lowered my eyes and let out a bitter laugh. "I’m fine... I’m used to it."
"You don’t have to worry about me. Go take care of your wound."
Gabriel smiled softly. "My Ellie has always been so understanding."
"I need to marry you as soon as possible—so no one can ever bully you again," he added.
Like he did with Alyssa, he reached out and ruffled my hair before turning to leave.
Watching his retreating figure, I felt nothing but emptiness.
The esteemed CEO of the Synthova Corp was actually willing to marry an ex-convict with a crippled leg—for Alyssa’s sake.
Such a love was truly remarkable.
I took a deep breath and returned to my dusty little attic.
Despite feeling tired, I still tidied everything up. However, just as I was about to lie down, a message from Alyssa popped up on my phone.
It was a video.
In it, my parents sat on either side of her, their faces filled with concern.
Meanwhile, Gabriel knelt in front of her, carefully feeding her spoonfuls of food.
His eyes overflowed with tenderness.
Another message popped up.
[You probably don’t know this voice rang out, but Gabby and I have been engaged for a long time.]
[In everyone’s eyes, I’m not just the one and only eldest daughter of the Myers family—I’m also the future Mrs. Turner. You will never take my place.]
Engaged?
Then what about Gabriel’s promises to me?
Shocked, I logged into my alternate account and checked Gabriel’s social media.
Pinned at the top was their engagement announcement.
Scrolling further, every single post was about Alyssa.
In the five years I spent in prison, Gabriel had used his connections to let Alyssa take my place and enroll at Princeton University to replace me.
But she had no interest in studying.
Instead, she spent her days in romance, indulging in a dreamlike love story with Gabriel.
The two of them, fingers intertwined, strolled through lavender fields.
