"To think you're wearing trash that I've discarded. Only beggars would want other people's leftovers, Janae," I said.

A crisp slap rang out, and my face burned.

Marcus looked at me, then at the hand he'd used to slap me. His gaze was shifty; he didn't dare meet my eyes.

Janae, who'd looked aggrieved, secretly shot me a smug look. She was showing off to me. She said, "Don't get mad at Ms. Granger because of me, Mr. Gray. I'm just a stand-in…"

Ha. She knew her place, didn't she? Honestly, I wanted to applaud her performance. She acted like she was swallowing her grievances to win Marcus' pity.

He fell for it hook, line, and sinker. His chest heaved with rage, and he glared at me, his confidence boosted by Janae's words.

Then, he pointed at me and snapped, "You've completely lost your mind, Renee! Do you realize how unbecoming your behavior is? You're like a shrew now, not a proper lady! You disgust me!"

Marcus' words were hurtful, but I took them all in without protest. I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms, almost drawing blood.

I was once a rose born in the mud—he was the one who'd pulled me out and washed my petals clean. He'd helped me bloom again. Yet now, I'd blossomed beyond what he could accept. So, he cut me down at the roots.

We parted on that unhappy note, and I returned to the Granger residence. The heat was turned up inside, and I shuddered from the sudden change in temperature when the warmth enveloped my cold body.

Things were still the same. Even the way Mom ignored me hadn't changed—I'd been away from home for a year, yet she merely glanced at me from her spot on the couch without saying anything.

She probably hated me to the core.

I lugged my suitcase into the house with difficulty; I didn't have much strength because of my illness. The suitcase fell to the floor with a loud bang, but Mom didn't even bat an eye.

"Renee! Why didn't you tell me you were coming back? I would've picked you up." My brother, Reuben Granger, hurried to me when he heard the noise. He helped me with my suitcase and complained about how I'd barely contacted him while abroad.

"Ha! As if she'd have the nerve to speak to you!" Mom sneered as she rebuked Reuben.

He frowned. "Mom, that's enough."

That infuriated her. She shot up and lunged toward us, grabbing my suitcase and throwing it out of the house. "She killed your father! How can you still stand up for her? Are you heartless?"

Reuben shielded me. "Mom, Renee is finally home after so long! Where do you expect her to go if you won't let her come home?"

Mom glared at me with hatred and anger. Then, she snorted and snarled, "She can stay wherever she wants as long as it's not here! Even if she dies out there, it's just the price she has to pay for killing your father!"

I sat in Reuben's car as he took me to his place. Mom had insisted that I wasn't to set foot in her home at all.

Reuben rubbed my head and said comfortingly, "Don't let this get to you. Mom doesn't mean it like that."

"It's only right for her to blame me," I said calmly. My thoughts drifted to five years ago.

It was a snowy night, and Dad had been on his way home after a work meeting. I'd clamored about wanting him to buy me ravioli from a restaurant on the opposite bank. As he'd crossed the bridge to get there, he'd missed a patch of ice and slipped and fallen into the water.

His body was only recovered the following day, and he'd frozen over completely. He was as stiff as a board.

Mom had always favored Reuben over me, so this incident made her hate me to the core. From then on, she'd severed ties with me and disowned me.

I turned to look out the window at the scenery zipping past. I sighed, and my breath fogged up a small patch on the glass.

…

I hid in Reuben's place in the suburbs for a peaceful month. Then, one day, my peace was interrupted by a phone call from Marcus. He'd searched Jaldon for me but had failed to find me, and he sounded anxious.

I thought he was calling to beg for my forgiveness after realizing his mistakes, so I sent him my location. To my surprise, he merely said coldly, "I'm just calling to tell you that I've transferred the company shares under your name to Janae. I'll send you the agreement, so sign it."

Just then, the doorbell rang. Sure enough, I received the agreement that had been couriered to me.

"I've already announced this during a board meeting, so don't make things hard for me." Marcus hung up after that, seemingly sure that I wouldn't say no to him.

Pain shot through me, starting from my stomach, and I bolted to the bathroom to cough up mouthfuls of blood.

I endured the discomfort and pain as I threw on a coat and hurried to the company. Marcus and I had put our heart and soul into it—it was a symbol of our love.

I couldn't sit by and watch as the company I'd built from scratch turned into a tool for my stand-in to prove Marcus' love for her.

I headed to my office as the employees stared at me like I was a stranger. A wave of bitterness washed over me when I saw that. Once upon a time, this place had been my turf.

I pushed open the door to see Janae sitting inside with a wide smile. She seemed to have been waiting for me.

"You look like a stray dog now, Renee. So what if I'm a stand-in? I'm the one Marcus loves now, and you are nothing. You're not even worthy of being my stand-in now!" she said.

I stood there dazedly and looked around the familiar room, feeling like my heart was bleeding. Then, I heard Marcus' voice in the distance—he was shouting and warning me not to do anything to hurt Janae.

As I watched, Janae pushed everything on the desk onto the floor and summoned her tears out of nowhere.

Marcus shoved me aside and helped Janae up before turning to look at me with disdain. "You're truly something, Renee. How dare you come here to cause a scene! No wonder your mother hates you, and no wonder you cursed your father to death! No wonder you have nowhere to go!

"You're so ruthless and evil that anyone who gets close to you will meet a horrible end!"

I didn't even realize I was doing it, but I started laughing as I took in the situation. At the same time, tears flowed down my face.

Once upon a time, the source of my sorrow had also brought Marcus to tears. Yet now, he'd turned my pain into a blade that he stabbed me in the heart with.

In that instant, I swore to make him hurt. I would haunt him even after my death! I would make him regret everything he'd done to me!