I refused to let William's driver pick me up. Instead, I just stared at the door, hoping to see William walking in anytime soon.

Yet, he never bothered looking for me that night.

Only when the sun rose did I receive a notification from an entertainment tabloid on my phone. It read, "#Rich scion William Blackburn spotted on vacation with his lover."

In the video, William and Elaine were seen holding hands together as they took a romantic stroll along the beach. The love he had for her was practically written in his eyes.

After walking for a while, Elaine rested her head on William's shoulder. He lowered his head slightly, while she lifted hers a little as well. Just like that, both of them shared a sweet kiss.

Internet users filled the comment section.

"Wow! The son of the richest man is already dating another woman! Ugh, I no longer stand a chance in dating him!"

"Hey, I know that lady! She used to be the campus belle of Osmond Academy!"

"I know her too! But she came from a poor family. I suppose this is a fairy tale where the prince falls in love with a peasant girl."

"Both of them are so good-looking and talented! They're definitely a match made in heaven!"

The video and the comments stung my eyes so much that I dared not continue to scroll. The date of the video being taken hurt me even more—after all, that day happened to be my birthday.

Originally, I had intended to spend the day with William. But he told me that he was very busy with work, so he turned me down.

Apparently, he wasn't working at all that day. Instead, he was on a vacation with Elaine.

Once I recalled William's decision, I knew what the answer to my question was. Tears blurred my vision instantly. The heartbreak overwhelmed my senses, and the swirling mess of feelings threatened to drown my rationality.

At that moment, I finally realized that I was just a plaything whom William could toy with.

My body swayed from side to side as I walked over to William's residence, feeling dazed and helpless as though I was a marionette. Somehow, my instincts led me into his study, where I found a jewelry box sitting on his desk.

When I opened the box, I saw a diamond ring. As soon as I picked it up, I noticed the "E" carved onto the diamond.

It turned out that William truly loved Elaine to the point that he wished to marry her. He once told me that he'd consider marrying someone one year later. It was just that… I wasn't the one he wanted to marry.

I was so disappointed that I trembled violently. Finally, I broke down and slumped to the floor while sobbing out loud. I could only clutch my chest. My heart throbbed in extreme pain, as though that could miraculously tide the pain over.

I cried my fill that day. Once my tears dried up, I sobered up as well. That was when I packed up my stuff and left William's place.

He wouldn't know that I loved him with all my heart. Of course, he would never know that there was once a time I wished to spend the rest of my life with him.

The moment William chose Elaine, I decided not to love him anymore.

After that, I returned to the slums. My father, Charles Thorn, whom I hadn't seen for quite some time, welcomed me at the door.

I knew what he wanted to say, so I just gazed at him coldly.

"I'll marry him… on one condition."

Ever since I was born, Dad had wished to sell me off to someone else for a good price. Now, he found a suitable buyer. Even though my future husband was a man on the brink of death, Dad was still willing to push me into the pits of hell for the sake of money.

"What condition?" Dad looked very uneasy.

I merely sneered before saying, "I want to sever our father-daughter relationship."

Dad was stunned by my declaration.

"You… You ingrate! Stop spouting nonsense!"

I just shrugged before replying mockingly, "Well, you got yourself a mistress, which pissed Mom off so much that she died from an aneurysm. And now, you want to sell me off in exchange for a million Merydean dollars. What makes you think I still want you as my dad?"

Dad went silent at my outburst. So, I continued.

"You plan on trading your own daughter's happiness in exchange for wealth and luxury, and yet you still want me to be grateful to you? You've got to be kidding me, right?"

Once I was done speaking, I spotted Dad's mistress, Valerie Moore, who stood at the stairway while eavesdropping on our conversation.

So, I added, "I'm leaving now, and just in time, too. That way, your precious mistress' daughter can love and care for you in my stead."

Dad's expression darkened instantly. He was already trembling from rage, but in the end, he never did chastise me. After thinking for a moment, he made up his mind.

"Fine! We'll sever our father-daughter relationship! But that man only has a month left to live! You must marry him in ten days!"

I nodded before passing the letter of disownment to Dad. He didn't seem to expect that I'd be ready to sever our relationship once and for all, judging from how disappointed he looked when he gazed at me.

"You really are cruel."

I raised an eyebrow in return before glancing at Valerie, who looked rather smug.

"Oh, I'm not as cruel as you, that's for sure. After all, a normal man wouldn't have brought his mistress home the day after his wife died," I retorted.

Dad was rendered speechless. After he took the letter, he signed it without hesitation.

Even though I was already mentally prepared for this moment, I still felt my heart throbbing in pain. After all, my own father had abandoned me.

I turned on my heel and ascended the stairs. Every step exuded unwavering resolve and defiance.

Only when I returned to my room did I sink to the floor as though I had lost my soul. Sorrow and agony engulfed me in an instant.

The next day, I was still asleep when I was awakened by the noises outside my room.

I could hear Valerie saying nervously, "Ellie, this is Daphne's room. You can't stay in this room."

I opened the door to see Valerie stopping a woman from entering my room. When I made out Elaine's face, I felt as though my blood had just turned to ice in my veins.

Never in a million years would I expect Valerie's daughter to actually be Elaine, William's beloved lover.

God sure knew how to make me look like the biggest clown ever.

The men whom my mother and I loved the most ended up getting stolen by the mother-daughter duo!

Elaine approached me happily and took my hand. "Daphne, can I stay with you? I like your room!"

I yanked her hand away before closing the door in Elaine's and Valerie's faces.I wanted to shut them out of my life.

Dad—no, Charles yelled angrily from outside my room, "Where are your manners, Daphne Thorn? Elaine's your younger sister, and yet you never greeted her properly!"

I snapped, "I don't have any sisters!"

Charles began chastising me loudly, his voice coming out in a rumbling roar. Then, he issued an order.

"Elaine loves your room. Besides, you're about to get married soon. You might as well give your room to Elaine and move to the attic. She's going to be living in your room from now on."

What little familial love I had for Charles ultimately dissipated. The heart-wrenching pain was back to haunt me.

I just smiled bitterly. As I smiled, I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks. I no longer cared about the wisps of conversation that took place outside my room. But somehow, I just knew that the scene outside my room painted an amicable picture of a family comforting and soothing each other.

I didn't want to see Elaine at all, so I left with my suitcase in tow. Even when Charles saw me leaving, he didn't bother stopping me. Instead, he reminded me to carry out my side of the promise.

"I'll let you know when the wedding date is set. If you dare disappear on me, I won't hesitate to dig up your mother's ashes."

As I watched the family of three eating happily at the dining table, I retorted, "Unlike you, I'm a woman of my word. If you dare lay a finger on my mom's ashes, I'll make sure that you won't receive your money!"

When I was about to leave, I spotted the delight in Valerie's and Elaine's eyes. Now that I was gone, they'd be able to really exert controll.

Charles didn't have a single cent under his name. The fact that Valerie was still willing to marry him meant that she had her eye on the one-million-dollar check that he'd be receiving after selling me.

Even if Charles were to get his hands on the money, I would never let him enjoy it. Once the time came, I'd like to see if Valerie was still willing to stay with an old codger who didn't have any money at all.

At that moment, my phone buzzed once. It was a text from William.

"Where did you go?" it read.

I just stared at the text in a daze. For a moment, I didn't know how to answer that question.

William's concern for me just made my heart throb even more in pain. I raised my head to force my tears back into my eyes so that I didn't cry.

After that, I just wandered around aimlessly with my luggage in hand. Since I didn't know where else to go, I decided to sit on a bench in the park and stare at the scenery, spacing out.

I didn't know how much time had passed before I sensed a figure looming over me. When I lifted my head, I saw a familiar face that made my heart wrench in pain once again. Tears began streaming down my cheeks.

William wiped my tears away for me with his fingers. In a helpless tone, he said, "If you're done with your tantrum, let's go home together."

I fell silent at his words.

Clearly, William was starting to get mad at me. His tone became lower and gruffer.

"Now now, Daphne, don't be wilful."

William thought I left his place simply because of a tantrum. He had no idea that I no longer loved him.

I replied bitterly, "I don't have a home now."

He reached out to pat me on the head, his tone taking on a sympathetic tinge. "My home is your home, Daphne. You can live there."

His words made my heart tremble, but it only lasted for a moment. Now, my heart was calm again.

In the past, whenever I got into a fight with Charles, William would take me back to his home and comfort me there so that I could feel safe. His concern toward me gave me the illusion that he truly cared about me.

But the truth was, he only had carnal lust for me. He had already given his heart to another woman, after all.

William tried to pull me up to my feet, but I refused to budge. His voice might be soft, but I could tell that he was already adopting an authoritative tone.

"Stop messing around, Daphne. Be a good girl."

But I just shook my head and turned him down. "No. I'm going to stay in a hotel."

William frowned. This time, he yanked me up to my feet forcefully.

"You'll stay at my place from now on. You may go home whenever you feel like it."

After that, he scooped me into his arms and left the park without giving me a chance to retort.

Seeing as William was overbearingly insistent on this matter, I didn't resist him at all. I finally said, "Once I find myself a new place, I'll move out of your house. I won't disturb you anymore."

William's gaze darkened. Confusion tinged his tone as he asked, "You won't disturb me anymore?"

I saw him looking at me inquisitively. After that, he asked me meaningfully once again, "Are you sure you're capable of not disturbing me at all?"

I just pursed my lips without saying anything. Deep down, I felt the familiar pang of pain attacking my heart once again.

William must have known about my feelings for him. He could tell that I couldn't stop myself from falling in love with him.

Despite knowing that I wasn't a part of his future, he still watched me slowly sink into the quicksand of love. He really was cruel to me.

I took a deep breath before tossing out a question on purpose. "Do you know that your childhood sweetheart is the daughter of my former father's new wife?"

William frowned instantly. His breathing turned heavier as well.

"Yes, I do."

My next question came out, albeit gingerly.

"Do you… love her?"

William's features were scrunched up in a tight frown, as though he was contemplating the answer very seriously.

But then he replied, "Elaine's my junior back in the academy. Moreover, she even saved my life in the past, so I'm very thankful toward her. I don't care what sort of bad blood you have with your stepmother—just don't cause trouble for Elaine."

He never told me whether or not he loved Elaine. Instead, he beat around the bush just to issue me a warning. Clearly, he was defending Elaine.

That was why pelting him with questions seemed quite meaningless.

At that moment, I felt exhausted all of a sudden.

Upon returning to William's home, I went back to my usual room to rest. Minutes after lying down, I felt a pair of warm hands pulling me into an intimate embrace. Soon, the hands began roaming up and down my body.

If this had happened in the past, I'd have gone with the flow. But now, I didn't feel like doing that.

I shoved William away before sitting up instantly. In a displeased tone, I said, "I'm very tired, so I don't want to do anything today."

The way William looked at me was rather odd. After all, this was my first time rejecting his need for pleasure.

Puzzled, he asked me, "Are you angry about something?"

I just shook my head. Then, I got out of bed and walked toward the balcony.

William followed me right away. He hugged me from behind before burying his head into the crook of my neck. He began kissing me.

I kept replaying the scene of William kissing Elaine in my mind, which nauseated me to no end. So, I pushed him away forcefully.

Having lost his balance, William fell onto the couch behind him. Since I rejected him again, he got mad at me.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Daphne?"

I was in a bad mood, to begin with, so I snapped back loudly, "You've always treated me like a robotic plaything in bed, and you've never thought about how I feel! If I'm not in the mood, then I'm not going to be intimate with you!"

William was slightly taken aback by my outburst. Then, he frowned deeply.

"So that's how you feel all this time, huh? You really are making a fuss out of nothing! Whatever, have it your way!"

After that, he turned to leave angrily.

As I watched William's silhouette disappear from my line of sight, all I felt was endless sorrow and grief.