The man grabbed me by my arm, his fingers digging into my flesh. It hurt so much that I hissed in pain.

Just as I was about to scream for help, I found myself making eye contact with William. He was standing with Elaine at that time, and he was looking at me with mixed feelings written all over his face.

I was about to ask him for help when I noticed Elaine's eyes glinting slyly. Suddenly, she slapped a hand to her forehead and feigned discomfort.

"William, I feel very weak… and my head hurts a lot… I want to rest…"

William quickly steadied Elaine on her feet, worry already etched on his face.

"I'll take you to the hospital right now."

But Elaine shook her head. "I'm fine. You should go save Daphne."

Despite her response, she still collapsed in William's direction abruptly, looking as though she was about to pass out.

William instantly picked Elaine up and whisked her into a nearby lounge. Just like that, he chose to ignore my plight.

I remained rooted to the spot because of what happened. Only when pain flared from my cheek, where the man had slapped me earlier, did I snap out of my trance.

"Hey, bitch! You're still pretending to act all pure and innocent, huh? Weren't you trying to seduce me by lying on the floor just now?"

As he spoke, he tried to rip my dress off me.

Enraged, I grabbed a flower pot and bashed it at the man. He managed to evade it, so the pot crashed into countless shards on the floor. I quickly picked up a shard and aimed it at the man.

"If you touch me again, I'll fucking kill you!"

Needless to say, the man was stunned upon noticing how much anger and hatred I was harboring.

I turned to leave, though I kept clutching the shard tightly, allowing it to pierce through my skin. Even if pain kept flaring from my fresh wound, it was nothing compared to the pain attacking my heart.

Both my body and my heart were in so much pain that I had no idea what to do. I could only stand on the pavement, not knowing where to go for the time being.

A short while later, a familiar luxury car slowed down to a halt before me. Elaine got out of the car, a radiant smile on her face.

"Let me drive you home, sister dearest."

When she noticed me staring at the car, her smile became even more meaningful.

"Oh, right. William had given me this car as my birthday present. He even gave me a silver necklace."

As Elaine spoke, she even took out the necklace just to show it to me.

I glanced at it. Although the pain still remained, I was starting to feel numb toward it. I had seen the exact same necklace around William's neck before. He had claimed that it was an heirloom left behind by his mother, and that he'd give it to his future wife.

That meant he had already chosen Elaine as his wife.

I took a deep breath before saying coldly, "I don't like you at all. Don't ever address me as your sister ever again. I don't want to be related to you at all."

I was about to leave when Elaine grabbed me by the arm. She said in an aggrieved manner, "You're still my older sister no matter how much you hate me."

Irked, I was about to push her away when I noticed a dark shadow plunging down at us. At the same time, a chorus of screams rang out from the nearby passersby.

Both of us looked up simultaneously, only to see a sign falling onto us. At that critical juncture, I spotted William rushing over and pulling Elaine out of the way.

As for me, I ended up getting crushed by the sign.

While I lay in the puddle of my own blood, I saw the way William held Elaine protectively in his arms. That was when despair finally engulfed me.

When Elaine and I were in danger, William didn't choose me, just like before.

For the first time ever, I felt regret. I regretted falling in love with him in the first place. He didn't deserve my love as well.

…

The moment I woke up in the hospital, I heard someone crying softly.

"I'm sorry… Had I realized that we were in danger, Daphne wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place…"

Elaine paused momentarily. This time, she chose to blame William.

"You should've saved Daphne!"

Then, I saw William wiping Elaine's tears away.

"It was a dangerous situation. I could only save one person back then. Daphne wouldn't get mad at me for saving you first."

I jolted at his words. Once again, William left a fresh gash onto my broken and battered heart.

I… wouldn't get mad, huh?

Right… What right did I have to get mad at him in the first place?

William just sighed as he took Elaine's hand and continued comforting her. "Stop crying already. Watching you cry pains me as well."

Elaine nodded in response. Then, she melted into William's arms. He continued holding her while comforting her in soft tones.

As I watched the couple being lovey-dovey with each other, I felt my heart going numb from the intense pain. I closed my eyes while suppressing my sorrow and rage.

When Elaine left the ward, I finally opened my eyes. William was elated to see me awake. He also made sure to show me the same amount of concern.

By then, I had already calmed down. I spent time with him as though nothing had happened. In fact, both of us chose to ignore the incident that had happened at Elaine's birthday banquet.

During the time I was hospitalized, William visited me every day. At first, I thought he really was here to visit me. That was, until I noticed that Elaine happened to be staying in the ward next to mine. That was when cold realization dawned on me.

William was never here for me. He was here for Elaine.

According to a nurse, Elaine got hospitalized because of pneumonia. She had to receive IV treatment for the time being. William would spend time with her every day. Then, he'd free up some time from his schedule just to visit me.

I even heard the nurses praising Elaine for having such a handsome and caring boyfriend. So, I couldn't resist visiting Elaine's ward.

Through the glass window, I saw William peeling an apple for Elaine before feeding her some fruit. Then, he'd wipe her mouth for her. Elaine held hands with him the whole time while smiling giddily.

Despite knowing that I'd be facing the brutal truth, I still watched the entire scene unfold before my eyes patiently. In the end, I just smiled bitterly. This time, I walked away quickly and steadily after turning my back on the couple.

It seemed that my decision to leave was the right one.

On the day I got discharged from the hospital, William dropped by to pick me up. When I returned to his home, I saw Elaine there.

Stunned, I could only stare at William, who refused to look at me at that moment. He only told me, "She's going to stay over at my place for a few days."

I just bit my bottom lip quietly. Then, I let out a scoff before returning to my room.

Since Elaine and William couldn't wait to live together, there was absolutely no reason why I should continue staying there.

While I was packing my stuff, Elaine approached me from behind.

"I never knew you've been dating him for so long."

I just chuckled softly. "Yeah. It's been a long time. And yet, I still can't capture his heart."

Elaine wore a smug expression.

"That's right. He loves me and only me."

After zipping up my suitcase, I got up to my feet and looked at Elaine seriously.

"That's why I'm backing off. I hope you two can live happily ever after," I said.

Just when I was about to leave, Elaine suddenly gripped my arm. Then, she pulled out a bangle from her purse.

My eyes went bloodshot instantly. I could only stare at her in disbelief.

"Why do you have this?"

Elaine merely raised an eyebrow in return. "Your dad gave it to me."

I instinctively reached out to snatch it away from her. After all, the bangle was left behind by my mother. In the past, I had looked for it for a long time, yet I could never locate it. It turned out that Charles had given it to Elaine.

Elaine kept dodging my attempts to snatch the bangle away. She quickly raised it above her head.

"Don't come any closer, or else I'll smash it!"

I stopped moving instantly. All I could do was glare at her angrily.

"Elaine Moore, don't you dare cross the line!"

But she just shrugged, wearing a menacing smile on her face.

"I can give the bangle to you… but you'll have to get down on your knees and beg me for it."

I could only stare at her in shock. I didn't want to do it at first, but when I saw her fingers loosening around the bangle, I panicked right away. With bloodshot eyes, I slowly sank down on my knees.

To my horror, Elaine laughed at the top of her lungs.

"Oh, Daphne! You're far too naive! Even if you were to grovel in front of me, I wouldn't give it back to you!"

Once Elaine was done speaking, she tossed the bangle out the window. I could hear it smashing into pieces from outside the house.

At that moment, my pupils shrank. My body began trembling violently, and my heart felt as though it was being slammed by a hammer repeatedly.

I missed my mother so much, but I couldn't even protect the only thing she had left for me. To make things worse, the culprit of the bangle's destruction still had the gall to act all arrogant in front of me.

"This is a warning for you to stop drooling after the man who doesn't belong to you in the first place. If you're leaving, you'd better not come back ever again," she warned.

I couldn't hold my rage back anymore, so I tackled Elaine to the floor. As I straddled her, I kept slapping her repeatedly. Then, I yanked her by the hair with all my might.

Some bitches deserved to be taught a lesson, that was for sure.

Elaine shrieked at the top of her lungs as I beat her up relentlessly. Upon hearing her screams, William came running over.

He yanked me off Elaine's body and threw me aside. Then, he delivered a harsh slap across my face.

"Have you gone insane?" he bellowed at me.

I raised my head, my eyes completely red with rage. As I watched William pull Elaine into his arms, I let out a chortle.

"William Blackburn, you've betrayed me!"

William's expression was cold. He cast me a furious glare in return.

"Regardless of what Elaine did, you shouldn't have beaten her up!"

Strangely enough, I turned calm and collected. My tone turned frosty as well.

"She broke my mother's bangle. That was my mother's personal belonging."

But William just scoffed coldly in return. He chastised me disdainfully, "Your mother's already dead, so what's the use of keeping her bangle? From the way I see it, your mother was a woman with no manners. Clearly, she didn't do a good job in raising you."

His words cut me deeply.

I burst into tears on the spot. In fact, I bawled like a lunatic.

"You're right. My mom died a long time ago. No one was there to raise me properly, so I deserve to get bullied. Is that it?"

William was momentarily taken aback by my cries. For a moment, he looked conflicted.

At that moment, the aggrieved Elaine began crying while whining to William, "Oh god… William, my scalp is bleeding! Daphne yanked my hair off my head earlier! And my face… my face is injured! Oh my god, am I going to be disfigured?"

Her entire face was swollen and completely covered in bruises. I was able to yank some of her hair off her head, which injured her scalp. Right now, she was still bleeding from her scalp.

William's heart ached for Elaine instantly. He said comfortingly, "Everything's going to be alright. I'll take you to the hospital and get you treated."

Then, he glared at the household staff angrily, who were all watching from the doorway. He ordered tersely, "Lock Daphne up in the basement. Have her reflect on her behavior for a few days in there."

I could only stare at William in shock and disbelief.

As I watched him whisk Elaine away, what was left of my feelings for him finally disappeared. Soon, I was taken away by the household staff as well.

There was nothing but pitch-black darkness in the basement. I didn't have my phone with me, so I couldn't contact anyone. It was so silent that I could even hear the air humming in my ears.

Honestly speaking, I was afraid of the dark. No—I was terrified of it.

Whenever I was about to fall asleep, rats would come out of nowhere and bite me. Even the meals I was given had gone bad. I couldn't even stomach them at all.

I had no idea how long the household staff had kept me locked up in the basement. But my imprisonment was a long and arduous one, to say the least.

On the day I was finally released from the basement, the household staff gave me a good beating. One of them told me arrogantly, "This is your punishment for offending our future missus. You'd better remember this lesson for the rest of your life!"

I knew that the so-called missus was Elaine. Of course, William allowed her to bully me as much as she wanted.

Truthfully speaking, I refused to believe that William would treat me like this. But the pain and agony I had gone through the past few days kept reminding me how cruel he actually was.

I was beaten up to the point that I couldn't even move an inch. Blood kept gushing out from beneath me.

Having finally realized that I was in a dire condition, the household staff quickly sent me to the hospital. After a quick check-up, the doctor announced that I had gone through a miscarriage due to my abdomen suffering from heavy blows.

Just like that, I lost my baby…

Heart-wrenching pain flooded my senses immediately. I broke down in hysteric tears on the spot.

The next few days were like living hell to me. I was stuck in a cycle of sorrow and guilt. At one point, I even attempted to jump off the building and end my miserable existence. If it wasn't for a patient who happened to walk past me and managed to stop me by hugging me from behind, I'd most likely have died.

Once I finally regained my rationality, I felt like the biggest idiot in the world.

William never loved me, to begin with. What could I have done with my pregnancy? Would I have given birth to the baby?

Well, the baby was better off without me. At least it wouldn't grow up in an incomplete family. Besides, I was about to get married soon. I couldn't do that while pregnant, could I?

During this period, William never bothered showing up. Some time later, I found out from the household staff that he had taken Elaine on another relaxing vacation.

Also, the household staff kept purposefully bringing up how nice William was to Elaine.

I knew that Elaine had ordered the household staff to hurt me repeatedly with their words. It was true that I'd felt sad, but after losing my baby, all the pain seemed to have vanished from my life.

It seemed that I no longer loved William anymore. After all, I'd never place my hopes in a man who had disappointed me this many times.