My chest tightened with bitterness, and my eyes reddened before I could stop myself.

"Okay. I'll give them back to Serena."

Only then did Seth look satisfied. He believed I had truly changed, that I was no longer the arrogant girl I used to be.

He became more convinced than ever that sending me to the countryside for five years had been the right decision.

"Sylvie, you really have improved. Hardship has made you sensible, just like your sister."

Then, he opened the car door for me.

Just as I was about to get in, Serena suddenly covered her nose and shrank back.

Her brows knit tightly. Her face was pale as though she might suffocate.

"Sylvie, how long has it been since you showered? You smell awful. I feel like I'm going to be sick."

The moment he heard that, Seth's expression changed. He grabbed my arm and yanked me violently out of the way.

"Serena, are you feeling unwell in any other way?

"If you can't stand her smell, then she won't ride with us. It's not far. She can walk back by herself."

My frail, dying body slammed hard against the ground. Pain exploded through me, as though my organs had shifted out of place.

My knee struck a rock. My vision went black, and for a long time, I could not get back up.

However, Seth never looked at me again.

After pulling me away, he opened the car window to air it out, then quickly closed it and turned on the heater for Serena.

He was afraid that she would feel cold and get sick.

Meanwhile, I stood there in nothing but a thin layer of clothing, yet he acted as though I did not exist, not sparing me a single word of concern.

Eventually, I forced myself to my feet and began walking toward the Jones residence, dragging my heavy body forward.

Five days.

I only had five days left.

Soon, I would finally be free.

I would never have to endure my brother's cruelty again.

'Seth, you hate me, right?

'I'll disappear from your life forever very soon. Will that make you happy?'

The next night, I arrived at the gates of the Jones residence.

It was almost a thousand miles from the mountain village. There was no way I could have walked that far.

Fortunately, kind strangers had given me rides along the way.

It had passed the midnight. Neither my brother nor Serena was home.

The guard took pity on me and let me inside when he saw me standing alone outside.

"Miss Sylvie, your old room now belongs to Miss Serena. Mr. Jones has arranged another room for you."

He casually led me to the maids' quarters.

The room was small and dark, without even a window. It was more like a storage closet than a bedroom.

I held my only piece of luggage and stood blankly in the doorway, silent, not stepping inside.

Serena would not even allow me to have this room.

Sure enough, after the guard left, Serena suddenly appeared before me, sobbing.

"Sylvie, I'll give your old room back to you, okay? I'll do anything you want as long as you don't take my new room!"

Seth hurried after her and pulled her into his arms.

"Serena, don't cry. What's yours is yours. Sylvie won't take it from you."

Then he glared at me furiously.

"Sylvie, you haven't changed at all. You're still the same spoiled, arrogant brat!"

Seth shot me a furious glare.

He was about to say he regretted bringing me back, that I deserved to suffer in the countryside for a few more years or never come back at all!

However, when he turned his head, he saw that a thin layer of frost had formed on my hair as I stood silently in the bitter cold wind some time.

He hesitated for a moment,

"Sylvie… You…"

I stood perfectly still, my back straight, and my expression indifferent.

"I'll behave. I won't take anything from Serena."

He was stunned into silence, at a loss for words.

Serena bit her lip. Her expression twisted for just a moment before she forced a smile.

"I misunderstood you. Sylvie, can you please forgive me?"

She spoke as she stepped closer, as though wanting to take my arm and beg for forgiveness.

Beneath the cover of her sleeve, her long nails dug viciously into my flesh.

The pain made it hard to breathe.

Serena expected me to react as I had five years ago, to hit her back the moment she pinched me.

However, she had it wrong.

During those five years in the countryside, I endured beatings and scoldings every single day.

I was pinched, kicked, and had my hair pulled. I had grown used to it, even numb.

I gave her a faint smile and gently pulled her hand away.

"You didn't do anything wrong. There's nothing to forgive. Everything I have belongs to you."

Her face stiffened. Then she asked through clenched teeth, "What about Nathan? Will you give him to me, too?"

I nodded.

"Yes."

Everything.

The room, my brother, and the Jones family.

Also, my childhood sweetheart and fiancé, whom I had known since we were three and loved since I was eight.

All of it.

It would be hers.

Serena remained quiet for what felt like an eternity. When she finally came back to her senses, she put on a show of concern.

"You don't like Nathan anymore?"

I paused for a moment and secretly let out a bitter laugh.

Of course I did.

Nathan and I met at three. We confessed to each other at eighteen. But in fact, I had loved him for more than a decade.

He loved racing. I trained desperately to keep up with him until a crash left me hospitalized for three months.

He liked girls who could dance. Hence, I began learning at eight years old, just to show him my best self.

I loved him with everything I had, believing my sincerity would move him.

However, when my brother sent me away five years ago, I went to him in tears, begging him to help me.

Back then, I had devoted most of my youth to the boy I loved, yet he closed the door on me without a glance.

"My heart belongs to Mr. Jones' sister, not to some cast-off of the Jones family."

At that moment, my entire world came crashing down.

My brother sent me to the countryside. At first, the village chief merely ignored me.

A few months later, when no one from the Jones family came to take me back, he began scheming how to discipline me and make me suffer.

They forced me into the fields every day, giving me the hardest, most exhausting work.

They gave me barely enough food to survive.

They even allowed the village's single men to sneak into my room at night to assault me.

The village chief said, "The Jones family doesn't want her anymore. Do whatever you like, just don't kill her!"

For five long years, I was trampled and humiliated.

The village doctor said my body was failing.

At most, I had five days left to live.

And now, a day had passed.

As I pushed those memories aside, I looked at Serena and shook my head gently.

"I stopped liking him a long time ago."

The girl who had once been so in love with Nathan had died that night, five years ago, when her world fell apart.

Serena did not expect me to say that.

However, Seth seemed satisfied. A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Sylvie, you've truly grown up. I'm glad to see the change in you.

"Since you no longer like him, I'll find you someone even more worthy to be your fiancé."

Someone better than Nathan?

I wanted to ask him that, but I already knew the answer.

If there were truly a better fiancé, why had he torn Nathan away from me and given him to Serena?

Bitterness churned in my chest, and I endured it numbly and silently.

Seth noticed my silence and did not know what to say for a moment. He reached out to lead me into the room.

However, the moment he grabbed my arm, he realized my clothes were far too thin, and my body was as cold as ice.

He froze, then hurriedly ordered the maids to bring me warm clothing.

He also had someone quickly prepare a guest room in the villa for me to stay in.

As I watched the maids rush into cleaning, a hint of guilt flashed across his eyes.

"Serena has had a rough life since childhood. She doesn't like anyone living near her. Your old room is the most sound-absorbent.

"You can stay in the guest room for now. Once Serena chooses a new room, you can move back into your original one."

In other words, as long as Serena refused to leave my room, I would have to live like a guest in the temporary room.

I met Seth's guilty gaze and noticed Serena's smug expression. I nodded slightly.

"Thank you, Seth."

Five years ago, I had been the Jones family's only daughter. Seth had doted on me unconditionally as his only sister.

Countless high-society heiresses in the country envied my bright and lively life.

Even the entertainment media had spread the news far and wide.

"Sylvie Jones: The One True Heiress of a Top-Tier Family!"

The old me could not tolerate even the slightest unhappiness. Now, I could endure all the pain and despair in the world without flinching.

Seth was dumbfounded for a moment. A flicker of surprise crossed his face.

He looked at me, hesitating to speak, but the instant Serena linked her arm with his, he forgot everything he meant to say.

He said, "Serena hasn't seen you in five years. There's a lot you two need to talk about. You sisters should go to the room and chat. I have company matters to attend to."

After giving his instructions, he didn't forget to warn me, his tone turning stern.

"Sylvie, control your temper. Don't take it out on Serena."

Then, he left.

The moment he was gone, Serena dismissed the maids and shoved me into the room. She suddenly yanked open my clothes, exposing the crisscrossing scars covering my body.

When she saw the large patches of wounds, a satisfied smile appeared on her face. Her words were full of mockery.

"Sylvie, you're still a Jones. How could you do something so disgraceful?

"Even if Nathan doesn't like you anymore, you shouldn't be so shameless as to sleep with all those country bumpkins.

"Or is it your nature to be this promiscuous?"

She covered her mouth in feigned shock and stripped off my clothes completely.

Her long, exquisitely manicured nails dug viciously into my scars, tearing open the scabs that had barely formed.

"As expected, Nathan has good taste, choosing me as his fiancée. Otherwise, the Jones family's reputation would have been completely ruined by you.

"Sylvie, you're already this miserable. Why didn't you just die in those mountains?"

Why had I not died in that remote village?

Perhaps it was because I could not let go of Mother.

Even if I had to die, I wanted to see her grave one last time.

Serena noticed that I was lost in thought, and she slapped me viciously across the face. Then she held up her hand, showing off the enormous heart‑shaped pink diamond ring on her finger.

Her face was full of pride.

"This ring was personally given to me by Nathan at our engagement banquet. It symbolizes that our love is as eternal as a diamond."

Her expression was filled with smug triumph, and every word she spoke mocked me that Nathan had never loved me. Everything back then had only been my wishful thinking.

That was the truth.

He had never loved me. The one he loved was Mr. Jones' sister.

I paid no attention to Serena's ridicule. I quietly put my thin clothes back on and prepared to rest.

By the time I finished tidying the bed, Serena was already gone.

My tense body finally relaxed, but the metallic taste in my throat could no longer be suppressed. I bent over and coughed up a mouthful of blood, then collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

'Mother, I'll be with you soon.'

Two days passed.

I stayed in my room the entire time, and Serena did not come to torment me.

That day, a servant came at Serena's orders to show off to me.

"Miss Serena's fiancé has arrived. He's taking her out. That's why she has no time for you."

The servant continued, "He has taken Miss Serena out shopping. They're buying every single piece of clothing and every bag from the latest collection.

"Then he took her to an elite club to drink and play games with his friends."

I listened quietly. My mind was calm and as still as water.

***

It was the fifth day, and my life was drawing to an end.

Coincidentally, it was also my mother's death anniversary.

At dawn, I rose to prepare myself. I put on the clothes my mother had custom-made for me and applied a touch of powder to make myself look less pale.

As soon as I stepped outside, the butler said, "Mr. Jones and Miss Serena have already left."

Only five years had passed, and my brother had already forgotten that I, too, was his sister.

I nodded silently and walked out of the villa alone.

The village doctor's diagnosis was correct. My body was deteriorating rapidly.

Days ago, I could walk half a day against the cold wind.

Today, it took only minutes for my body to shiver uncontrollably and my vision to blur.

I could not fall. I had to see my mother.

I spat out the blood in my mouth and followed the path toward my mother's tomb from memory.

Rain began to fall.

Large, heavy drops pelted my body, cold and unrelenting.

The rain blurred my vision, and I stepped on a loose stone, falling hard to the ground.

The downpour drenched my hair and clothes, as though it was trying to swallow me whole.

I could not breathe. I wondered if I died like this, would Mother cry when I met her in the afterlife?

Still, I had no strength left. Every attempt to rise grew smaller and weaker.

After I closed my eyes, a car behind me suddenly screeched to a halt.

Nathan stepped out, holding an umbrella, and approached me.

"Get in."

The rain seemed to stop for a moment.

I forced my eyes open and saw a pitch-black umbrella above me, and Nathan looking down at me, towering and calm.

"No, I'm dirty."

After refusing, I took a shaky breath and got to my feet, trying to walk past him.

Nathan grabbed my arm and forced me into the car.

When he met my calm, distant gaze, he instinctively looked away.

"Regardless, we know each other. I can't just stand by and watch you drown in the rain."

I stopped looking at him and curled quietly into the back seat, pressing against the window, afraid that he might throw me out of the car if I touched him by accident.

My body could no longer carry me any further.

Nathan did not look at me again after getting in. He only told the driver to turn up the heat. Warm air filled the car, making it cozy inside.

When we reached the tomb, I prepared to get out as soon as the car stopped.

However, the moment I opened the door, Seth grabbed me by the collar and yanked me back.

Throughout the entire journey, my pale cheeks were flushed red by the warm wind.

Seth's brows furrowed, and his eyes burned with anger when he saw that.

"Who told you to come with Serena's fiancé?

"I thought those five years in the countryside would make you obedient and well-behaved, but you're still so shameless!

"Sylvie, you truly disappoint me!"

Serena held her umbrella and stood beside him with red-rimmed eyes, quietly trying to convince him.

"What did I do wrong, Seth? Please don't scold her. She didn't do it on purpose…"

A passerby nearby heard his words and shot me a look of disdain.

Everyone hated me.

I collapsed onto the ground, staring at my mother's tomb a few meters ahead. I opened my mouth, ready to explain.

Before I could even speak, a dull pain shot through my chest.

The metallic, bloody taste surged up my throat, and the world twisted and spun before my eyes.

I could feel it. My life was reaching its end.

After Serena's words failed to calm him, Seth's fury grew even more. He raised his leg and kicked me square in the chest.

Dark red blood seeped from the corner of my mouth, tinted a faint pink by the rain.

I had no time to explain. I quickly wiped the rain from my face, struggled to my feet, and made my way toward my mother's grave.

'Mother, Mother…

'I missed you so much. Please let me see you just once more.'

Seth, seeing that I ignored him and refused to explain, grew even angrier. He shoved me to the ground again.

Then, he kicked me several more times.

The rain was icy and merciless, and the pain coursing through my body cut straight to my soul.

I summoned every last ounce of strength, crawling toward my mother's tomb. Finally, I saw her photo engraved on the gravestone.

'Mother, I can finally see you.'

A satisfied smile crossed my lips.

Seth yanked me up and demanded, "Syvlie, you won't even explain a single word to me?"

The instant he lifted me, he finally noticed the large streaks of blood at the corner of my mouth.

His heart jolted. "Sylvie!"

Nathan stepped out of the car, holding his umbrella, and froze when he saw my condition.

After Seth hurriedly carried me in his arms past him, Nathan finally came back to his senses.

"I was the one who saw her walking and forced her into the car.

"She never once tried to get close to me."