Kelsey's POV

Cold sweat broke out across my body from the pain. I tried to pull my hand away, but Belinda didn’t budge. In fact, she pressed down even harder.

Unable to take it anymore, I shoved her just to free my hand. But she stumbled backward and fell to the floor, clutching her belly and crying out in pain.

Seeing that, Francis rushed over and immediately helped her up, his face full of panic.

“Belinda! Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?”

Before he could accuse me, I immediately lifted my injured hand and explained, “Look! She stepped on my hand! That’s why I pushed her!”

“So she accidentally stepped on your hand. That gives you the right to push her like that? You know she’s pregnant!” he roared, not caring about the truth, as all he could see was Belinda clinging to his arm like a frightened child.

Then my mother slammed her hand on the table and glared at me.

“Filth like you will never change. If I’d known this is how you’d turn out, I never would’ve adopted you. A woman who abandons a child at an orphanage is trash, and trash like that only gives birth to more trash.”

Her sharp words and Francis's indifferent attitude made my entire body tremble with rage and humiliation.

I clenched my fists under the table, and the years of pent-up pain and frustration exploded all at once.

“I told you, she stepped on my hand first! You keep calling me petty, but look at yourselves. You’ve never treated me fairly!”

Tears streamed down my face as I shouted, my voice cracking with emotion.

“My whole life, I was just Belinda’s accessory. When she hit me, insulted me, I wasn’t even allowed to fight back. When I did better in school, you forced me to teach her until she surpassed me. Did you ever treat me like your daughter?”

With a face twisted with rage, she snapped, “Ungrateful brat! Letting you grow up in this house was a mercy! You were unwanted in the first place. You have no right to compare yourself to my daughter!”

I staggered back, clutching my arm. Just as I tried to speak again, Belinda stepped up and slapped me hard across the face.

“Watch your mouth when you talk to my mom. If being in my family is such torture for you, then leave.”

Francis quickly pulled her into his arms, gently soothing her. “Belinda, don’t get worked up. She’s clearly lost her mind. Just ignore her. She’s not worth it. Let’s finish lunch with your mom, alright?”

Then he turned back to me, grabbed my arm, and dragged me into the bedroom.

Once the door shut behind us, his gentle act vanished.

“I told you to take care of Belinda. Why can’t you just stay out of trouble?”

He crouched slightly to look at me, his tone cold and accusing. “You’re hurt and didn’t say a word. What’s the plan here? Trying to guilt-trip me?”

I turned my body to hide my injured arm, my heart sinking even deeper.

Now he noticed the wound?

I couldn’t help but let out a dry, bitter laugh.

“Let me bandage it,” he offered flatly.

“Don’t bother,” I coldly refused.

His brows creased with irritation. He clearly didn’t like being rejected.

“Fine. Then just stay in the room. Wait until Belinda and your mom finish eating. Then you can go get something from the kitchen.”

When the door closed behind him, I collapsed onto the bed, completely drained.

The pain in my arm made me tremble.

If he were his old self, he would’ve rushed me to the hospital at the first sign of a scraped knee, even in the middle of a thunderstorm.

But now, even with a deep wound, all I got was a cold, distant offer just for the sake of appearances.

All his tenderness was saved for Belinda.

The next day, the injury started to swell and throb. I was worried about infection, so I went to the hospital.

While waiting to be treated, I heard two women whispering behind me.

“Isn’t that the girl from the photos? Her personal life is a mess. She might be here to get tested for HIV.”

“I think so, too. With those kinds of pictures online, what do you expect?”

Overhearing their conversation, I didn’t know for sure if they were talking about me.

After I finished getting the wound cleaned and bandaged, my phone rang.

It was my best friend.

“Kelsey, you need to check our college group chat and your work group, too. Someone just posted a ton of... personal photos of you.”

Kelsey's POV

My heart dropped, and I fumbled to unlock my phone. The moment the group chat opened, I nearly blacked out.

Dozens, maybe hundreds, of my private photos were flooding the screen.

And people were already gossiping openly.

[Wow, never thought Kelsey would be that type. Always acted like a cold goddess, but turns out she plays dirty behind closed doors.]

Shaking, I typed a message into the chat. [Where did you all get those photos?]

Instantly, the group chat fell silent.

Not a single reply came, not in that group or even in my work chat.

Ten minutes later, my class president finally messaged me back.

[Your photos aren’t just in those two groups. They’ve been shared all over. Someone’s even selling the high-res ones for a buck each.]

My stomach turned.

Every ounce of hope I had crumbled.

In the photos, Francis’s face had been blurred intentionally. I couldn’t stop myself from wondering if it was him who leaked them.

I dialed his number, but no answer.

So, I tried again and again.

By the fifth call, it went straight to voicemail, signaling his phone was off.

As such, I covered my face and left the hospital, heading straight to his office.

In the underground parking lot, I finally found him with Belinda.

Her clothes were disheveled, and Francis had his hand tightly gripped around her bare shoulder. Their bodies pressed close, lips moving in rhythm, lost in each other.

I ducked behind a pillar, frozen, listening to their breathless moans.

Then Belinda spoke, her voice soft and sticky-sweet. “When our baby’s born, do you really expect me to keep being your secret lover? I don’t want my child calling Kelsey mommy.”

“Of course not,” Francis whispered back, his voice low and indulgent. “She’s just your family’s adopted girl. She could never be worthy of being my wife. The only reason I’ve kept her around this long was to keep her calm. After all, she’s been with me for years. Though she's not that of great help, she's still somehow provided some of my needs. But don't worry, once the baby’s here, I’ll find a reason to dump her.”

Belinda giggled and leaned into him, her voice almost teasing. “She can indeed provide some needs. That's why I shared that with people who needed it. Can’t wait to see her reaction.”

Francis playfully tapped her nose and curiously asked, “Share what?”

“Nothing important,” she answered with a coy smile. “Anyway, I’m starving. Weren’t we meeting Mr. Nicholson for dinner?”

Afterward, they left, and my legs gave out.

I collapsed to the ground like my soul had been ripped from my body.

In that moment, I didn’t know whether I wanted to laugh or scream. All those years we'd been together turned out to be a joke.

I sat there for half an hour until my legs had gone numb. When I finally stood, leaning against the wall for support, my phone buzzed.

It was Francis.

“My phone died, and I have no signal. I didn’t know you were calling. What’s up?”

“Nothing,” I emotionlessly replied.

“If it’s nothing, then meet me at the Urban Luxe Suites. You’ve got thirty minutes.”

I didn’t know why he wanted me there. He was supposed to be meeting a business partner with Belinda, so why did he ask me to be there?

But with everything happened to me, I can sit still.

I arrived at the hotel in under thirty minutes, and when I walked into the private room, Francis and Mr. Nicholson were already deep into their drinks.

Belinda, avoiding alcohol because of her pregnancy, was cozying up to Mr. Nicholson with compliments and a contract in hand.

When she saw me, her eyes immediately lit up.

“Kelsey! Francis had a bit too much, and Mr. Nicholson’s still in party mode. Could you keep him company for a while?”

“I don’t drink,” I replied flatly.

Francis slumped into Belinda’s arms, slurring something about going home. She giggled and smoothed his hair, completely covering his words.

“Come on,” Belinda coaxed again, pretending to be sweet. “Just one drink for Mr. Nicholson’s sake. Then we’ll all leave, I promise.”

I hesitated. But before I could decide, Mr. Nicholson had already lifted a glass to my lips.

“Just one drink, and I’ll sign the contract right after,” he said.

I believed him and took the glass. I closed my eyes, and, in one go, I swallowed it empty.

I thought that was it. After one drink, he would sign the contract, and then I could leave.

But the second I finished, Mr. Nicholson grinned widely and grabbed my arm, dragging me down beside him.

“Now we’re talking! You’ve gotta drink a few more with me tonight.”

And just like that, he signed his name on the contract.

“See? Easy. Now just stay a little longer. Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you.”

Kelsey's POV

As such, I had another drink.

But my alcohol tolerance was terrible. Just two small glasses and my head was already spinning.

I tried to push his hand away, but instead, he grabbed the back of my neck and forced another drink down my throat.

The next thing I knew, I had collapsed face-down on the table. I wanted to call out to Belinda to ask her to take me home, but when I looked over, her seat was empty.

She was gone.

That was when it hit me. I’d been set up.

But it was already too late.

I was taken to a hotel room, and everything after that became a blur. When I woke up the next morning, Mr. Nicholson was gone.

I immediately checked my body, and there didn’t seem to be anything off. No visible harm. Still, I felt hollow.

When I got home, the first thing I saw was Francis staring at me like I was filth.

“So what, was that your plan all along? Follow me to the hotel just to seduce my client? Kelsey, I didn’t know you were that desperate.”

Before I could speak, Belinda stepped out from behind him, arms crossed, fake pity dripping from her voice.

“Kelsey, I mean, seriously? The wedding’s in less than two weeks, and you pull this? How could you cheat on Francis like that?”

Ignoring her, I faced Francis and said, “Francis, you were the one who called and told me to go to the hotel. I showed up, but only to realize it was all a trap. You and Belinda planned this together! I’m calling the police!”

“I told you to drive over and pick us up, not to cozy up with Mr. Nicholson. Don’t twist my words,” he defended, frowning tightly.

The hangover must have kicked in. That was why he couldn't remember what really happened.

Belinda, on the other hand, scowled the second I mentioned calling the police.

“Police? Really, Kelsey? You chose to drink last night. I even tried to take you home, but you wouldn’t leave. You were all over Mr. Nicholson. Don’t turn around and blame us for your choices.”

I was speechless.

That bastard Mr. Nicholson had already wiped the hotel security footage before he disappeared this morning, cleaning all the evidence.

Now, it was just my word against hers.

Just then, Francis pulled out his phone and showed me a photo of me, smiling faintly while drinking, curled up beside Mr. Nicholson’s arm.

And that one picture was all he needed to believe everything Belinda said.

The disgust in his eyes was undeniable as he hissed, “You make me sick, Kelsey. Of all people, you had to go for my client?”

Tears streamed down my face as I shook my head.

That was when it all clicked.

Belinda planned every bit of this.

She worked with Mr. Nicholson to trap me, humiliate me, and ruin me in front of the man I once loved.

“Believe whatever you want. But I didn’t sleep with him. This was all her doing!” I shouted, pointing at Belinda.

But Francis waved his hand and snapped, “Enough! You’ve never liked Belinda, and now you’re trying to frame her for everything. You seriously need help.”

“Frame her? Look at this!” I held out my phone, my voice cracking. “My private photos, she leaked them. They’re everywhere now. She sent them to our group chats and even sold them online!”

I was shaking from anger, overwhelmed by the injustice, as tears poured down.

“It’s just a few photos,” Francis scoffed. “What’s the big deal? You’re not dead. And I doubt Belinda did it on purpose.”

“Exactly,” Belinda chimed in, stepping into his arms with her eyes glistening.

“I was trying to take a selfie, I didn’t realize it would send to the whole group. I didn’t mean for it to happen,” she whimpered and leaned into him like she was the victim.

“You accidentally sent high-res photos for a buck each? How long are you going to keep pretending?” I shot back, livid.

“That’s enough!” Francis shouted again. “I'm letting this whole hotel thing slide. It’s not like you can even get pregnant anyway. As for the photos, Belinda didn’t mean to do it. You’re her big sister. You should be more understanding. She’s a well-bred, upper-class girl, like hell she’d sell those pics for a buck. It’s obviously just a misunderstanding.”

I stood there stunned, barely able to breathe. I couldn't believe those words came from the man I once thought would protect me.

I let out a bitter laugh.

So this was it. All the love I’d held onto for years was nothing more than a cruel joke.

The sunlight from the window was blinding, but I stared at him anyway, numb and empty.

“Francis, let's just forget the wedding,” I firmly said. “I’m no longer interested in marrying you.”

For a moment, he just stared at me with a hint of panic.

Then he scoffed, “Don’t use a breakup as a bargaining chip, Kelsey. No one else is going to marry you. You’re a freak who can’t even have kids. I’m the only one who ever would’ve taken you.”