At the banquet where I revealed my true identity as the legitimate daughter, I fell head over heels for the privileged Ceasar Trainston.

To be worthy of Ceasar, I threw myself into learning programming, striving to become a developer. With sheer persistence, I managed to secure an opportunity at Ceasar's company, hoping that he would notice me, even if just for a moment.

Ceasar once said, "Helen, once this game is officially launched, we'll be together."

But he broke his promise.

After a false accusation from an impostor claiming I had leaked company secrets, Ceasar didn't even bother to investigate. Without a second glance, he discarded me, sending me back to the small town I had once come from, forcing me to confront my past.

Five years later, I returned to the city, battered and bruised.

No longer carrying the pride I once had.

Yet when I crossed paths with Ceasar again, with no trace of love in my eyes, he, with bloodshot eyes, desperately pleaded, "Would you still love me?"

——

This year marks the fifth year since Ceasar, my lover, cast me back into the village where I once lived.

The sun beat down mercilessly as I hunched over, balancing two buckets filled with a pungent, foul-smelling slurry on a rough yoke. Limping, step by painful step, I trudged toward the vegetable garden. My eyes were hollow, my movements automatic as I diligently spread manure on the cabbage plants.

I hadn't been allowed to eat lunch by my foster parents and to make matters worse, I had been severely beaten. After finishing the task in the garden, the world around me went dark, spinning uncontrollably. With a loud thud, I collapsed right there in the soil.

If I hadn’t somehow managed to drag myself out of the field, I would have likely stayed unconscious all day, possibly even slipping away quietly without anyone noticing.

From the moment I was born, my foster parents had schemed to swap me out. They brainwashed me from a young age, teaching me that my purpose was to support them and my fool of a sister so they could live the high life once I was recognized by a wealthy family.

But I severed ties with them without hesitation.

My foster parents despised me for abandoning them in pursuit of a life of luxury.

Since I returned, they’ve treated me like a servant, using and abusing me, beating me at the slightest whim, while they enjoyed their comfortable lives.

The sound of a luxury car engine grew louder as it approached.

Walking down the path, the sun blinding me, I instinctively shut my eyes.

Suddenly, the screech of brakes filled the air and before I could react, I was knocked to the ground. Pain shot through my knee instantly.

The driver immediately rolled down the window and began shouting, "Where did this beggar come from? Are you blind? Can't you see such a big car coming? You’re lucky I don’t run you over — even ten lives wouldn't be enough to pay for your mess."

If I were still the proud young lady from the Wonders Family, recognized and elevated, I would have slapped his mouth off and given him a good beating.

But I wasn’t that arrogant young lady anymore. Ever since I was falsely accused of leaking Ceasar's company secrets, I was abandoned by everyone.

As I lay there, shivering, memories of the humiliation and beatings I’d endured over the past five years flooded my mind.

"Well, well, if it isn’t Helena. How did you end up like this?"

The familiar voice made me momentarily dazed.

It was Tracy—the one who had brought me nothing but nightmares and the biological daughter of my foster parents.

"You're truly pathetic. No one even wants to come pick you up. I only came to watch you make a fool of yourself," she said, a smirk on her face.

She pinched her nose, disgusted and added, "You smell awful, like a pile of rotten dung."

Tracy, disgusted by the muddy path, complained about how it dirtied her Chanel heels. She quickly jumped into the passenger seat, clearly terrified of catching even the slightest trace of me.

Finally, she could escape this hell.

For the past five years, I had imagined this moment over and over. With renewed determination, I scrambled to my feet.

Just as I was about to grab the car door handle, the car suddenly started moving.

Fear gripped me—they might leave me here in this hell. My body shook with panic as I desperately tried to keep up with the car.

Years ago, when I tried to escape under the cover of night, a neighbor had caught me and in a fit of rage, my foster parents used the handle of an axe to shatter one of my legs. Since then, I’ve been unable to move with any speed.

Now, despite my desperate attempt to chase after the car, I stumbled and fell hard.

Lying there, overwhelmed with despair, I saw the car slowly reverse toward me.

Tracy, seeing me in this pitiful state, couldn’t help but laugh. "Pfft—" she sneered.

In the past, I would’ve fought back, wanting her to experience the same cruelty I endured. But now, all I felt was fear and utter helplessness.

I couldn’t stay here any longer.

I was going to be tortured to death.

As soon as I returned to the familiar, comforting villa, I encountered Ceasar once again.

The moment Tracy walked in, Ceasar hurried over to embrace her, gently caressing her cheek with eyes full of tenderness, as if she were a rare treasure. In the next instant, they were caught up in a passionate kiss.

I didn’t want to attract Ceasar’s attention, so I tried to shrink into the background, making myself as invisible as possible.

But, unfortunately, I was still noticed.

Five years was enough to change me beyond recognition.

Dressed in tattered clothes that barely covered me, the exposed skin was marked with bruises and wounds, a testament to the pain I had endured.

At first, Ceasar didn’t recognize me. He frowned in disgust and snapped at our family’s butler, "Charlie, why did you let this beggar in? Get her out, she’s filthy and reeks."

His words hit me like a blow. A bitter wave washed over my heart and in that moment, I realized—he had truly forgotten me. In his eyes, I was nothing but an insignificant stranger.

I stood frozen, unsure of what to do, my lips trembling as I tried to say something, but no sound came out.

It was only then that I understood—he could be so gentle with someone else.

It was only now that I realized, Ceasar could smile so happily when he was with someone he cared about.

This thought sent my mind racing back to the past.

At the banquet where my true identity as the legitimate daughter was revealed, I fell head over heels for Ceasar at first sight.

I had learned from my parents that he was the only son of a prestigious family, close friends of ours and had been exceptional since childhood. Seeing me in my youthful infatuation, my parents were more than eager to play matchmaker.

In order to be worthy of Ceasar, I, a college freshman at the time, enrolled in the same computer science program he was in and worked tirelessly to master programming. I pushed myself to become an outstanding developer, turning down high-paying job offers from top companies. With a thick face, I managed to secure a position at Ceasar’s company, all in the hope that he might glance my way.

Ceasar once told me, "Helen, once this game is officially launched, we’ll be together."

But he broke his promise.

Looking back now, my past infatuation seems so laughable.

He didn’t love me, which is why he always treated me with such indifference.

Even on the day I confessed my feelings to him, he first gave me a little bit of sweetness to reel me in, making sure I’d devote myself to developing the game for him.

After all, I was the core engineer of the development team at that time. I was useful and didn’t demand any money, so of course, he wanted me to work hard for him.

How did I not see that back then?

Tracy suddenly burst into laughter. But this time, unlike when she laughed in front of me alone, her laughter had a playful, almost flirtatious edge as she teased, "What's going on, Ceasar? This is Helena—don't you recognize her?"

Ceasar froze for a moment before quickly walking up to me, his eyes scanning me from head to toe.

"How did you end up like this?" he asked.

Once, I had eagerly hoped for Ceasar's gaze to fall on me. Whether it was kind or harsh, I would have been overjoyed for the whole day.

Yet, after five years of humiliation and suffering, my back was bent and I no longer harbored any feelings for Ceasar.

As he approached, inspecting me with such intensity, all I felt was fear and trembling, terrified that in the next moment, I would receive a slap or a harsh kick. My throat tightened and I couldn’t bring myself to answer him.

To Ceasar, however, my silence seemed like stubborn defiance, as if I still hadn't truly understood.

"Is this your attitude?" he pressed, his voice turning colder. "Do you think it was a mistake to send you back to think things over?"

My body tensed and I instinctively took a step back. The words burst out of me in sharp protest.

"No, no... that's not it..."

Just then, my parents appeared.

When I thought they would stand up for their biological daughter, their words immediately shattered that hope and made reality painfully clear.

"What’s with your attitude? If it weren’t for your sister pleading with Ceasar on your behalf, you’d probably still be stuck there," they scolded.

"With all the things you’ve done, Ceasar didn’t send you to prison only because of the relationship between our families."

My parents' constant criticism, accusing me of not knowing my place, quickly shattered any remaining hope that they still cared about me.

It became clear that five years was enough to warp even the strongest family ties.

"You see how your parents feel now, right? You're not the only daughter in this family. If you're going to keep acting like this, I'll just send you right back," Ceasar said coldly.

I knew Ceasar had immense power. Even my parents had to play by his rules sometimes.

No one was going to protect me. I had to rely on my own fragile self to survive.

The thought of the torment I had endured over the past five years sent a chill down my spine. My legs gave out and I collapsed to the ground, trembling.

"I didn’t mean to ignore your question," I stammered, my voice shaking. "I was wrong... I won’t do it again. Please don’t send me back. They’ll beat me to death."

Ceasar must have expected to feel some sense of satisfaction seeing me like this. After all, my betrayal years ago had nearly destroyed the company he had worked so hard to build.

But when I grovelled and begged for him to spare me, his eyes were filled with something far from satisfaction.

In fact, when I was so scared that I dropped to my knees, he actually took a step forward.

My words had planted a seed of doubt in his mind, just waiting for the right moment to trigger it.

Finally, Ceasar's emotions erupted. With a sharp curse, he stormed out of the Wonders Family's mansion. Even when Tracy called his name from behind, he didn't so much as glance back.

For a split second, a malicious gleam flashed in Tracy’s eyes.

My room had clearly not been cleaned in a long time, dust everywhere.

But as I lay back on the once-soft bed, I couldn’t help but cry.

In the five years since I’d been thrown back to my foster parents, whenever I angered them or failed to do as they instructed, I was forced to sleep in the straw of the woodshed.

Now, having a warm place to rest, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

Not long after I had drifted off to sleep, my door was suddenly kicked open and I was dragged to the floor.

Ceasar, his face twisted in anger, appeared before me, glaring down with fury.

"I told you to stay in line," he snarled. "But of course, you can't change your true nature. You once teamed up with outsiders to steal my company’s secrets and now you’re trying to hurt Trace."