Kelsie's arrival was like a bolt of lightning that woke me from all my dreams.

Whenever she appeared, Bradyn's gaze would follow her involuntarily.

No matter what he was doing, one phone call from her, and he would drop everything to rush to her side at any time without hesitation.

She and I couldn't be more different. I was a spoiled rich girl, while she was calm, composed, and always knew exactly what she wanted.

From the moment she became Bradyn's assistant, her eyes shone with determination, as though she was certain she would win him over.

Under her soft and considerate attacks, Bradyn gradually went from indifferent to paying attention to every detail of her life. Eventually, they became confidants, and after some alcohol, they ended up in bed together.

I yelled, screamed, and even threatened to hurt myself, but the more I acted out, the more Bradyn grew to despise me.

Right in front of Kelsie, he said he only ever saw me as a younger sister and that he didn't have the slightest romantic feeling for me. He told me to stop daydreaming.

I couldn't believe it. I held up the lucky charm he had once given me and demanded an explanation.

When I was fifteen, I caught a fever after swimming at the beach.

The fever lasted three days, and even the doctors had given up hope. My parents were on the verge of despair. Only Bradyn refused to give up, desperately searching for a way to save me.

He traveled alone to a church at a high altitude to pray and brought me back this lucky charm.

It was strange. After the lucky charm was placed under my pillow, I recovered from the fever by the next day.

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Bradyn's disheveled but smiling face.

The light in his eyes was so bright that it illuminated my entire world.

From that moment on, my heart seemed to beat solely for him.

For nine years, I orbited around him. It was so long that he became a habit I couldn't break.

Bradyn glanced at the lucky charm in my hand and scoffed.

"It's just some trinket. I didn't expect that you would treat it like it's priceless."

I finally understood. To him, I was just like that trinket, something insignificant, easily discarded.

The car pulled into the Ruiz's house.

After getting out, Bradyn took a deep breath and then frowned in disgust before reluctantly grabbing my hand.

I knew he was only doing it for our parents, but I recoiled inside.

His cold fingertips pinched my palm, sending a sharp pain through me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trembling all over, trying to pull my hand away.

But Bradyn's warning look stopped me.

"Giana Miranda, behave yourself! Don't try anything stupid, or you know what will happen!"

I stopped resisting, letting him lead me inside, numb and devoid of feeling.

Our parents and Bradyn were all there, their faces lighting up with joy when they saw Bradyn holding my hand.

"Oh, look at that, Giana and Bradyn are still as close as ever!"

"They grew up as childhood sweethearts. Of course, they are close."

"They're all grown up now. Maybe we should start planning the wedding for next year?"

"I saw a beautiful wedding dress in Milan recently. I'll have it custom-made for Giana in a few days."

What were they talking about? Were they really talking about me and Bradyn? How could that be possible? He had made it painfully clear through his actions that I shouldn't have any illusions. If I dared to hope, he'd only break me further, leaving me even filthier and more shattered.

I couldn't endure his punishment again!

I suddenly felt a cold, venomous gaze slide over my skin like a slimy snake.

It was Kelsie. She was here, in the Ruiz's house!

Bradyn had actually brought her into his home!

She stood there with her chestnut curls cascading over her swan-like neck, the sapphire earrings dangling from her ears sparkling like treasures. They were expensive.

Perhaps due to her miscarriage, her face looked a bit pale, but her fragile appearance only made her seem more delicate and endearing.

Her sharp business attire only accentuated her charm as a sophisticated city woman.

The contrast was irresistible. No man could resist her allure.

As I glanced toward her, Kelsie quickly dropped her sinister expression, replacing it with a fake smile as she linked her arm through mine.

I wanted to pull away so badly, but Bradyn's hand pinched my palm fiercely.

Suppressing the chill in my heart, I lowered my head and let them manipulate me, obedient like I had been in the mental hospital.

How could I dare to disobey?

If I ever went against Aron's wishes, he would find new ways to torment me.

On my third day there, I couldn't take it anymore and tried to escape by jumping out of the window, but they caught me.

They ripped out my toenails and injected saltwater into the wounds with needles...

When Kelsie saw that I didn't resist, her smile grew more smug.

Right in front of me, she tilted her head up, her eyes glistening with deep affection as she exchanged flirtatious glances with Bradyn.

But since I was the main focus of this family gathering, she didn't dare go too far in front of my parents.

Kelsie pushed me a little closer to Bradyn and teased me.

"Ms. Miranda has finally decided to come back! You were angry with Bradyn for so many days and even snuck off! He was so worried. As a girl, staying away for two months by yourself isn't safe at all."

Hearing Kelsie's words, my parents immediately frowned. Their eyes were filled with reproach as they looked at me.

"Giana, what's going on? You're an adult now. Why are you still fighting with Bradyn? No other man except Bradyn would put up with your temper!

"Running off for two months! Explain yourself. Where did you go for two months? You're our only daughter. You need to be careful and not associate with the bad guys out there."

My father's authoritative voice filled the room, and even my mother seemed to think I was at fault.

"It's not all Giana's fault. We're to blame too. We're always traveling for work, so we haven't been around for them. But still, it's only been two months, but why has Giana lost so much weight?"

Bradyn's mother gently interrupted, trying to ease the tension.

Only then did everyone realize how much weight I'd lost. My once-round cheeks, which my parents had affectionately teased for their baby fat, had now sunken in, leaving me gaunt.

How could I not have lost weight? I had endured endless torture, going without food was the least of it. Most of the time, the pain would knock me out cold.

My parents, though busy, had always doted on me. I had grown up sheltered, never knowing cruelty or hardship.

The two months in that mental hospital nearly pushed me to the brink of insanity.

If not for that lucky charm, would I have even survived to see my parents again?

Everyone was staring at me, clearly puzzled. Bradyn's mother even came over to pinch my cheek.

"You have lost a lot of weight."

I tried to speak, but Kelsie quickly cut me off.

"Ms. Miranda thought she was getting a bit chubby and wanted to lose some weight. Bradyn has heard her say that, haven't you?"

Bradyn's gaze had been lingering on my thin face, lost in thought. When Kelsie suddenly addressed him, he was caught off guard and didn't know how to respond.

Weight loss? I hadn't even been 110 pounds to begin with. Why would I need to lose weight?

I looked up at Bradyn, but he turned away, quietly murmuring in agreement with Kelsie's story, effectively framing my suffering as self-inflicted.

"You're always being so reckless!

"You'll ruin your health if you keep this up!"

Bradyn's father stepped in to smooth things over, instructing the maids to serve the food quickly before we got hungry.

There were fish, shrimp, and chicken...

The table was filled with all my favorite dishes.

"Come on, Giana, enjoy yourself," Bradyn's mother urged.

Under her watchful gaze, Bradyn reluctantly served me with the braised pork and placed it on my plate.

But that was the dish I despised the most.