A week before the wedding, I was tortured by thugs for a day and a night on my way to pick up my engagement ring. When they found me, my face was unrecognizable, and I was covered in blood from below. My dad and my brother Harry canceled a trillion-dollar merger deal and flew back home overnight just to stay by my side. In the middle of the night, I heard Harry quietly ask Dad: “Even if it was to help Aurora marry Marcus, it still wasn’t necessary to have someone hurt Charlotte this badly.” “She’s a girl, after all. Her face and her virtue are ruined. How is she supposed to live after this?” A flash of pain crossed Dad’s face, but he still said firmly, “Aurora has never asked me for anything. The only thing she has ever liked is Marcus.” “With Charlotte here, how could the Sterling family ever accept Aurora as an illegitimate daughter?” “As for Charlotte, I’ll fulfill her mother’s last wish.” “Making her the heir to the company is also a way to make sure she has food and shelter for the rest of her life.” Only then did I realize that all of this was their way of forcing me to give up my place for Aurora. The so-called family bond was nothing but an illusion. If that’s how it was, then fine. I’ll let you have your way.
I heard them talking outside the door, and my whole body felt like it had been thrown into an ice cave. Harry seemed a little reluctant, then said, “But Charlotte will be devastated if she finds out.” Dad frowned, still just as firm. “Aurora is your sister too. Back when your mother was still alive, I didn’t bring her home.” “Letting her live outside all these years under the label of an illegitimate daughter has already been unfair to her.” “Aurora is well-behaved and sensible. For more than ten years, she never asked for anything.” “She just wants to chase love a little. Can’t we even satisfy that tiny wish of hers?” A conflicted look flashed across Harry’s face, but he still asked in frustration, “But the Sterling family has financial ties to us after all. If we suddenly switch people and send Aurora to marry into that family, will they really agree?” Dad thought for a moment. “The Sterling family will see the news report tomorrow…” Harry seemed to think of something and hurriedly pulled out his phone. “I’ll contact the media. No matter how much it costs, we have to bury this news.” “We absolutely can’t let a single word leak about what happened to Charlotte.” Dad reached out to stop him. “No, not only do we not need to stop it, we need to report it big-time. The more people know, the better!” “If we marry Aurora into that family, the Sterling family and us already have a marriage agreement in place. They’ll only think we’re stepping in to save the situation.” “That way, they’ll treat Aurora even better, and they won’t take their anger out on her because of this either.” After a pause, Harry actually nodded too. “Dad, you’re right. Aurora isn’t like Charlotte. She was born with nothing.” “As long as she marries into the Sterling family and lives a good life, we can finally relax.” “Charlotte’s personality is spoiled. She could use a little hardship and tempering anyway.” Dad answered a call. The pain on his face vanished without a trace, replaced by joy, and he promised the person on the other end of the line, “Aurora, don’t worry. Tomorrow, Dad guarantees you’ll marry Marcus.” “Just get everything ready and be the happiest bride ever!” Aurora said something I couldn’t hear, and the father and son both laughed very happily. I closed my eyes in despair. Dad was willing to have someone hurt me just to plan so thoroughly for Aurora. The brother I thought doted on me, the father I thought loved me, turned out to be willing to trample my dignity and reputation just to pave the way for Aurora. I lost all strength and collapsed to the floor. Dad and Harry heard the noise and hurried over. Dad held me in his arms and gently touched my forehead with loving care. “Charlotte, you’re hurt this badly. Instead of lying down properly, you walked out barefoot. Are you trying to break my heart?” Harry even pushed a wheelchair over for me and used a towel to wipe my feet. As if I were still his beloved daughter, his only biological sister. Dad’s eyes were bloodshot from staying up all night worrying about my condition, yet he still sat by my bedside and watched me fall asleep. “Once you wake up, everything will be fine. Charlotte, it’s over. I’ll always be by your side.” They seemed to really love me. I turned away and cried until there were no tears left. When the doctor came in, he said, “Your daughter’s facial injuries are quite serious. If she doesn’t have surgery soon, she may be left with permanent scars.” Harry said anxiously, “How can that be? Charlotte cares about her looks the most. If she gets even a pimple, she’ll complain for half a day.” Dad just waved a hand and told the doctor to leave first. He thought I was asleep, and without any hesitation, he said softly, “Charlotte is beautiful. She’s been the center of attention at school since she was little. With her around, everyone will never notice Aurora.” “Charlotte’s face is ruined, so Aurora won’t have to envy Charlotte anymore.” I bit down hard, refusing to let myself make a sound. That made me think of when Mom had just died. I was only six then, crying all day long until my eyes swelled up like walnuts. Dad held me and said heartbrokenly, “As long as I’m alive, I’ll be good to Charlotte for the rest of my life.” Harry also said he only had one sister, and that was me. They forgot their promises so fast. After a sleepless night, the doctor examined my body and it was too horrible to look at. My whole body was covered in bruises, and my face was wrapped in thick bandages. He couldn’t help muttering, “They say Chris and Harry love Charlotte like their lives depend on it. So why are they still going shopping with Aurora first thing in the morning after she was hurt like this?”
My nose stung as I blinked, and tears soaked into my wounds, making my face burn with pain. My phone wasn’t on the table, but Dad’s computer was left there. I tremblingly opened the news, and when I saw the headline, my mind went blank. News of what had happened to me was all over the place. Even though I was already prepared, my heart still felt like it was being cut by a knife. A message popped up on the computer: “Mr. Chris, are you sure you want to transfer all the real estate and shares under your name to Miss Aurora?” Dad replied, “These are all gifts for Aurora.” “She’s not like Charlotte. Charlotte was born with everything. I’m giving her everything Charlotte has!” Harry even gave Aurora several luxury cars and the estate under his name. They always said they had shortchanged Aurora. But when I opened Aurora’s Ins, everything I had, she had an identical copy of. Even the things I didn’t have, she had too. Her birthday was only one day apart from mine, and every year Dad and Harry gave me expensive gifts, claiming they were on business trips overseas. It turned out they were staying by Aurora’s side and celebrating her birthday with her, never missing it once. She posted photos of herself with Dad and Harry, captioned “A happy family.” She posted a picture of a flower field and said Dad and Harry had planted it for her themselves. So the happiness I thought I had was just an illusion. I laughed coldly. Then I picked up the phone and called my grandmother Melanie, who was overseas. Not long after I hung up, I heard laughter at the door. Aurora walked in, followed by Dad and Harry. When they saw me, they put away their smiles and replaced them with looks of concern. “Charlotte, you’re awake? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?” But Aurora’s smile was still blinding. “Charlotte, Dad told me what happened to you. Don’t be too upset.” She casually comforted me for a few words, then pulled several dresses out of her bag and changed into them. She said sweetly, “This morning I dragged Dad and Harry to pick out dresses with me.” “Harry said this red one looks good, and Dad insisted white suits me better.” “Charlotte, you have good taste. Help me pick one!” She tugged at the hem of her dress and spun around innocently, yet she looked proud and smug no matter how you looked at her. I let out a cold laugh and said, “Don’t call me. I’m not acknowledging the daughter of a homewrecker as my sister.” Aurora’s little face went pale, and her eyes instantly turned red. “I… I just wasn’t sure what style Marcus likes. I thought you’d know better, so I asked you.” “I know I’m just an illegitimate daughter, and me marrying Marcus was already an accident.” “If you’re unhappy, then I’ll leave!” She ran out crying, but Dad and Harry both rushed to stand up for her. “Aurora was just too happy and wanted someone to share it with. Charlotte, don’t go too far!” Dad even snapped at me, “Charlotte, I really have spoiled you. You don’t have the slightest bit of manners!” “She found out about your accident and didn’t sleep all night because she was so worried. And you? You actually said that to her!” “Apologize to Aurora right now and say you didn’t mean it!” Dad and Harry chased after her, and even though I already knew their choice, I still felt a little sad. When I woke up the next day. Harry took the bowl from the nurse thoughtfully, spooned the soup, blew it cool, and handed it to me to drink. It was as if the person who had blamed me for Aurora yesterday wasn’t him. “Charlotte, about yesterday, I already apologized to Aurora for you. She won’t blame you.” Dad took a call and brought me back home. “For your wounds, Dad found top doctors in the country to treat you.” They busied themselves with arranging my discharge, not caring that I was weak and could only move around with a wheelchair. I got into the car, only to realize this wasn’t the way home at all.
The car gradually headed toward a club. Only then did Dad say, “Aurora was thoughtful and was worried you’d be in a bad mood, so she specially threw you a welcome-back party after your discharge.” “She invited a lot of your friends and the Sterling family, planning to give you a surprise.” I struggled endlessly. The moment I heard that, I knew Aurora had bad intentions. But Harry pressed down on my arm and said in a tone that left no room for argument, “Aurora kindly threw this party for you. If you don’t show up, wouldn’t you be wasting her good intentions?” “Besides, with your condition, going out and joining some activities is just a way to relax!” I resigned myself and let them take me to the banquet. They said it was a welcome party for me, but Aurora was wearing a white dress with layers of tulle and exquisite makeup on her face. My face was disfigured, and the ugly knife wound looked like a centipede, making her look even more like a princess. Aurora said something I didn’t hear, and somehow got Marcus’s mother, Caroline, laughing until the wrinkles on her face smoothed out. But the moment she saw me, her expression fell. “Why bring this unlucky jinx here?” “With something like this happening, if she really married into our family, wouldn’t we be laughed to death?” As she spoke, she held Aurora’s hand and looked more satisfied the more she looked. “Aurora is so sensible and well-behaved, unlike some people who still have the nerve to show up after something like this.” “Make sure you don’t bring any bad luck with you.” The Harry and Dad who always said they loved and cherished me stood there only focusing on being affectionate with Aurora, not saying a single word for me. Harry said quietly, “Caroline has a blunt personality. Don’t think too much about it.” The other guests at the party pointed at me even more. “That’s her, Marcus’s original fiancée. She was supposed to be the Christopher family’s only daughter, but she’s not even as good as an illegitimate daughter!” “So she’s the Christopher family’s daughter? I think she’s just a ruined woman. Did you see the news?” “After something like this, she still has the nerve to come out? She should just go die!” I held back the sourness in my eyes. Then I looked toward Aurora’s side, where she was embracing and kissing my original fiancé, Marcus, all lovey-dovey. Harry and Dad were also extremely satisfied. Aurora may have been an illegitimate daughter, but she got everything. Looking at my ruined body, the difference between her and me was like heaven and earth. Was this what you wanted to see? I said I wasn’t feeling well and wanted to go rest. Aurora walked over gracefully and said hypocritically, “It was all my oversight, Charlotte.” “Your body hasn’t recovered yet. You must be tired, right? I’ll take you to rest.” She pushed my wheelchair and took me into a room. But behind me, her smile changed from the one she had just had, and was replaced by a venomous look. “How does it feel? Being hated by everyone?” “Did you think you were still the Christopher family’s only daughter who once shone brightest in the whole city?” “You’re nothing now but a worn-out woman everyone despises!” “Marcus and I are deeply in love, and Caroline likes me more too.” I glared at her fiercely. “So what? That’s still better than being an illegitimate daughter who can’t even be seen in public!” She froze for a moment, then smiled smugly and said, “You didn’t know, did you?” “Dad is going to announce my identity in a couple of days so I can marry Marcus, and he’ll let me inherit his and Harry’s assets in a legitimate way.” “As long as Dad and Harry acknowledge me, do you think the outside world will keep talking about me being an illegitimate daughter?” Her smile was wild and unrestrained. I couldn’t believe it. Before Mom died, Dad promised her that he would never marry another woman in this lifetime and would only ever have one daughter. But now, he was going to legitimize Aurora, this illegitimate daughter. How was that fair to my mother? How was that fair to me? Aurora leaned close to my ear and said, “Charlotte, I’ve got another surprise for you too!” A man walked in holding a glass of water. The second I saw him, my pupils widened, my whole body trembled, and my chest felt sealed shut so I couldn’t breathe.
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