Chapter 6

Wendy found herself in a private karaoke room when she woke up. She lifted her head and saw Bianca casually sitting on the couch. Gone was the well-behaved daughter that her parents adored. Now, she had on heavy makeup, her bright red lips curling into a mocking smile the moment she saw Wendy awaken. "Wendy, it looks like you've got some skills after all. I never thought Adrian would rush into a burning house just to save you. "I'm in a bad mood today, so I want to play a little game with you." Bianca rose to her feet in her high heels and removed the Patek Philippe watch from her wrist before holding it up. "This is a birthday gift from Julian. It costs 20 million dollars. Whoever makes Wendy cry first gets the watch." The room exploded into cheers the moment her words fell. Everyone rubbed their hands together in excitement, their eyes fixed on Wendy like hunters looking at prey. A chill ran down Wendy's spine. Her voice trembled as she spoke, "Bianca… I'm your sister…" Bianca softly laughed. "My sister? Go and ask our parents. Do they even acknowledge you as their daughter?" Wendy felt a sudden sharp pain in her chest. Bianca was right. She was neither cherished by her father nor loved by her mother. She'd never received a shred of affection from her family. The first person to rush forward was a girl Wendy had once helped. Wendy looked at her and suddenly recalled that stormy night years ago when the girl was crouched, soaking to the bone, at her doorstep. "Wendy, my landlord kicked me out. If you'll just take me in, I'll definitely repay your kindness." Now, that same girl was grabbing Wendy's jaw as her nails dug into her flesh. "Why did you pretend to be kind and take me in back then?" The crack of a slap echoed through the bar as Wendy tasted the metallic tang of blood spreading across her tongue. The girl slapped her over a dozen times until her own palm turned red. "Why aren't you crying yet?" "Move!" Someone barged in with a bottle of hot sauce. Wendy instinctively stepped back, but someone held her by the shoulders, keeping her in place. Wendy remembered this person. This was a cousin of theirs that had joined a gang of thugs back when she was 19. The hot sauce burned her sinuses as it was poured into her nose. Then, a fiery and crawling pain spread across her skin, as if thousands of ants were gnawing at her flesh. Yet, she still didn't shed a single tear. "Next!" someone from the crowd shouted. "You're pretty good at holding back, huh?" Wendy saw her best friend approach her with a lighter. The blue flames from the lighter danced before her eyes. At the same time, an old burn scar on her leg began to violently ache. She had gotten that scar from the night she'd rushed into a burning dorm to save this friend. After the rescue, her hair had even gotten charred and curled at the ends where the flames had licked, and her skin had throbbed with raw pain. "Please…" Wendy's voice trembled. "You know I'm terrified of fire…" "Cry. Cry, and I'll put it out." Her best friend maliciously grinned as she brought the flame closer to Wendy's hair. At that moment, Wendy felt like she had been transported back to that night that was filled with utter despair. Thick smoke, screams, and the smell of burning flesh all came flooding back to her mind, along with the same excruciating pain she'd felt. "I'll let you go as long as you cry." However, Wendy suddenly burst into laughter, intermittently coughing up blood-tinged foam as she did so. She had long cried her eyes dry. What was left now wasn't a person but a hollow shell. The next person to step forward was an impoverished student whom Wendy had once sponsored. She suddenly raised a portrait of an old lady and slammed it hard onto the ground. The old lady in the picture was the person who'd helped Wendy escape her abusive adoptive father. Unfortunately, she'd passed away while Wendy was imprisoned. Without giving it much thought, Wendy threw herself forward to catch the portrait, but it was too late. The frame hit the ground, and the glass shattered. Wendy's vision went black. "No… No…" Tears streamed down her face as she wept with heart-wrenching anguish. "I've won." The impoverished student reached for the watch. Wendy extended her hand to pick up the shattered pieces of the portrait, but Bianca walked over and stepped on her hand with her heel. She crouched down after grinding her heel into Wendy's hand. Her voice was gentle, but her eyes were venomous. "Do you know why I framed you for pushing me downstairs when we were little, and do you know why our parents instantly believed me?" She chuckled. "Because you never existed in their hearts. When Julian was pursuing you, didn't he always cook seafood dishes for you? Did you ever wonder why he'd kept insisting on those dishes despite your seafood allergy? "It's because I loved those dishes. "Not to mention, your clothing style has been identical to mine over these years. You wear those clothes because Julian said he likes them, right? Now you're thinking whether he loves you or the version of you that looks like me, aren't you? "Wendy, you're pathetic." Bianca's voice cut Wendy like a knife, slowly tormenting her. "You're unloved by your parents and even got abandoned by your daughter. Even the man you cherish only loves you…" she suddenly leaned in close, her warm breath brushing against Wendy's ear like a snake flickering its tongue, "as my stand-in." Wendy suddenly laughed as Bianca's words fell. It was a laugh that made her cough up blood. Yes, that was what she was—unwanted, broken, filthy, and shattered. Her parents didn't love her, and the romantic partner she had painstakingly chased approval from treated her as a substitute. Bianca picked up Wendy's phone from the ground and handed it to her. "I'll give you one last chance. If he picks up, I'll let you go. Otherwise, we'll throw you into the sea. Even if you die, I'll just tell them that you'd committed suicide. They'll believe everything I say anyway." Wendy's hand trembled as she took the phone and repeatedly called Julian. The call finally connected on the 99th attempt. Julian's irritated voice came through the phone before she even could speak, "I'm busy right now. Talk later!" With that, he hung up. Suddenly, Bianca seemed to remember something and innocently blinked. "Oh, I forgot. I told him yesterday that I wanted a limited-edition sapphire necklace. He's probably busy choosing one for me now. "Sorry, you lose." She clapped her hands, and several people charged forward at her signal. Wendy's cousin pinned her arms, her best friend yanked her hair, and the impoverished student grabbed her legs. Together, they stuffed her into a van. After a long and bumpy ride, they arrived at an abandoned dock. Beneath the pier lay pitch-black seawater, churning with waves ready to swallow everything at any moment. For a moment, Wendy felt her body being suspended in the air before she was hurled into the sea. Instantly, the salty seawater invaded her nose. Her lungs felt as if it was being pierced by countless steel needles, suffocating her. She was in so much pain. Wendy desperately struggled, but she felt her life slip away with every second. Suddenly, her phone lit up in her pocket, and Edmund's muffled voice came through, "Ms. Locke, we were supposed to pick the divorce agreement up this afternoon. Where are you, Ms. Locke—"