Chapter 3 He Deserved It

Seeing this, my heart jolted. I was about to ask what had happened when Father strode toward me and slapped me across the face. The force knocked me straight into the wall behind me. Before I could regain my senses, he roared, "Lydia Fairchild! We raised you for three years—this is how you repay us?" Blood filled my mouth, and my vision blurred. I forced myself upright and stared at him. "What...?" "You dare ask? Do you think we don't know what you've done? You plotted against your sister, drugged her with sleeping pills, and took her place at the wedding! If we hadn't caught it in time and rushed Nona to Holy Heart Hospital for stomach pumping, she might not be alive today!" With that, Father raised his hand and slapped me again—harder than before. This blow was even more brutal. I staggered, dazed, and collapsed to the floor. Though my eyes swam, my mind was crystal clear. Just days ago, my parents had told me Leona had fallen for Garrett Sloan from their company and didn't dare defy Dominic Hawthorne—so I was to take her place in the marriage. Two days ago, I had personally seen my sister off at the airport, watched her walk through security. So how had it now become a case of me scheming against Leona? My thoughts spun in chaos. Some truths were surfacing—but I refused to believe them. Still fuming, Father grabbed a wooden stool and swung it at my head. I flinched, tried to dodge—but it struck my back. Pain! Excruciating pain shot through me, yet I held back any cry or tear. It was a habit from The House of Stars. Back then, even when I was sick or in agony, no one was there. Who would I cry to? Who would listen? Over time, no matter how unbearable the pain, I learned never to show it. Seeing I didn't cry, Father grew angrier and struck me several more times. I bit down hard on my lip until it bled. Finally, Mother couldn't bear it. She grabbed the stool. "Enough! You'll kill her!" "Dead? Serves her right!" Father threw the stool down, still fuming. Only when I heard the stool hit the floor did I dare stop cowering. I lifted my head and saw Leona in Dominic Hawthorne's arms—yet her eyes were fixed on me. "Darling," she said, "my parents have punished her. Can we let it go? After all, she grew up in The House of Stars. No wonder she picked up bad habits." Her tone sounded sympathetic, but I saw clearly in her eyes: not pity, but cold, calculating triumph. It confirmed my suspicion. I crouched in the corner, silent. My spine screamed with pain. I feared one more blow might shatter it. Dominic Hawthorne glanced at me. For a fleeting moment, something complex flickered in his dark eyes. After a pause, he said, "We'll see." Afterward, my parents, Leona, and Dominic Hawthorne all sat in the living room. Father saw me and barked, "Get upstairs now! If I see you again, I'll kill you!" I looked at Leona, nestled against Dominic Hawthorne, her arm draped affectionately around his, their fingers intertwined. That was a real couple… Gritting my teeth, I hunched forward. Those dozen steps before me might as well have been a ladder to the sky—each step sent fresh waves of pain through my body, drenching my face in cold sweat. But compared to the pain in my body, my heart hurt far more. I didn't know how things had turned out this way—but one thing was certain: I had been set up. Behind me, Leona's coquettish voice, Dominic Hawthorne's indulgent replies, and my parents' loving words echoed. I understood then: that was their world. And I? I was just a puppet, never truly part of it.