Chapter 3

I struggled to open my eyes, and only then did I recognize the butler. It was Duncan Jones, who'd been with Dad for over twenty years. He was also one of the very few in the Shields residence who had watched me grow up. At that moment, I seemed to lose all sense of pain. All that filled me was the overwhelming excitement of being recognized. I dragged myself toward him with great effort, eyes blazing with emotion as I grabbed Duncan's pant leg tightly. Then, the backyard door was kicked open. James walked in with a dark and sinister expression. At that moment, Duncan viciously flung my hand away and walked over to James with an affectionate gaze. "James, my son, don't worry. Thankfully, I discovered it in time." I froze, staring in disbelief at the scene before me. It felt as though a huge hole had been torn open in my chest. James let out a feral grin and lifted his foot, grinding it down hard on my face. "Lowly trash." He spat the words viciously, and his eyes were filled with venom and hatred. "I knew something was off about you the moment you saw the Shields family. Let me tell you one thing. Don't even think about taking what's mine. You deserve to rot for the rest of your life. Don't even think of crawling back up." As he spoke, James made a hand gesture, and Duncan went over to open the dog cage. I stared at them with widened eyes, wanting to struggle but having no strength left at all. I could only watch helplessly as the vicious dog barked wildly and lunged at me. That night, fireworks thundered outside nonstop as I dragged my battered, mutilated body away from the jaws of the beast. Duncan even gloated with a smug expression, "Did you know? There's an unspoken rule in the Shields family. As long as James sheds a tear, the family will set off fireworks all night just to make him smile. If I were you, I wouldn't even have the dignity to come back to the Shields family." Filled with overwhelming terror and resentment, I blacked out. … When I woke up, I found myself lying in a hospital bed. There wasn't a single patch of uninjured flesh on my body, and piercing pain spread through all four limbs. Standing by the bed was Mom, who looked down at me with a complicated expression. I clenched the bedsheets and noticed that Duncan and James were nowhere to be seen. Immediately, I struggled to turn over and expose the birthmark on my shoulder to her. Ignoring the agony coursing through my battered body, I forced myself to endure the pain and show her my shoulder. When Mom saw this, she couldn't help but yell out in surprise. I turned back toward her expectantly, only to meet her disgusted gaze. She said, "I guess James was right. You really are trying to frame him with a pitiful act. We never intended to make things hard for you, but you were the one who opened the cage and brought this on yourself." As she spoke, Mom rushed forward and grabbed me by the throat, her expression icy. "James means the world to me. He's the treasure I finally found after losing Jamie. Anyone who wants to hurt him deserves to die." I stared at her helplessly, feeling incredibly confused. Then, a searing pain suddenly erupted where my birthmark was. Only then did I realize that my birthmark had been torn apart by that hunting dog. Tears slid weakly from the corners of my eyes, and I stopped struggling. Just then, James hurried in and stopped Mom. "Mom, forget it." He looked at me with feigned compassion, but there was a chilling malice deep in his eyes that made my blood run cold. "To make sure he doesn't harbor those filthy thoughts about Nicole again, I've thoughtfully arranged a marriage for him. It's our housekeeper who's already over fifty. He deserves to die, but let's give him one more chance." Upon hearing this, Mom's eyes instantly reddened. She pulled James into her arms and started to cry. "James, you really are so much like Jamie. You're just as kind as him, and just as pure. I'll regret not being able to protect Jamie for the rest of my life, but don't be afraid. I'll protect you no matter what." I stared blankly at the two of them. Listening to Mom's words, I suddenly didn't know whether I should laugh or cry.