Chapter 3
My scalp tingled with unease. So it turned out Liora had wrecked her own body–that’s why she’d taken such a desperate gamble.
Instinctively, I touched my lower abdomen, suddenly recalling that my period was late.
That afternoon, I brought the soup to my mom’s private room at the rehab
center.
She sat on the bed with her hair a tangled mess, smiling vacantly at nothing.
With how vicious Liora and her mother were, if they ever found out I was carrying Raymond’s child, I had no doubt they’d find some sick way to torment both me and my mom.
But I knew exactly what Liora feared most.
At that moment, a plan quietly formed in my mind.
A few days later, I dressed in a simple T–shirt and jeans, holding a bouquet I had arranged myself, and went to the Merrick Group’s building.
I waited in the parking lot.
Soon, a sleek, luxury business van pulled into the reserved space.
The door opened, and a tall, handsome young man stepped out.
It was Raymond’s younger brother–Felix Merrick. He was the one I had been waiting for.
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I timed it just right, circling to walk in front of him casually, as if by chance.
A warm, clear voice called out from behind me.
“Liora? What are you doing here?”
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I turned my head slightly, dazed. My long black hair fanned out in a soft
arc.
Felix’s expression changed the moment he saw my face–his eyes lit up with a flicker of stunned admiration.
He swallowed hard and apologized quickly, “Sorry, I thought you someone else.”
Were
I nodded slightly and walked straight into the building lobby with the bouquet in hand.
I handed the flowers to the receptionist. Inside the bouquet was a card- with my name on it. I wasn’t worried that Felix would be unable to trace who I was.
That night.
After my shower, I sat at my vanity, combing my hair, when the door was suddenly kicked open.
Liora stormed in, eyes blazing. She grabbed a fistful of my hair and slapped me across the face.
“You little bitch! You sent flowers to the office on purpose! You wanted Felix to see you!”
I let out a silent cry as I hit the floor.
Zoey followed in behind her. “What? That mute dared to flirt with Felix?”
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Liora smacked me again and screamed wildly, “Slut! Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to! Trying to climb your way up by seducing Felix? You think you deserve someone like him?!”
I crawled to the vanity, grabbed my phone, and quickly typed out a message. I held the screen up for her to see.
“I wouldn’t dare flirt with him. I just want to take Mom back to our hometown to care for her. Please, help me convince Dad.”
Zoey paused. Her expression darkened as she pulled Liora out into the hallway.
A few minutes later, she came back in with a fake smile plastered on her face. “Well, since you’re being such a dutiful daughter, I’ll help make it happen.”
I bowed deeply in thanks.
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To them, I had no value left. Liora and her mother wouldn’t want someone like me hanging around, stealing the spotlight.
The next morning, I took my mom and left, catching a cab straight to the train station.
Only when the train finally pulled away from the platform did I let myself breathe again.
Holding my mom’s hand, I broke into tears of joy.
“Mom, we’ve left the Corbin family. I don’t have to pretend to be mute anymore, and you don’t have to act insane!”
Years ago, my father, Derrick Corbin, had pretended to be single when he chased my mother.
She was kind–hearted and naive, completely unaware of the truth.
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When I was five, my mother got pregnant with my younger brother. But one day, on her way to work, she was hit by a motorcycle and lost the baby.
It was no accident–Zoey had hired the driver.
My father wanted to divorce Zoey, but in the end, my grandfather stepped in to mediate. He allowed me to be acknowledged as part of the Corbin family, but my mother was never allowed through the door.
While my mom was hospitalized, Zoey tortured her–both openly and in
secret.
To survive, my mother had to feign madness and play dumb just to protect both me and her.
When I was ten, I won first place in a singing contest. Liora only came in second.
That night, I drank the soup Zoey had made for me–and woke up with a raging fever. My throat felt like razor blades had slashed it.
The doctor said my throat lining had been severely damaged and that it might affect my voice permanently.
Zoey denied everything. My dad was so furious he slapped her–but it
was no use.
Though I could still speak, my voice was never the same again. The sweetness it once had was gone.
When my mother found out, she held me and cried uncontrollably.
She warned me. If I wanted to survive in the Corbin family, I had to endure. I couldn’t ever outshine Liora.
So, I started pretending to be mute.
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I endured it for twelve long years, but I was done living under their control.
I wiped away my mother’s tears and said firmly, “Mom, let’s cut ties with the Corbin family for good.”
She nodded through her tears.
“Okay. We’ll go to Chicago and stay with your aunt. I heard she opened a charity home with a friend. It’s called Haven House.”
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