When I woke up again, I was lying on the living room floor of Shaw's Villa.
My father slapped me across the face, his expression full of fury. "You worthless disgrace! You have ruined the Shaw family's name, and you still had the nerve to run away? From today on, you will stay at the countryside house. Without my permission, don't even think about stepping back into the city!"
I stared at him for several seconds. That was my own father. My mother had just passed away, yet he hadn't even arranged her funeral before rushing to give my engagement to Serena.
My voice came out rough and broken. "Fine. I'll leave. I will never come back to this family again."
Back in my room, I searched through everything I owned.
Landon and I had grown up together. The gifts he had given me filled the entire room. Little things like hair clips, precious things like necklaces, and even the diamond ring he gave me when he proposed.
I had treasured them once. Now, looking at them only made me feel sick. I stuffed everything into a trash bag.
Footsteps sounded outside. It was Landon.
When he saw me packing, he froze. "Lily, what are you doing?"
I didn't look up. I held back my tears and mocked him, "Mr. Lancaster, shouldn't you be getting ready for your wedding? Why did you come here?"
A trace of guilt flashed across his eyes. He reached out to grab my hand, but I pulled away.
"Lily, I believe you are innocent. But things have gotten this far. The Lancaster family can't accept you anymore. You are the only one I love, but my mother wants me to marry Sera. I have no choice."
He said it with such conviction that he almost sounded believable.
"Sera has a kind heart, and you two are sisters. She'll accept you. After we get married, I'll spend Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday with you in the city. As long as we don't return to Lancaster Estate and my mother doesn't find out, we can still be together. The only difference is that we won't have a marriage certificate."
I looked at him and almost laughed. Before I could say anything, someone who had rushed over interrupted us.
"Mr. Lancaster, Ms. Serena said she isn't feeling well and asked you to go over."
Landon immediately released my hand. "Sera's old illness might have acted up. I'll go check on her. I'll come back to see you later."
After saying that, he walked away without looking back. The moment he left, several servants entered.
"Ms. Lily, Mr. Shaw wants you to stay in the basement and reflect on your actions."
They dragged me down to the basement. I spent the entire night on the cold concrete floor. Every inch of my body ached like I had been beaten black and blue.
Landon walked past the basement door with Serena in his arms. He held her with such care, and when his gaze landed on me, it didn't linger for even a second.
A year ago, Landon had been diagnosed with a serious illness and needed a rare medication to save his life. Only one private hospital carried it, but their supply had suddenly run out.
I searched every pharmacy in the city and called in every favor I could until I finally bought the last box from a pharmaceutical dealer at a steep price.
On my way to the hospital, I got into a rear-end collision on the highway. The airbags burst open from the impact. My right leg was fractured, leaving me with a permanent injury that flared up with unbearable pain whenever the weather turned cold and rainy.
After Landon was discharged, he held me in his arms and cried like a child, swearing he would never hurt me for the rest of his life. His promises still felt sincere.
I clenched my teeth and forced back my tears.
'Landon, you were the one who gave up on me first. From this day forward, we owe each other nothing!'
I was locked in the basement until dawn, my legs completely numb. In a daze, I suddenly felt a basin of ice-cold water splash over my face.
I shivered and looked up, only to see Serena staring down at me with a smug smile.
Her high heels pressed against my fingers, slowly digging in deeper. "Lily, Dad has already cut you off. Now you're not even worth as much as a dog in the Shaw family. Doesn't that make you pathetic?"
When I stayed silent, the servant beside her grabbed my hair and forced my head up.
A hard slap struck across my face.
"Didn't you hear Ms. Serena talking to you?"
I swallowed the metallic taste of blood and looked at her coldly. "You've already taken everything you wanted. What more do you want?"
Serena smiled and lifted her wrist on purpose, showing off the diamond ring. "Landon loves me more than anything. Not only is he marrying me and making me Mrs. Lancaster, but he also gave me the diamond ring that has been passed down in the Lancaster family for three generations."
She paused and leaned close to my ear. "What a shame, Lily. With that filthy reputation of yours, with everyone knowing you spent the night with another man, you'll never step foot into the Lancaster family as a bride."
I clenched my fists and took a deep breath. "Are you finished? If you are, leave."
The smile on Serena's face slowly faded.
She lowered her voice, her words dripping with cruelty. "Your mother's ashes are still at the funeral home. Tell me, what do you think would happen if I had someone take them away and feed them to dogs? Would your mother ever find peace?"
Aksara