Chapter 3

Maya's POV

I grew up in an orphanage.

Margaret Bennett, the woman who adopted me, first met me there. She took an immediate liking to me.

At the time, she was just an ordinary woman scraping by on temporary jobs. She had little money to her name, but she insisted on taking me home anyway.

To put me through school, she cleaned a supermarket early in the morning and worked shifts at a restaurant in the evenings. Whenever people left unwanted furniture or discarded items by the roadside, she'd clean them up and sell them to a recycling center for a little extra cash.

As a child, I never understood. I thought I was nothing but a burden to her.

It wasn't until I grew up that I realized she'd given me everything she possibly could.

When I was with Adrian, I always refused to let him drive me home.

I was afraid he'd see Margaret's cramped apartment. Afraid he'd discover the life I'd once lived. More than anything, I was afraid he'd look at me with the same pity or contempt I'd seen in other people's eyes.

But when he learned the truth, he pulled me into his arms and held me tight.

"You don't have to be ashamed of where you came from, Maya."

"One day, I'll give you and Margaret the best life possible."

And for a while, he kept that promise.

When he proposed, he filled a stretch of beach with a sea of roses. He bought an apartment and had my name added to the property deed.

When Margaret fell ill, he helped arrange appointments with specialists and covered most of her medical expenses.

The people who had once mocked me later came smiling to offer their congratulations.

I truly believed I'd finally found a home I could never lose.

Now Adrian was using Margaret's life to threaten me.

I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms.

"Fine."

I closed my eyes, my voice barely audible.

"I'll apologize."

Adrian's expression finally relaxed.

He motioned for his assistant to hand me a statement that had clearly been prepared in advance.

"Read it exactly as written. Don't change a single word."

I lowered my eyes to the page.

The entire statement twisted the truth, turning everything upside down.

It claimed that I had suffered a mental breakdown because I couldn't accept Adrian's marriage, that I had fabricated his death, and that I had maliciously spread rumors to attack Vanessa.

I was the one who had been deceived for five years.

Yet now I was being forced to admit that I was the one who had started this whole mess.

But I had no choice.

For Margaret's sake, I read the statement word for word and recorded the apology video.

By the time I finished, my back was soaked with cold sweat.

Adrian glanced at the wound on my neck, took a check from his pocket, and casually wrote down an amount.

Two million dollars.

He pressed the check into my hand.

"Consider it compensation."

"Go recover at another hospital. Don't let Vanessa see you again. She's in a delicate condition now, and she can't handle any more stress."

With that, he turned and walked away.

I had to complete my discharge paperwork alone.

Just as I stepped outside the hospital, I received a call from my company.

"Maya, I'm sorry, but we're restructuring some departments. Your position has been eliminated. You don't need to come in tomorrow."

I held the phone in silence for a long time.

"I understand. Thank you for letting me know."

After hanging up, I opened social media.

The apology video I'd just recorded was already trending. Meanwhile, every negative post about Vanessa had been wiped clean.

Then Vanessa sent me several photos.

Her VIP hospital room was filled with designer handbags, jewelry, and the latest collections from luxury fashion brands.

"Maya, this is just a small part of what Adrian buys to make me happy."

"Do you really think he stopped seeing me during those days when he pretended to make things right with you?"

"He came to see me every single day."

"Stop lying to yourself. In a relationship, the person who gets abandoned is always the most pathetic."

I stood outside the hospital in the cold wind, tears falling one by one onto my screen.

At last, I admitted to myself that everything I'd once treasured had been nothing but a joke.

Just then, Margaret's attending physician called.

"Maya, your mother has developed a serious heart complication!"

"We need to operate immediately. Can you come to the hospital now and sign the consent forms?"

I jerked my head up and turned, rushing back into the hospital.