Chapter 1

After being kidnapped for a year, Olivia Smith finally made it back home.

The one who brought her back was a local farmer, driving a beat-up pickup truck that looked completely out of place in this wealthy neighborhood full of luxury estates.

Olivia got out of the car and saw the manor decorated with lights and colorful decorations. Soft music drifted from inside—it seemed like quite a celebration was going on.

"Didn't you say your family really cared about you? You've been missing for a whole year, and they're still in the mood to throw a party?" The farmer rubbed his nose and asked Olivia with a look of contempt.

Olivia's eyes were filled with sadness.

She hadn't lied. Before she was kidnapped, her family had treated her like a treasure. But after just one year, had they already forgotten her?

"Remember what we agreed on—you're supposed to pay me for bringing you back." The farmer was worried she might go back on her word, so he reminded her.

Olivia nodded.

She had been locked in a basement by kidnappers for an entire year. Just when she thought she was going to die, a passing farmer discovered her.

Olivia cried and begged the farmer to save her, but he didn't want to offend the kidnappers. Finally, she promised him a generous reward, using her identity as the Smith family heiress. Only then did the farmer use pliers to cut through the iron bars and rescue her.

The first thing she did after being freed was call home, but her family refused to believe she was really Olivia. They even cursed at her, calling her a fraud.

After being tortured for a year, Olivia's vocal cords were damaged and her voice was so hoarse it was unrecognizable, so her family didn't recognize her voice.

Olivia slowly pushed open the gate and saw well-dressed guests everywhere inside. They were holding champagne glasses, chatting and laughing on the lawn.

Her sister, Megan Smith, was wearing a gorgeous dress, standing in the crowd with their parents by her side, all looking happy.

Just then, a handsome man in a white suit walked toward Megan.

He gently leaned down and kissed Megan on the cheek, then looked at her with deep affection. "Happy birthday, Megan."

Olivia felt like she'd been struck by lightning. She froze in place, her whole body trembling.

That man was her childhood sweetheart and fiancé, Michael Johnson.

He had once sworn to Olivia that he would protect her and love her for the rest of his life. Now he was looking at her sister with that same tender gaze.

Olivia's vision went dark, and her legs felt so weak she could barely stand.

Just then, the farmer shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hey! Your daughter's back! Aren't you going to come get her?"

The noisy party suddenly fell silent.

Everyone turned to look at the entrance. When they saw Olivia clearly, they all stared with wide eyes in shock.

"Is that Olivia? How did she end up looking like that?"

"Oh my God, she looks like a beggar—so dirty and smelly."

"I heard that after she was kidnapped, she was abused by the kidnappers every day and caught all kinds of diseases. I can't believe she's still alive?"

Olivia stood frozen in place, listening to the guests' cruel words. She bit her lip and lowered her head.

A year ago, she had been the most dazzling heiress in this social circle.

Well-mannered, educated, with a loving fiancé.

But now, she was just a filthy woman who reeked so badly that people wanted to stay away from her—a disgrace.

No one knew that she had fought desperately to prevent those insane kidnappers from having their way with her.

When the kidnappers saw how thin and weak she had become, they locked her in a dark, damp basement and left her to die.

For an entire year, she lived in darkness, surrounded by filth.

If the kidnapper's wife hadn't taken pity on her and secretly brought her scraps of food every day, she would have died long ago.

She thought that once she got home, all the nightmares would be over.

She never expected to be greeted by everyone's contempt and her fiancé's betrayal.

When Olivia's parents saw their daughter in such a miserable state, the smiles on their faces instantly froze.

Under Olivia's tattered clothes, her exposed skin was covered in grime, and her once soft, long hair was now dry and tangled.

Worse still, even from several feet away, they could smell the rotten stench coming from her body.

"Olivia, is that really you?" Her mother, Harper Smith, covered her nose and mouth, looking more shocked than happy.

Her father, Robert Smith, stared at her for a moment with a complicated expression, his tone stiff. "It's good you're back, it's good you're back..."

When Megan saw her, she was stunned at first, then forced a smile. "Olivia, it's so good that you're back. We've all been so worried about you..."

Their words sounded nice, but the disgust and distance on their faces couldn't be hidden.

Olivia saw it all but said nothing. She just felt like her heart had been hit with a blunt object—the pain almost suffocated her.

"Listen, I brought her back safely. Aren't you going to give me some kind of reward?" The farmer interrupted impatiently.

Robert looked at Olivia suspiciously.

Olivia nodded and said softly, "I promised him that if he brought me back, I'd give him a generous reward."

The Smiths exchanged glances, then looked at the farmer's disheveled appearance and unconsciously frowned.

Robert cleared his throat and asked, "How much do you want?"

The farmer held up five fingers. "Fifty thousand dollars. Not a penny less."

The Smiths' faces darkened.

This amount wasn't much to them, but they were clearly reluctant to pay it to a dirty, crude farmer.

Seeing her parents' reaction, Olivia's heart sank.

She never imagined that her parents, who had once doted on her, would now be unwilling to pay even fifty thousand dollars.

After thinking for a moment, Robert put on a friendly smile and said politely, "Sir, thank you for saving my daughter. You've come a long way—it must have been hard. How about this: why don't you stay at our house for a few days and let us treat you well? We can talk about the payment slowly."

The farmer looked at the magnificent mansion and thought it might not be bad to stay here for a few days, so he agreed.

The guests nearby saw the farmer's scruffy appearance and started gossiping in low voices. "Look at that farmer's eyes—so creepy. Could it be that Olivia was defiled by him?"

"She's been missing for a year. Who knows what she went through? She's probably been used by so many men."

Those cruel words pierced Olivia's ears like needles. Her whole body went cold, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.

"Alright, don't just stand outside." Harper couldn't stand the strange looks from people around them. She said to Olivia with some disgust, "Go upstairs and take a bath first. Change out of those dirty clothes!"

Olivia numbly followed the maid upstairs.

In the bathroom, she scrubbed until she almost rubbed off a layer of skin, but still couldn't get rid of the smell on her body.

The stench from the basement had already seeped into her pores, destroying the once glamorous woman she used to be.

After changing into clean clothes, Olivia walked out of the bathroom. Just as she reached the corner of the stairs on the second floor, she heard Megan's tearful voice. "Michael, now that Olivia's back, are you going to leave me?"

Michael's cold voice responded, "Olivia's been missing for a year. Who knows how many men have slept with her? No matter what, I could never want a woman like that again. The person I love now is you, Megan."

Next Chapter