Chapter 2

Hearing these words, Olivia froze in place, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

The disgust from her family and her fiancé's betrayal made her heart ache to the point of suffocation. She staggered back a step and accidentally knocked into a vase at the corner of the staircase.

The noise from upstairs caught the attention of the two people downstairs.

Megan and Michael looked up, and when they saw Olivia, both their faces showed a hint of awkwardness.

Megan quickly adjusted her expression, putting on that gentle and caring look. She hurried forward, and when she reached out to grab Olivia, she hesitated for a moment, ultimately just lightly touching her arm. "Olivia, what are you doing here?"

Michael stayed where he was, not coming forward, deliberately avoiding Olivia's gaze.

"Olivia, how have you been this past year? Have you suffered a lot?" Megan's seemingly concerned tone cut into Olivia with every word.

Everyone knew that this past year, she had lived through hell, yet Megan still had to ask, clearly just wanting to embarrass her.

Olivia looked at her coldly, a mocking smile forming at the corner of her mouth. "The suffering I went through—wasn't it all because of you?"

Megan's face went pale, her eyes instantly reddening. "Olivia, how can you say that about me? I'm your sister. How could I possibly hurt you?"

"Sister?" Olivia stepped forward, looking directly into her eyes. "A year ago, you sent me a message saying you were in trouble at an abandoned warehouse in the suburbs and asked me to come find you. But as soon as I got there, I ran into kidnappers. Don't tell me that was just a coincidence?"

Olivia would never forget—at the time, she received a distress text from Megan saying she was being followed by some strange men, that she had hidden in an abandoned warehouse in the suburbs, and begging her to come save her right away.

She had been so anxious that she didn't have time to tell her parents or Michael, and just drove there alone.

But the moment she walked into that dark, damp warehouse, a large hand covered her mouth, followed by a year of living hell.

And the kidnappers never once contacted the Smith family to demand a ransom, which made no sense at all.

So she had suspected more than once that this was a kidnapping planned by Megan all along.

But why would she do this to her? They were sisters!

Olivia couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she tried.

Megan had already started crying pitifully, clutching tightly at Michael's sleeve. "Michael, how can she say this about me..."

Michael pulled Megan into his arms, looking at Olivia with cold eyes. "Olivia, I know you've been through a lot this year, but you can't take it out on your sister!"

Olivia looked at Michael in disbelief. This man she had loved for over ten years, the man she had firmly believed she would marry, was now standing by another woman's side when she needed help the most.

"You believe her and not me?" Olivia looked at him in despair.

"Stop it!" Michael avoided her gaze, looking at Megan beside him with concern. "During the year you were missing, Megan was heartbroken every single day, couldn't eat or sleep, and asked everyone she knew to help find you. And now instead of being grateful, you're accusing her. Do you have no conscience?"

The argument grew louder and louder, drawing Robert and Harper's attention.

They hurried upstairs, and seeing the scene before them, their faces instantly darkened.

"Olivia, what are you doing?" Harper spoke first, her tone full of blame. "You just got back and you've already made your sister cry!"

Robert also frowned, his face dark. "You come back and immediately cause chaos! You've embarrassed the Smith family today!"

Megan pretended to plead for her. "Mom, Dad, don't blame Olivia. She was tortured by kidnappers for a year. It's normal for her to be a bit sensitive."

At the mention of Olivia being held by kidnappers for a year, everyone's faces showed heavy expressions, looking at her as if she were a criminal.

Harper hugged Megan lovingly and said to Olivia, "Look how understanding your sister is. You're not a child anymore. You should know better."

Olivia looked at her family in despair. Her parents protected Megan, her fiancé also protected Megan. They all thought she was being unreasonable.

In their eyes, she was like an outsider.

Despair washed over her. Olivia suddenly found it all laughable. She had fought so hard to escape and come back, thinking she could find some warmth, only to be met with endless accusations and disgust.

This home was no longer the home she remembered. She was no longer the beloved Smith family heiress.

Olivia didn't try to explain anymore. She felt there was no point in continuing, so she turned and left.

When she returned to her room, she was stunned.

What used to be a spacious and elegant room had now become a storage room. She couldn't even find a single piece of her own clothing.

She rushed downstairs to demand answers. "What have you done to my room? Where are all my things?"

Everyone was startled by her sudden questioning.

Megan quickly wiped away her tears and stood up, her face showing guilt as she stepped forward to explain. "Olivia, I'm sorry. It was all my idea. Don't blame Mom and Dad."

She paused, pretending to look pained, and continued, "After you were kidnapped, Mom and Dad would cry every day when they saw your things. So I moved all your stuff to the storage room in the basement. I'll have someone bring them back up tomorrow."

The word "basement" made Olivia's heart spasm.

She was reminded again of the dark, endless days of being locked in a basement by the kidnappers.

Olivia instinctively hugged herself, her body shaking uncontrollably, her eyes filled with fear and resistance.

Megan stepped forward with a pretense of concern. "Olivia, what's wrong?"

"Don't touch me!" Olivia's voice was sharp. "Are you hoping to throw me in the basement too, so I'll never come out?"

"Olivia, I didn't mean that." Megan started crying again, looking at her parents with grievance.

Harper quickly stepped forward, her tone somewhat impatient. "Olivia, don't get so worked up. Megan meant well. She didn't mean anything by it. How about this—you move to the guest room for now, and tomorrow I'll have someone clean up your room and bring your things up from the basement, okay?"

Olivia looked at her mother's dismissive attitude and knew there was no point in arguing further.

She was tired, truly tired.

The torture of being kidnapped for a year, the betrayal and coldness after escaping back home, and the argument just now had drained all her energy.

She didn't want to deal with them anymore, didn't want to see their fake faces anymore.

She slowly unclenched her fists and said expressionlessly, "Fine."

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter