Chapter 1
On the day of the car accident, everyone forgot about me.
I died alone, silently, in a deserted corner.
*****
When the car accident happened, my mind went blank, and all my senses dulled instantly.
Even when Erica Hughes, my foster mother, rushed over, dragged me out of the car, and slapped me hard across the face, I didn't even feel the pain.
"Jenna, you wretched girl. We've taken care of you for over ten years, and this is how you repay us?" Erica yelled.
"If anything happens to Daisy, I'll make sure you burn in hell," she added.
She shoved me aside and threw herself at Daisy's side. "Daisy, are you okay? Doctor, please, help my Daisy. She's bleeding so much."
The Hughes practically dragged every paramedic over to Daisy's side.
They all forgot that I was in the car accident too.
Gordon Hughes and my sugar daddy, Archie Wilcox, finally showed up.
Gordon shot me a vicious glare before rushing off to the hospital in the ambulance.
Archie looked like he wanted to skin me alive. He offhandedly ordered his assistant, Curtis Bernard.
"Lock her up. I'll deal with her later," he ordered.
Curtis had no choice but to turn back after the ambulance left.
"Ms. Hughes, come on," he said.
His tone made it clear how much he despised me.
I didn't move. It was as if my mind had completely disconnected from my body.
For the first time ever, Curtis, Archie's bodyguard and assistant, actually manhandled me.
He dragged me and shoved me into the car.
My head banged against something hard.
My brain felt like mush, rattled so hard that I finally started to feel something again.
A drop of blood slid from my nose and landed in my palm.
"Curtis, can you please take me to the hospital?" I pleaded.
I used up every ounce of strength I had left to beg him.
He said, "Why do you even need to go to the hospital? Are you planning to chase after Daisy and hurt her again? Or are you just pretending to be sick so Mr. Wilcox and the Hughes family will pity you?
"Keep dreaming. I'm not going to help you hurt anyone again this time."
Curtis didn't spare me a single glance. He slammed his foot on the gas, and the car shot off toward the villa out in the sticks.
The sudden jolt sent a sharp pain through my chest, and the warm, metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.
I couldn't get another word out. The pain was finally starting to cut through the numbness.
When we finally got there, Curtis couldn't get rid of me fast enough. He shoved me straight into that tiny, windowless room.
He seemed so eager to leave that he didn't even notice the fresh blood on me. Or maybe he did notice but just didn't give a damn.
With my last bit of strength, I grabbed him.
"Can you... can you get me some painkillers?" I barely managed to whisper.
Everything hurt so much now. I was sure I had injured something badly, maybe even worse than I thought.
Curtis jerked his arm away like I was something filthy.
"Don't touch me. I'll get you some," he snapped.
I let out a sigh of relief and managed a grateful "thank you."
Curtis stiffened, and for some reason, his usual hostility seemed to fade a little. "Just wait," he said.
When Curtis drove to the hospital, Daisy had already finished her examination and even had her wound dressed.
It was just a superficial injury, nothing serious.
Right now, Erica, Gordon, Archie, and Francis, my foster father, were all gathered around her.
Daisy looked like a princess, surrounded by all the love and care in the world.
She could still bask in their affection, acting sweet and spoiled as always.
It must be nice.
Curtis left quietly, not wanting to disturb them.
As soon as he was outside, all the tension drained from him, and he sank down onto the floor, sitting there for a long while.
He didn't get up until he had finally calmed down. On his way back, he still remembered to grab some painkillers for me.
But as soon as he stepped back into the villa, all that fleeting warmth vanished, replaced by his usual icy attitude.
"Here's your painkillers," Curtis said.
He shoved open the door to the room, clearly annoyed.
No one responded. He turned on the light from outside.
Under the dim yellow light, a trail of blood snaked across the floor.
I was curled up on the ground. There wasn't a breath left in me.