Chapter 1

The boss said I was the prettiest fool in the gang.

At twenty, I helped Carter lure in a girl in a white dress, as pure as a lily.

On the way, Carter patted my cheek.

He said, "Good job, Lottie.

"This girl's got killer close-ups. She'll fetch a fortune on the DarkNet."

He tossed me half a stale piece of bread.

He said, "Finally, the useless trash earns her keep."

A few days later, the deal was about to close.

The door was kicked open. A man strode in.

He had elegant features, usually gentle.

But at that moment, he was radiating pure menace.

He said, "You dare to lay a finger on Lily, and you die."

His gaze flickered past me, then froze. There was disbelief in his eyes. "Charlotte?"

*****

Sirens blared as a bunch of cops in uniform stormed in.

Carter and the rest of the crew were slammed to the ground and slapped with handcuffs.

The man, still holding the shaken Lily, turned to me and let out a sharp, angry laugh.

"Charlotte Evans, you left me at the altar five years ago, broke off our engagement, and now you show up here. What, just to become a trafficker?" he spat.

I stood there, completely stunned, having no idea what he was talking about.

Lily peeked out from his arms, her eyes red as she stared at me for a long time.

Her voice was shaky and choked with tears as she asked, "Are you Charlotte?"

The man's eyes instantly blazed with anger as he shouted, "Don't call her Charlotte.

"Lily, look at her. She's with the traffickers. You almost got sold because of her."

I lowered my head; my mind was spinning. I couldn't figure out what I'd done wrong.

I brought Lily here to take pictures so I could get some bread. I was starving.

As Carter was dragged by the cops, he saw the scene and grinned.

"Andrew, don't give my dumb wife a hard time. She's not all there. Her IQ's lower than a six-year-old's," he sneered.

Andrew's face darkened. "What the hell did you say? Who the hell is your wife?"

Carter kept laughing. "Why don't you ask her yourself? Back then, she was running wild in the town and almost got snatched up by some old bachelor to be his breeding sow.

"If I hadn't taken pity on her and saved her, she'd be rotting in some ditch by now.

"Look at her. She's useless and can't even do a day's work. What else could I possibly want from her? Just for keeping my bed warm, that's it."

Andrew was shaking with rage and tried to go straight for Carter, but the cops stopped him before he could get close.

Carter was shoved into the police car and driven away.

Andrew stood there for a while, his anger slowly fading, before he finally walked over to me.

He stayed quiet for a long time, then spoke with a tired voice, "Come with me."

I was too scared to follow Andrew, so I instinctively backed away from him.

Andrew was running out of patience and reached out, trying to grab my arm.

"No. Don't touch me." Terrified, I fought back with everything I had, scratching his face in my frantic struggle.

He hissed in pain, his expression turning even uglier. Without any gentleness, he hauled me over and shoved me into his car.

As soon as I got in, I huddled in the corner of the back seat, burying my head even lower.

My clothes were nothing but rags, leaving my arms and legs bare.

The wind cut through me, making my teeth chatter.

Andrew glanced at me in the rearview mirror, then took off his jacket and tossed it over me.

The jacket was still warm from his body. It felt nice.

But before I could even hold onto it, Lily sneezed softly from the front seat.

Andrew immediately pulled the jacket off me and wrapped it around Lily without hesitation.

Lily sniffled. "Andrew, I'm fine."

Andrew gently brushed her hair. "Don't catch a cold, okay?"

Lily nodded, took out her phone, and dialed a number. "Mom, Dad, Andrew found me, and Charlotte's here, too. Please hurry over."

Lily's parents rushed over soon after, hugging her tight and crying their eyes out for a long time. When they finally looked at me, their faces were a mess of emotions.

They didn't say anything to me in the end. They brought me to the hospital to draw some blood.

Even when the needle pricked my finger, I held back my tears.

Carter always said crying idiots were the worst, and if I ever cried, he'd smack me with a stick.

After what felt like forever, the doctor finally came over with the test results. "The results are in. It's confirmed. She's your daughter."

Lily's parents stared at the paper, not a hint of a smile on their faces.

Lily's father was the first to break the silence, his voice low and tense. "Charlotte, why did you leave Andrew at the altar and run off with someone else five years ago?

"Do you even realize how much chaos you caused? The whole town was talking about it. You made both our families look like fools."

I shrank back, terrified by his harsh tone, tears streaming down my face. "I... I don't know...

"Please don't be mad. Don't lock me up in the barn again. I'll be good, I promise."

Lily's mom let out a sigh, her voice gentler now as she saw me like this. "Alright, no matter what she did back then, she's been through enough these past five years."

She reached out her hand to me. "Charlotte, I'm your mom. Come home with me, okay?"

I stared at her, a little lost.