Chapter 1

Two years after I was abducted, my family finally forgave me.

Four years ago, my uncle and his wife, Matthew and Selena Summers, died in a car accident on the highway.

Their daughter, Claire, was depressed, so my dad brought her home to live with us.

The moment she saw me, she broke down in tears. "If it weren't for your graduation party, none of this would have happened."

Dad told me Mom had high blood pressure and a weak heart and couldn't handle stress, so I had to move out.

My brother, Michael Carter, gave all the care he used to show me to Claire.

Even my fiancé, James Walker, agreed to fulfill Claire's wish and temporarily marry her to help her recover.

I lost my temper and went to Claire's school to confront her.

Michael rushed over. To shut me up, he slapped me so hard my eardrum burst.

Now, I couldn't even see a thing.

I overheard Mom say to Dad, "I only wanted Ada to behave and not ruin Claire and James's wedding. Why did you have someone blind her?"

Dad sounded helpless. "It was an accident. After I had Ada sent to the small town, she kept trying to run away.

"The men chased her too far. In her panic, she slipped and fell down a hill, and now she can't see."

No, that was not it. They were trying to violate me.

That day, the rain was pouring down, and I ran for my life. I could barely see anything in front of me.

After they caught me, they didn't take me to the hospital, just so I couldn't escape again. That was how I ended up blind.

I heard Mom's suppressed sobs.

Dad comforted her softly, "The doctor said it's curable. She'll get better soon."

I stood frozen in place.

The maid holding my arm suddenly leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Why didn't you die out there? Everyone would be better off without you."

It wasn't Sophie, the maid who usually took me out for walks.

It was my cousin Claire, who had come back without me knowing.

Scared out of my wits, I shoved her away.

Claire let out a startled yelp as she hit the ground.

Then a strong shove hit me from behind. I was thrown off balance and fell forward, my face slamming into something hard.

My parents rushed over.

For a moment, nobody said a word.

I groped around on the floor, curled up, and hugged my head out of habit.

But for what felt like forever, the beating I was bracing for never came.

Only then did I remember: I was back home now.

Slowly, I noticed a dull ache on my face. I lifted my hand and felt wetness, and a throbbing pain spread through my cheekbone.

Dad's voice shook. "Get the doctor. Hurry."

*****

My face was ruined.

The crash ripped my skin open from my cheekbone straight down to the corner of my mouth.

When I got home, I heard Claire begging, "Dad, Michael did it for me.

"Ada went crazy out of nowhere. Michael thought she was bullying me again, so he pushed her without thinking.

"If you have to punish someone, let it be me, okay?"

I stood frozen in the doorway, my throat tight. "Dad, why does she call you Dad?"

The living room went dead silent.

I couldn't see their faces, completely at a loss.

Claire came over and took my hand. "Ada, can you plead for Michael? Dad's going to punish him because you got hurt.

"He already has a fever from being out in the rain. If he gets beaten, he'll get really sick."

Just hearing Michael's name made my left ear throb faintly.

I still remembered when I went to Claire's school to ask her why she was stealing James from me.

Michael showed up. To shut me up, he slapped me so hard it ruptured my eardrum.

The night before my surgery, he stormed into the hospital and yelled at me, "You ran your mouth at Claire's school. How is she supposed to face anyone?

"She deserves a share of everything you have, let alone James. If it weren't for our family, she wouldn't have lost her parents."

For once, I didn't back down. "I didn't drive the car that hit them. Why do I always have to give in to her?"

He was so pissed, he grabbed me by the throat. "Because Dad and I run this family. If we tell you to give in, you do it."

I couldn't breathe, his grip squeezing the life out of me.

For the first time, I was genuinely scared of him.

After that, we never spoke again.

When I was abducted, I kept thinking about that day—if only I hadn't fought with him.

I had blamed myself for pushing everyone away, so no one came to pick me up the day I left the hospital.

I had told myself if I ever got home, I wouldn't fight Claire over anything.

I'd let her have anything she wanted.

Turned out it was my own family who had me taken. Why?

I wanted to confront them, but I didn't dare.

If I disobeyed, would they lock me up again and throw me back into that godforsaken town?

Michael scoffed, "Just punish me if you want, Dad. I have a contract to sign this afternoon."

Dad snapped, "How could you treat your sister like this?"

Michael clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Dad, are you gonna punish me or not?"

I spoke up, my voice hoarse. "Dad, it's not Michael's fault. I lost my balance on my own."

Somehow, everyone went quiet.

Mom burst into tears. "Ada, what are you saying?"

I forced a smile. "The doctor said it's not a big deal."

The truth was, the doctor said fixing my face would be hard, and I'd probably have a scar.

But I didn't care.

My body was already covered in scars. One more didn't matter at all.