Chapter 2

Regina was so shocked to hear Lion, her husband, call Selina "darling" that her heart began to race in surprise.

But she tried to think positively. Perhaps her husband only called her that because Selina was his sister.

"Next time, don’t be so intimate with Sister Regina. I don’t like it at all!" Selina grumbled, crossing her arms and giving Lion a sarcastic glance.

"Don’t be like that. She’ll get suspicious of our relationship," Lion replied, pulling Selina into a tight hug. The sound of a kiss could be heard in Regina’s ears.

Regina wanted to open her eyes, but she couldn't. Instead, she held back her tears and waited for the two people who had betrayed her to leave.

She didn't even realize that she had fallen asleep, the medicine she had taken earlier making her eyelids heavy.

"Honey."

Regina woke up to the gentle caress on her head. Blinking, she looked around and saw the person sitting beside her bed.

"Mommy," Regina murmured softly. She gazed at her stepmother with a sad look and searched for Selina and Lion. "Mom, Selina and Lion have betrayed me! They’ve been having a relationship behind my back!" Regina cried hysterically, clutching Elisabet’s arms.

Elisabet covered her mouth in shock. "There’s no way Selina and Lion could have done something like that!" she said, her voice trembling with disbelief.

"But I heard it with my own ears, Mother!" Regina insisted, still sobbing.

She had never imagined that her half-sister and husband would betray her, especially now, when her stepmother seemed so shocked by the story.

Maybe her mother was too stunned to process this. Regina thought she shouldn’t have told her. But she couldn’t help it. She was used to confiding in Elisabet, her stepmother, about everything.

"How could they do this, Regina? When and where did you see this?" Elisabet asked, wiping away her own tears.

"I pretended to be asleep this afternoon so they could leave and take care of their business. But instead..." Regina couldn’t finish her sentence. The memory of her heart being sliced like by a sharp knife was too painful to relive.

Elisabet was silent, not reacting to Regina’s words, but behind her, Selina and Lion had been waiting by the door the whole time.

"Mom, why?" Selina approached her mother, noticing that she had wiped away a tear.

"Mom," Regina whispered quietly.

"Can’t you be more careful?" Elisabet shot Lion and Selina a sharp look before letting out a long, frustrated sigh.

"What are we going to do?" Selina asked, looking at Lion, who stood next to her.

Regina stared at her stepmother in confusion. She still couldn’t understand what Elisabet meant by her question to the two intruders.

Though thoughts of betrayal began to fill Regina’s mind, she didn’t want to believe the worst about her stepmother, who had treated her like a biological daughter all these years.

"You let her know you’re lovers by making out in front of her!" Elisabet scolded them, her voice filled with anger. "You two should have done this at home, like usual! Now the plan is moving forward sooner than I intended!"

"What do you mean?" Regina asked, her face innocent, still unwilling to believe what she was hearing.

"Regina, darling, listen to me!" Elisabet said, her tone cold and calculated. "I’m the one who slowly killed your father, and I’m the one who let you end up in this shabby hospital! I could have taken you to the best hospital in the kingdom, but I didn’t want anyone to find out what I did to the Count’s rightful heir!"

Regina looked at her stepmother, her shock deepening. This was the first time she had ever seen Elisabet look at her like this—her face twisted with malice, not the loving smile she was so used to.

"Why did you tell him?" Selina asked, stunned, looking at the woman who had risked her life to give birth to her.

"Because of your carelessness!" Elisabet’s voice rose in frustration. "You were the one who accelerated our plans! We needed to get rid of Regina quickly, before she ruined everything with her strange behavior!"

Elisabet rubbed her aching temples, disappointed by how slow-witted her son was. She hadn’t expected this level of stupidity from him.

Lion remained silent, standing next to the two women, while Regina stared at him with a pitiful look, silently begging for help from the man she had loved.

"Lion, gag her and hold her down so she doesn’t fight back! I want to inject her with the medicine I’ve prepared, and then hang her! Let everyone believe it was suicide due to her mental illness!" Elisabet said, her voice dripping with cold determination.

Regina tried to scream for help, but Lion quickly gagged her with a nearby handkerchief. She struggled in vain, her face a picture of terror and sorrow. Yet, none of them showed any pity. Instead, they smirked at her as her tears continued to fall.

"Stay quiet," Elisabet ordered coldly. "Make sure no one hears."

Crash!

Regina dropped the glass from her bedside, hoping the noise would alert someone. But no one came. The room was silent.

Lion tightened his grip on her, afraid she might try to make more noise and attract attention.

Selina did the same, holding Regina’s legs tightly to prevent any sudden movements that might allow her to escape.

Elisabet had prepared an injection to paralyze Regina’s nerves, ensuring that she wouldn’t resist as they carried out their plan.

As they continued their work, the sound of footsteps approached. Regina’s eyes widened, desperately hoping the person approaching would be someone who could save her from the three people who now sought her death.