Chapter 5

Carina pov

"Disgusting little brat!" my mother spat, her fingers still gripping my ear like a vice as she dragged me through the hallway. "I can't believe this—how did I end up with a daughter like you? Such disgrace!"

"Mum, please, listen to me—" I tried to protest, struggling to keep up with her angry strides.

"Shut up!" she snapped, her nails digging into my skin. "Do you even hear yourself? Lying to my face, trying to blame your brothers? Your BROTHERS, for heaven’s sake! How shameless can you be?"

"They’re not telling the truth!" I cried out, the tears flowing freely now. "I didn’t do anything wrong. You have to believe me, please!"

"Believe you?" She stopped abruptly and spun to face me, her sharp gaze cutting through me like a knife. "You’ve already humiliated this family enough, and now you expect me to take your word over theirs? You must think I’m a fool!"

Her voice echoed in the grand hallway, making the maids and a few passing servants stop and glance at us nervously before scurrying away.

"Mum, you don’t understand! They lied!" I pleaded again, desperate. "They’re not—"

"Lied?" she interrupted, letting out a bitter laugh. "Oh, so now I’m the one who doesn’t understand? Let me make one thing clear, young lady: they have no reason to lie. You, on the other hand? You’ve always been the problem!"

I flinched at her words, the weight of them crushing me further.

"I’m not a problem," I whispered, more to myself than to her.

"Not a problem?" She scoffed, resuming her march as she dragged me along. "You’ve done nothing but bring shame to this family since the day you were born. Always disobedient, always causing trouble. Do you think I don’t know about your little stunts behind my back? Sneaking around, making a fool of yourself—and now this?"

"Mum, please, it’s not what you think—"

"Oh, it’s EXACTLY what I think!" she cut me off again, her voice rising. "Do you even have any idea what people will say if they find out about this? My own daughter, behaving like some—some wild animal!"

Her words felt like slaps to my face, each one leaving a sting. I couldn’t stop the sob that escaped my lips.

"You always think the worst of me," I choked out. "You never listen. You never care!"

She stopped again, this time yanking me close so that we were face to face. "Don’t you DARE talk to me about listening or caring," she hissed. "Do you know how much I’ve sacrificed for you? How much I’ve tolerated because of you? And this is how you repay me?"

"I didn’t ask you to sacrifice anything for me!" I shot back, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.

Her hand came down hard across my cheek, the sound ringing loud and sharp.

"Ungrateful little brat," she growled, her voice trembling with fury. "You think you can talk back to me? After everything I’ve done to keep this family intact? You’re nothing but a burden—a disgrace!"

I clutched my stinging cheek, too stunned to respond.

"Do you think your father would have tolerated this behavior?" she continued, her voice dripping with venom. "He’d be ashamed to call you his daughter!"

The mention of my father hit me like a punch to the gut. I wanted to scream, to fight back, but the words wouldn’t come.

Instead, I whispered, "He wouldn’t have believed them either."

"What did you just say?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

I raised my head, meeting her glare with all the courage I could muster. "I said he wouldn’t have believed them. He would have listened to me."

For a moment, she looked taken aback, but the fury quickly returned. "How DARE you invoke his name to justify your filth? You’re not even worthy of calling him your father!"

"Mum, stop," I begged, my voice breaking. "Please, stop saying these things."

"Why? Do the truth and your failures hurt too much?" she sneered. "Good! Maybe it’ll teach you some discipline."

"I’m not lying," I said again, my voice barely above a whisper. "I didn’t do what they said."

She let out a frustrated sigh, shaking her head as though I were a hopeless case. "Of course you didn’t," she said sarcastically. "Because you’re perfect, right? Always the victim, never at fault. It’s always someone else’s problem, isn’t it?"

Her words were like daggers, each one cutting deeper than the last.

"That’s not what I’m saying," I tried to explain, but she wasn’t listening anymore.

"You know what?" she said, her tone cold and final. "I’ve had enough of your nonsense. You’re grounded—indefinitely. No leaving the house, no privileges, no nothing, apart from going to school.

. Maybe some isolation will knock some sense into that thick skull of yours."

"You can’t do that!" I protested, panic rising in my chest.

"Watch me," she snapped. "You’ll stay in your room until you learn to behave like a decent human being. And if I hear ONE MORE WORD about this nonsense, I’ll make sure you regret it."

"But—"

"Don’t worry, Mum," Antonio said smoothly. "We’ll keep an eye on her. She won’t get away with this again."

"See that you do," she replied sharply, brushing past them on her way out. "And you," she added, turning back to me one last time. "Don’t even think about stepping out of this room until I say so. Understood?"

I nodded silently, my tears blurring my vision as she slammed the door shut behind her.

For a moment, there was silence. Then Rodrigo let out a low whistle.

"Wow," he said, grinning. "She really let you have it, huh?"

"Serves you right," Miguel added, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"You should’ve just listened to us," Antonio said, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Maybe next time, you’ll think twice before ignoring our warnings."

"You’re all liars," I muttered, my voice shaking.

Rodrigo chuckled, stepping closer. "Careful, sis. You wouldn’t want Mum to hear you talking like that again. She might come back for round two."

The other two laughed, their voices ringing in my ears as I curled up on the bed, wishing I could disappear.

"Don’t worry," Antonio said, his voice dripping with mock sympathy. "We’ll make sure to let Mum know if you step out of line again. You know, for your own good."

"Yeah," Miguel added, smirking. "We’re just looking out for you."

Their laughter echoed in the room as they finally left, shutting the door behind them.

I buried my face in my hands, the weight of their lies and my mother’s words pressing down on me like a heavy stone.

For the first time in my life, I truly felt alone.