Chapter 4

Lilian shot a brief glance at her eldest daughter, keeping her distance as she spoke in a clipped, indifferent tone.

"Adora… it’s just you. That should be more than enough space."

Adora remained silent.

Not in her worst nightmares had she imagined this—spending three years locked in a pigsty, only to come home and be placed in a doghouse.

It was as if she had escaped one hellhole, only to be thrown into another.

And this time, there was no escape because this place was supposed to be her home.

"Madam Lilian, this is too much!" Eugene finally spoke up, his voice carrying a rare edge of anger.

"Adora is your daughter. How can you treat her like this?"

Ruby immediately tightened her grip on Eugene’s arm, her brows furrowing as she looked up at him.

"Eugene, why are you so concerned about my sister? Do you still love her?"

"I…" Eugene hesitated, turning his gaze toward Adora.

Her face was pale, her expression carefully controlled, but he could see the pain she was trying so hard to suppress.

They grew up together and were childhood sweethearts.

Their love was once effortless, sweet, and unshakable until the night she vanished.

Even now, deep down, he knew that he had never stopped loving her.

But the woman standing before him was no longer the dazzling socialite, the brightest star in the city.

She was no longer the brilliant girl who had once been the envy of their entire university.

She had been tainted—defiled by countless filthy old men, forced to bear a child for a fool.

And worst of all, she carried an incurable, contagious disease.

A heaviness pressed against his chest, suffocating him.

In the end, he forced himself to say, "No… I just think she’s pitiful."

"She is," Ruby agreed, nodding, her face painted with just the right amount of sympathy.

"Adora’s been through so much… but we can’t let pity cloud our judgment. We still have to think about the family’s health.

“It’s already generous enough that we’re letting her stay."

She spoke of "letting her stay" as if Adora were nothing more than a burden they had taken in out of pity.

Ruby had conveniently forgotten that she was the adopted one.

Eugene opened his mouth, but the words never came.

It was clear now that none of them truly heard a word Louis said.

In their minds, Adora was already infected.

Lilian’s voice softened slightly, as if coaxing a child. "Adora, you can use the downstairs bathroom for washing up.

“For now, just stay in the pet villa. In a few weeks… we’ll have a small house built for you in the backyard."

The downstairs bathroom was for guests and servants.

The official members of the Matthews family all lived upstairs.

Even so, Lilian still found it repulsive.

But there was nothing she could do.

Adora stood stiffly in place, every word her mother spoke slicing into her like a blade, carving deeper wounds into an already shattered heart.

Just moments ago, she still held onto a sliver of hope, telling herself that maybe her family was just overwhelmed, unsure how to react to her sudden return.

But now, she understood that they had considered her dead three years ago.

And in her place, Ruby stepped in seamlessly, filling the void, becoming the Matthews family’s beloved heiress.

Ruby’s act of replacing her was a complete success.

In three years, she erased Adora’s existence entirely, claiming her title, her position, and her family as her own.

The realization burned like acid, but Adora didn’t cry.

She simply took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay composed before walking over to the couch and sitting down.

"If anyone wants to stay in the doghouse, be my guest. I’ll sleep here in the living room."

"You—"

Lilian turned to her, momentarily speechless.

She stumbled over her words before finally sputtering, "Sleeping in the living room? What kind of behavior is that? Are you deliberately trying to make things difficult for us?"

Adora had no energy to argue.

Her heart ached so much that even speaking felt like it drained the last bit of strength from her.

So, she simply turned over, lay down on the couch, and closed her eyes right there, in front of everyone.

The entire room fell into stunned silence.

The Matthews family members exchanged looks of disbelief, unsure how to react.

Only Ruby, standing off to the side, let a small, cunning smile slip into her expression.

She wanted Adora to stir up trouble.

The more she acted out, the more their parents would resent her.

Eventually, they’d kick her out for good.

And just like that, Adora spent the rest of the day lying there in the middle of the living room, as if the entire family didn’t exist.

The lingering scent of the pigsty still clung to her, and after hours of her presence, the stench had seeped into the air, filling the entire space.

By evening, Lilian finally caved.

Lilian tossed a set of clean clothes onto the couch with visible impatience.

"Go take a shower. There’s a spare maid’s room. You can stay there for now."

Adora didn’t open her eyes.

But she was awake for a while, lying still as she strategized on how to shamelessly stay in this house.

She needed to find ways to expose Ruby’s lies and exact her revenge, to put those traffickers behind bars, finish the education that had been taken from her, and most importantly, she had to figure out her next move.

One thing was clear: she couldn’t stay in this house forever.

She wasn’t delusional—her so-called family was dead to her.

When Lilian didn’t get a response, her patience wore thin.

She called out again, voice sharper this time.

"Adora, did you hear me?"

Finally, Adora opened her eyes.

There was no warmth and emotion, only an eerie coldness that sent an inexplicable shiver down Lilian’s spine.

Adora sat up and glanced at the clothes beside her. "These aren’t mine."

"They’re Ruby’s," Lilian admitted, hesitating for a moment before adding, "Your clothes… were all thrown out when we renovated the house."

Adora’s brow arched. "Renovated?"

"You weren’t here, and the room was just sitting empty. So, we connected it to Ruby’s room and turned it into a walk-in closet."

Lilian’s explanation lacked confidence, as if she knew how absurd it sounded.

Adora let out a quiet, humorless laugh.

How fitting.

Not only had Ruby taken her place in the family, but she even took her room.

"You really did treat me like I was dead," she said, her voice eerily calm.

Lilian stiffened.

Adora chuckled coldly. "But even if I had died, I was still your daughter. And yet, you didn’t leave behind a single thing, not even a memory."

Knowing she was in the wrong, Lilian quickly added, "Of course, we kept your valuables as a way to remember you."

Adora lifted her gaze, her voice calm but firm. "Give them to me."

Lilian bristled at her eldest daughter’s commanding tone, but she wasn’t in the mood to argue, especially not while standing in the middle of a room tainted with that unbearable stench.

Without another word, she turned and headed upstairs.

The so-called valuables were Adora’s jewelry—gifts she received every year for her birthdays, carefully selected by her family.

But now, they all belonged to Ruby.

Lilian stepped into her younger daughter’s room, unlocked the safe, and pulled everything out.

Ruby’s eyes widened, her expression shifting instantly to one of reluctance.

"Mom…" she whispered, unwilling to part with them.

"Sweetheart, just give them back to her," Lilian soothed, her voice dripping with indulgence.

"Let her have them, so she doesn’t make a scene. We’ll buy you more—better ones. Tomorrow, we’ll go shopping."

At that, Ruby’s entire demeanor changed.

She immediately softened, nodding obediently.

"Mom, these belonged to my sister in the first place. Since she’s back now, it’s only right that she gets them back. Come on, I’ll go with you to return them."

Lilian beamed with pride.

"You really are so considerate. Your sister… she’s like a completely different person now, every word she says is like a dagger straight to my chest."

"Mom, don’t be upset," Ruby consoled her gently.

"She’s probably suffered too much and isn’t in the right state of mind. We just need to be patient and show her kindness."

"Thank goodness I still have you," Lilian murmured, patting Ruby’s hand affectionately.

Together, they carried down the jewelry cases—over a dozen sets of expensive pieces.

"Adora," Ruby called sweetly as they reached the bottom of the stairs, flashing an angelic smile.

"While you were gone these past three years, I kept these safe for you. Now, they’re all yours again."

Her words sounded generous, but her tone was laced with smug and taunts as if saying, “See? While you were gone, I had everything that once belonged to you.

Adora glanced at the jewelry, already calculating how much she could sell them for.

Then, she turned to Ruby with a smile.

"Thank you, sister. You must not feel great to cough up something you’ve already swallowed, huh?

“But you don’t have to feel too bad. You’re the real Matthews heiress now. Jewelry isn’t something you’ll ever be short on. Mom and Dad will just buy you more."

Lilian visibly stiffened, quickly averting her gaze.

On the other hand, Ruby acted as if she hadn’t caught the underlying sting in Adora’s words.

Smiling sweetly, she asked, "Which set do you like? I’ll help you put it on."

Adora studied her carefully, then tilted her chin toward her.

"I like the one around your neck. What should we do about that?"