Returning Back What Never Belonged To Her

“Stop shouting. She's fine.” Joaquin's sudden, irritated voice stopped Sierra when she tried to pass by her parents room. She peeked inside through the slightly empty space in the door. The banquet was already over and people had already left except the Rodrigos. Sierra didn't dare to go back to Rigel’s apartment after what happened in the pool. She couldn't bring herself to see his face, let alone confront him and that's why she decided to stay in the Rodrigo mansion to hide from him.

“She's fine? She could have died, Joaquin, because of your bastard daughter. How could you still stay silent?” Rosalia shouted angrily while glaring at her husband. Sierra felt her whole body freeze at her place. Did her mother just call her a bastard daughter? 

“Ophelia knows how to swim; besides, it was just an accident so stop overreacting.” Joaquin grated out in frustration while rubbing his temple. He had been getting irritated with her continuous nagging. 

“I'm not overreacting. My daughter could have been seriously harmed. She had already snatched my daughter’s fiancé. Now you want her to take my daughter's place too?” Rosalia retorted, her eyes flashing with pure hatred directed at Sierra. Sierra felt her heartbeat quicken. What were they talking about? 

“Sierra is my daughter too, Rosalia.” Joaquin sighed before pressing his lips together in a tight line. 

“But she's not my daughter. I didn't give birth to her. If it wasn't for your mistake, I wouldn't have been forced to raise a bastard child. I stayed quiet all these years because of you but if she crosses her limits and tries to harm my Ophelia again, then I won't stay quiet this time.” Rosalia spat, completely infuriated with both Joaquin and Sierra. She was done being a good mother for the sake of her husband. She took care of her husband’s illegitimate daughter and accepted her as her own but what did she get in return? That bitch turned out just like her mother, trying to steal other people’s places. 

“Are you threatening me?” Joaquin squinted his eyes dangerously at her, looking equally infuriated. His sudden anger seemed to scare Rosalia as she took a step back. 

“Think whatever you want. But I think now you should talk to her about the divorce since Ophelia is already back. I don't want my daughter to suffer because of your mistakes again.” She cleared her throat before speaking and reminding him about Rigel and Sierra’s divorce. Joaquin pressed his lips together in a thin line, remaining completely silent. 

Meanwhile, Sierra, who unintentionally eavesdropped on their whole conversation, stood rooted in her place, her mind completely blank, while her heart felt like it would leap out of her chest any moment after what she just heard. She was a bastard child! Her mother wasn't her real mother. They were planning her divorce with Rigel behind her back. Sierra felt her entire universe collapse at the same time. How did this happen? She felt Her heart getting heavy and suffocated, while her eyes filled with uncontrollable tears. Sierra covered her mouth with her hand to hold back her sobs which were threatening to escape. She quickly held them back before running away from there. She ran directly inside her room and closed the door behind her.   

Her whole world had turned upside down in a matter of a few hours. What was she going to do? Sierra slowly collapsed on the floor and broke down into uncontrollable sobs while covering her mouth with both hands. How could her mother not be her mother? Sierra felt the pain inside her chest increase with every passing second. She couldn't think straight. Her whole body was shaking due to fear and pain. It hurt! It hurt like hell. 

“How could they do this to me? Why did they do this to me? What is my fault?” Sierra questioned herself between her sobs, unable to come up with an answer. 

All of a sudden, her phone, which she dropped on the floor, lit up, showing a text from Ophelia. Sierra managed to grab the phone before checking the message. 

“I have already sent the papers to your room. It's time for you to keep your words and return what you took from me.” As soon as she read the message, she gripped the phone hard while staring blankly. Her eyes unconsciously moved towards her desk while she forced herself to get up before moving towards her desk. As expected, there were some papers lying on her desk. Sierra picked up the papers with shaky hands before opening them. 

It was divorce papers. A divorce agreement between her and Rigel Serrano. Sierra’s heart became cold as she stared at the papers blankly. The two years she spent with Rigel flashed through her head, including the scenes at the banquet and at the poolside. He didn't even bother to save her when she was drowning and he knew she couldn't swim. He went to save Ophelia, who already knew how to swim. The more Sierra thought about his actions, the more her head became clear. She was nothing but delusional. She deluded herself into believing she couldn't change his heart and make him love her. Sierra took a deep breath as she finally accepted the answer, which her heart knew a long time ago. Rigel Serrano would never love her. 

Sierra grabbed the pen, which was lying on the desk, before signing the divorce papers. She decided to let him go before he did to save her remaining dignity. Besides, the Serrano family would never accept her if they found out she was a bastard child so it was better for her to let go of Rigel and leave. 

With that thought in mind, Sierra neatly folded the divorce papers before keeping them on the desk. As promised, she finally returned back what never belonged to her. She grabbed her phone and necessary things before quietly leaving the Rodrigo mansion. Since she was already unwanted to both her husband and family, she must free them from the burden forever.