******Irene was able to see through her mother and sister’s performance as easily as glass, because no matter how flawless they act, she knew the truth: they didn’t love her at all... not in the way a mother and sister should, at least.In fact, their joy wasn’t about seeing her or that she was moving back home. It was about what she represented… the security of their own gains and the protection of their own interests.It’s not like she just returned to the country. She had been around for a few weeks now, but they had completely ignored her existence.Instead, their excitement was no more than the nervous relief of investors seeing their investment return and knowing that it was about to yield them a chart-breaking gain.Inside, her heart ached sharply at this feeling. She wanted to deny it and silence the thought, but she was no longer so gullible again, not especially after the previous day’s event.Before she even knew it…‘Hypocrite.’The word echoed through her mind, a

******To any stranger watching right now, it would appear obvious: Irene could not possibly be their daughter or sister. The way they berated her, stripped her dignity, and accused her… it was treatment reserved for a despised servant and not family.Anyone witnessing the scene would swear their bonds of blood were a mistake, that Irene must be an outsider intruding where she didn’t belong.…Suddenly, Irene no longer felt surprised.Instead, her shock rapidly melted away, leaving behind only an empty ache.This wasn’t new.In fact, this was the same treatment her mother and sister had shown her since she was a child. Every single one of her mistakes had always been magnified, and every one of her stumbles twisted into something monstrous.They had always been quick to condemn her and to make her feel like an intruder in her own family.And yet, even knowing this pattern, Irene couldn’t stop the sting of disappointment from cutting deep. Disappointment at them, disappointmen

******The sudden shift in Avery’s attitude and tone was so startling that both Perry and Irene froze mid-breath.But before either of them could gather their wits, Avery moved forward, appearing all warmth and grace, and laid a hand on Irene’s shoulder with a pat so light and gentle that it felt rehearsed.“Don’t mind Mother, Sister,” she continued, sighing as though she were the very model of magnanimity. “Mistakes happen, and even if you had planned to harm me and my child, look at us… aren’t we both standing here perfectly fine?”Her words were very sweet to the ears, sounding as though they had been wrapped with honey, but the sting of accusation beneath that sweetness was very obvious.Yet the smile on her lips and the softness in her tone made them sound almost like forgiveness.The silence that followed was deafening.For the first time ever, Perry and Irene mirrored each other, their faces equally blank with shock, and both of them gawking at Avery as if she had sudden

******Even then, the aftermath of that event had left Irene with a night she would never forget… a night that had dragged her into shame, into her sister’s ex-husband’s arms, and into a situation she had never chosen.And yet here was Victor, parading himself as the victim, even lying about the truth.He was no victim; instead, he was the predator.Even after his vicious plan had failed, he hadn’t given up; instead, he had dared to barge into hers and Glenn’s room with his thugs, demanding what he felt entitled to, and even daring to attack Glenn.He had been the one who had overestimated his own power, and that arrogance was what had made his leg broken, not some nameless biker as he had claimed.Glenn had snapped James’s leg, and frankly, that was because James deserved it. He deserved every bit of it and even several times worse.Yet watching him now, basking in her family’s sympathy and plotting against his attacker, it was clear to Irene that he hadn’t learned anything. H

******Having no idea what her family thought of her or their complete disgust of her action… not that she wouldn’t have guessed it correctly if she was in the right state of mind to be bothered about it, Irene fled straight into the kitchen as though chased by her nightmares.Her steps were uneven, hurried, and almost frantic, her face also pale.Without hesitation, she immediately grabbed the nearest glass cup from the cupboard, yanking it so fast that it nearly slipped from her trembling fingers, then she shoved it under the running tap, filling it with water.Once full, she downed it in one long gulp, the water spilling from the corners of her mouth as she drank frantically like someone trying to drown the fire currently wreaking havoc inside her chest.But even after drinking the water, her throat still burned… not from thirst, obviously, but from all the effort of holding back the suffocating emotions that were threatening to tear her apart.Without hesitation, Irene slamm