Chapter 4
“You brought this on yourself with your twisted thinking. Don’t blame anyone else. Tonight is
Vanessa’s special night and the Anderson family dinner. As Vanessa’s sister and the Andersons‘
second daughter, you have no excuse not to attend!”
There it was again–that same old line. I took a deep breath, my emotions a complete mess.
“Jackson, do you know what people in our social circle are saying about me?”
That video of me licking vomit–covered apple pie off the floor with my right cheek pressed against
the tiles had gone viral in our circle!
“They’re saying I’m no better than a filthy dog!”
The Andersons were hosting this party today, and everyone who mattered would be there. If I
showed up at the Anderson house now, I’d just be handing them fresh material to laugh at!
“And Lily just got discharged today. She hasn’t fully recovered yet. I need to be home with her.”
Jackson hesitated, his expression complicated.
“What they’re saying might be harsh, but Mia, didn’t you bring this on yourself? If you hadn’t deliberately given Emma that apple pie knowing she was allergic, I wouldn’t have needed to teach you a lesson. You’ve always been trashy–sleeping with your sister’s fiancé after drugging him? And now you can’t handle a few mean comments? Please.”
“And it was just a simple allergic reaction. Was a two–week hospital stay really necessary? You’re raising that kid to be so dramatic.”
“Lily isn’t being dramatic-”
Jackson cut me off impatiently before I could finish.
“Enough! I’ll have someone look after Lily. Tonight is crucial for Vanessa, and I absolutely will not
allow any Anderson family member to be absent!”
I fell silent.
When the car pulled up to the Anderson mansion, Jackson and Vanessa got out first. Emma, wearing
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Chapter 4
a light green princess dress, came running out to greet them with a big smile.
Jackson bent down to scoop her up high in his arms, then took Vanessa’s hand as they walked
forward–the picture–perfect family, radiating happiness.
I followed quietly behind them. This was how it was meant to be all along.
Everyone swarmed around them with greetings. Jackson and Vanessa handled it all with effortless grace while I retreated to a corner, trying to make myself invisible. But people noticed me anyway.
“That’s Mia? The one who stole her own sister’s fiancé to become Mrs. Harrison? Did you see that
video going around? Tsk, Mrs. Harrison, the lady of the prestigious Harrison household, acting like a
dog in a public hospital. Absolutely disgusting.”
“And that daughter of hers–wetting and soiling herself. So gross.”
‘Is it really surprising? If I were Jackson, I’d hate her and her bastard child too. The Harrisons must be incredibly generous to accept such a daughter–in–law.”
‘Please. Mia trapped him by getting pregnant on purpose. Do you really think someone as devoted to Vanessa as Jackson would marry someone else so easily? Especially someone so desperate to climb
he social ladder.”
Their words instantly transported me back to that night four years ago when I was unconscious. The earing pain felt like it was still imprinted on my body.
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