Chapter 17
“Suppress the news? Why would we do that?” It was my mom who spoke out.
She was made up beautifully and wore lavish clothing, yet her words were utterly callous.
“The netizens aren’t wrong. It was Allison who claimed false credit. She deserves to be exposed. If she wanted to avoid it, she shouldn’t have done it in the first place.
“Everyone is praising you for being beautiful and kind–hearted, so why would you suppress the free publicity?”
As Mom said this, she took Amber’s hand. “You’re destined to become an internationally renowned artist, someone whose name will go down in history.”
“Mom’s ric
Allison has no one to blame but herself. The worse her reputation gets, the better it’H highlight Amber’s brilliance. Controversy feeds popularity, so the more people hear about Amber, the more her fame will soar.”
I had just died, and my reputation was in shambles, but my family still sought to exploit me, using me to pave the way for Amber.
When I painted, Mom used to criticize me for being unproductive and selfish and for not prioritizing our family’s future. She accused me of wasting time on meaningless pursuits.
But now, her expression was full of pride as she praised Amber’s talent, even stepping on my memory to elevate her.
I finally figured out it wasn’t painting she despised. She simply adored Amber. Amber could do no wrong in her eyes.
I survived a lover’s betrayal, but my heart ached from my family’s slander.
Amber turned to Shane. “Shane, what do you think? Should we suppress the news? Allison is your wife after all. If she sees this while in Gildford, she might feel upset.”
Shane was initially upset, but the thought of me quietly leaving for Gildford–made his eyes grow cold.
“Upset? She brought this upon herself. Leave it If she’s embarrassed, she should come back sooner!” Shane snapped. He had no intention of defending me.
After all our years as childhood sweethearts, he concluded that I brought this upon myself.
Both the Schultz and Lundberg families had the means to suppress the news. -Yet, they didn’t think twice about sacrificing my reputation for Amber. Was this what family was all about?
I curled up in a corner, listening to their cold, cutting words. I watched as they laughed and bonded as a happy family. I was the one who should have gone missing all those years ago.
Chap 12
I didn’t know how much time passed, but when I lifted my head again, I realized the scene before me had changed.
Shane and my family were gone, and I found myself in what seemed like a dark and damp
basement.
Where was I? I’d never been here before. I surveyed my surroundings. I was standing in a long corridor, where the stone walls were cracked in several places, weathered by time.
A faint candle flickered, casting a soft glow on me, yet there was no shadow on the walls. There was nobody around, making the silence dreadful.
I noticed a stone chamber at the end of the corridor and hurried toward it. From a distance, I saw a stone bed, where it seemed like a woman was lying on it.
Who would lie in aplace like this?
For some reason, the closer I got, the faster my heart raced. As my vision cleared, I finally saw her. The lifeless woman lying there, with her chest still and eyes closed–that woman was me.
