07
Alyssa sat alone in her lavish bedroom, her chest heaving with suppressed fury. She stared at the shattered
remnants of her phone on the floor, her reflection warped in the fractured screen. The scene played on repeat in her
mind–Dillon’s angry voice, his cruel words cutting her like jagged glass.
Her nails dug into the velvet armrest of the chair as she screamed, “Mia, you bitch! How could you be so scheming, disappearing just to steal Dillon’s attention?!”
The shrillness of her voice carried through the mansion and within moments, my parents burst into the room.
My mother, draped in silk robes, rushed to Alyssa’s side, her brows furrowed with concern. “Alyssa, my darling,
what’s wrong? Did Mia do something again? Tell us and we’ll handle her!”
My father followed, his expression cold but attentive. “What did that disgrace of a girl do this time?”
Alyssa sniffled and buried her face in her hands, her body trembling. When she finally looked up, her eyes glistened with carefully manufactured tears. She leaned into my mother’s embrace, her voice small and pitiful.
“Mom, Dad… don’t blame Mia. I’m sure she didn’t mean to. But… what she did has caused problems between me
and Uncle Dillon. He’s been so distant lately.”
The effect was immediate. My mother’s face darkened, her lips tightening into a furious line. She reached for her
phone, her fingers flying over the screen as she dialed my number.
“That wretched girl!” she spat. “She has the audacity to ignore us after everything we’ve done for her?”
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The call didn’t go through. My mother’s grip on the phone tightened, her knuckles turning white. When she d
WhatsApp and saw the red exclamation mark, her fury boiled over.
My father grabbed his phone, his jaw clenched as he attempted to reach me himself. When his efforts yielded the same results, his expression grew murderous. He slammed the phone onto the table, the sound echoing in the
room.
“She’s doing this on purpose! That manipulative little bitch! If she dares show her face here again, I’ll break her legs myself!”
Their venomous curses filled the room, their voices loud enough to make the servants in the hallway exchange uneasy glances.
Scars and Lies
Just as my father’s tirade reached a peak, a knock came at the door. A maid stepped in hesitantly, her hands clasped in front of her.
“Sir, Madam, there’s… someone outside. She claims to be Miss Alyssa and is causing a scene. She insists on
seeing you immediately.”
The air in the room froze. My parents turned to look at the maid, their expressions a mixture of confusion and
disbelief. Alyssa’s face drained of color.
“What?” my mother said, her voice sharp. “That’s impossible! Alyssa is right here!”
Before anyone could say another word, the doors burst open with a loud crash. A woman stumbled inside, her hair disheveled, her face streaked with tears. Her voice cracked as she cried out, “Mom! Dad! I’ve finally found you!
I’ve missed you so much!”
She rushed toward my parents, arms outstretched as if to embrace them, but they instinctively stepped back,
their movements stiff and hesitant.
My father’s eyes narrowed as he took in her appearance. “Who are you?” he demanded, his tone cold and
suspicious.
The woman froze mid–step, hurt flashing across her face. Her voice wavered as she spoke, “I’m Alyssa… your youngest daughter. The one who went missing ten years ago. Don’t you remember me?”
The room fell into stunned silence. Her words hung in the air like a heavy weight and my parents‘ eyes darted
between the woman and Alyssa.
The color drained from Alyssa’s face entirely. Her hands curled into fists, but she quickly forced a shaky smile.
“Mom, Dad, don’t listen to her! She’s lying! She must’ve heard about our family’s wealth and came to scam us!”
The woman’s eyes blazed with fury as she stepped forward, her voice rising. “You’re the liar! Ten years ago, we were both kidnapped! But you escaped first and stole my identity! You took everything that belonged to me–my
parents, my life!”
Alyssa’s voice grew shrill as she pointed at the woman. “Get out! Get the hell out of here! You’re not welcome
ere!”
She lunged forward to shove the woman away, but her opponent was faster. Alyssa stumbled back, falling to the
ground in an undignified heap.
The woman reached into her bag and pulled out a crisp envelope, thrusting it toward my father. “Here. A DNA
test. It proves that I’m your real daughter.”
The room went eerily silent as my father took the envelope, his hands trembling slightly. He opened it and examined the papers inside, his expression shifting from disbelief to cold rage.
Without warning, he turned to Alyssa and struck her across the face. The sound of the slap reverberated through
the room, leaving everyone stunned.
“You… filthy impostor!” he bellowed. “You dared to deceive us for ten years? Do you have any idea what you’ve
done?!”
The fake Alyssa clutched her cheek, her eyes wide with fear. She scrambled to her feet and bolted for the d but the bodyguards, summoned by my father’s shout, intercepted her. They grabbed her arms and restrained her, ignoring her panicked screams.
The real Alyssa watched the scene unfold with tears streaming down her face. My parents turned to her, their expressions softening as they pulled her into a tight embrace.
Through sobs, she recounted the horrors of her abduction, her voice trembling with emotion. My parents listened intently, their guilt evident in their eyes.
Finally, she looked up, her tear–streaked face filled with a mix of hope and apprehension. Her lips parted as she asked the question that had been burning in her heart for years.
3:21 PM
Scars and Lien