So naturally, his secretary thought a one hundred thousand dollar ring was an extravagant gift, something I should be grateful for.
But today, by accident, I had sat in that chair.
The one custom-made by a master craftsman.
The one designed specifically for Yvonne.
It had cost ten million.
And in that grand master bedroom—where I had never been allowed to step foot—there were billions worth of gifts for her.
I pushed aside the tablet the secretary had handed me to choose a ring design.
"You pick."
It didn’t matter.
That ring would end up destroyed by Tyler anyway.
Just like everything else David had ever given me, even the meaningless some freebies.
And even if it survived, I wouldn’t wear it.
I dismissed the secretary and not long after, Tyler walked back in.
He carried a thermos, opened it and without warning, flung the scalding porridge straight at me.
"You’d better get the hint and leave on your own," he spat. "Next time, it won’t be porridge—it will be sulfuric acid."
His hands weren’t strong enough; most of it landed on the blanket, but some splashed onto my arm.
The burning pain shot through me.
Ironically, I had woken up before dawn yesterday to cook that very porridge for him.
And now, it still burned me to the bone.
Tyler watched as red welts bloomed on my skin. Satisfied, he turned and left.
A nurse rushed in, changed my bedding and carefully applied medicine to my arm.
She hesitated before finally whispering, "Some children… just can't be raised."
I stared at the bandages covering my body. Tears slipped silently down my face.
She was right.
Even an outsider could see it.
Yet I had spent ten years believing that sincerity could win sincerity. But whether it was David—the boy I had once called my childhood sweetheart—or Tyler—the child I had raised since he was small…
The only thing my love had ever earned me was cruelty.
I spent over half a month in the hospital.
None of them came to visit me.
Not once.
When I was finally discharged, I hired a caretaker, sat in my wheelchair and went back to the Gunn Family home to collect my things.
But the moment I stepped inside, I froze.
The very people who had ignored my existence for weeks were now gathered in the living room, laughing, talking, celebrating.
And at the center of it all—
The woman who had disappeared without a trace for ten years.
Yvonne Xander.
Tears glistened in my parents' eyes as they hugged her tightly.