Chapter: 2

The conversation caught the attention of the head nurse, who coughed slightly, gesturing to silence her colleague. Leaning closer, she murmured, "He's actually upstairs, attending to someone else."

The young nurse's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? But the girl merely sustained a minor scratch on her hand!"

Daniela was the one desperately in need of care.

The head nurse shook her head. "There's an entire team upstairs fussing over her. It's so unjust, isn't it?"

In that instant, a wave of humiliation and despair crashed down upon Daniela. Perched on the edge of the hospital bed, she felt her blood turn to ice, her frame shivering subtly.

Leaning against the wall for support, she made her way upstairs to the exclusive, high-class ward.

Pausing at the doorway, she saw the man she had cherished for a decade feeding her stepsister, Joyce. Their gazes locked, and the connection was palpable.

Her stepmother, Katrina Harper, clasped her hand over her mouth, tears sparkling in her eyes. "Caiden, could this be karma? Are my past mistakes haunting our daughter now?"

Caiden Harper, Daniela's biological father and Katrina's spouse, gently touched Katrina's shoulder to comfort her. "No, this was merely an unfortunate incident. None of this is your fault."

"Dad! This was no accident; it was murder! Daniela resents that you and Alexander show her less affection than me. She's malicious. We were the only ones there during the fire, and she pushed me. She wanted me gone."

After saying that, Joyce crumpled into Alexander's embrace, tears streaming down her cheeks as she wept uncontrollably.

Katrina gazed at her daughter's scratched hand before leaning closer to Caiden, seeking comfort in his arms.

"Caiden, Joyce might not share your blood, but she's embraced you as her true father. Who could have imagined such love would spell disaster for her? I've given up so much to keep Daniela content-I vowed to have no more children after marrying you. But it seems nothing will satisfy her. What else does she desire from me? She can take everything from me, even my life, if that's what she wants! But why does Joyce have to suffer? She's done nothing to deserve this."

Katrina's sobs were so intense, so filled with anguish, that an onlooker might have believed she was the one suffering a broken rib and a marred face.

Outside, hidden from view, Daniela overheard every venomous word aimed at her.

She watched, heartbroken, as the two men she cherished most -her father and her husband-lavished their attention on Joyce, neglecting to speak a word in her defense.

Her heart, already fragile, shattered into pieces.

Though her body screamed in protest, Daniela had fought to make it this far. Now, with her pain weighing her down, she turned back, each step slow and agonizing as she made her way.back to her room.

After her mother's passing, she seemed to have lost her father as well.

Her husband, whom she had grown up with, had given his heart to another, leaving hers in tatters.

Such a harsh betrayal of fate.

As darkness fell, Alexander reached her hospital room, holding a food container.

He stopped abruptly at the door, his features carved with a sharp, cutting disdain, as though the very air inside disgusted him.

His eyes, cold and distant, pierced through her.