Chapter 522:

Every birthday, without fail, Bertha chose a piece from the family heirlooms and gifted it to Elyse.

These heirlooms were not only valuable—they carried deep meaning, each piece telling a story.

When Elyse had fallen sick as a child, Bertha had cradled her all night, refusing to let go until the fever broke. Elyse had been treated like a princess. Even young Javier had envied the love and attention she received.

Yet, in the end, all their kindness had only created an ungrateful brat.

Javier’s voice thundered with rage. “How dare you even bring up Bertha? She’s bedridden because of you! If Elena hadn’t shown up when she did, we might have lost Bertha forever. Elyse, you’re heartless. You didn’t even spare Bertha. The Harper family has no place for someone as cruel as you!”

Vince and Samira remained silent. Their quiet agreement was clear—they sided with Javier completely.

No one in the room came to Elyse’s defense. Not one.

Elyse’s gaze swept across the room. Every face she saw was filled with disgust, disappointment, or outright hatred. Something inside her finally snapped.

She let out a sharp, eerie laugh. “Ha-ha…” Her smile twisted into something almost unhinged.

When her laughter faded, her voice dripped with venom. “You’re all hypocrites! Every last one of you! Acting so righteous, pretending you ever saw me as family. What a joke! You never cared about me. You just wanted the world to see you as good people!”

Her hand shot up, finger stabbing the air as she pointed at them one by one—Alexander, Jolie, Vince. “You… and you… and you! You all acted like you cared, but the second Elena came back, you turned on me! You couldn’t wait to throw me out! Well, congratulations! You win! I’m about to be homeless. Does that make you happy?”

Elyse pushed herself up from her seat, and for the first time, she didn’t bother hiding the hatred burning in her eyes.

Alexander instinctively pulled Jolie toward him, shielding her from the raw bitterness in Elyse’s stare.

Finally, Elyse’s gaze settled on Elena. Her lips curled into a bitter sneer. “Don’t look so smug. Karma always comes around. And trust me—it’ll come for you too.”

Find what you love at gⱯlnσν𝓮𝓁s․𝒸𝗼𝗺

Elyse was kicked out of Hillside Manor, disgraced and furious. With her suitcase in tow, she felt the scornful gazes of security guards and strangers alike. Humiliation churned in her gut, but beneath it all was pure hatred—hatred for Elena. That bitch would pay. No matter what it took.

Her funds were pitiful—barely enough to scrape by for a few nights in some dingy motel.

Elyse gritted her teeth and settled for a run-down place nearby.

The moment she stepped inside, a wave of stale air hit her like a brick. She gagged. A place like this? She wouldn’t have spared it a glance before. Now, she had to live in it. Her resentment boiled over.

Just as she slammed the door shut, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She barely glanced at the screen before hitting decline.

But the caller was persistent, dialing again and again.

Her patience snapped. She picked up with a sharp, “What the hell do you want?”

Darren blinked, startled. What happened to the sweet, demure Elyse?

For a second, he double-checked his phone. Had he called the wrong person?

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