Upstairs, Liana was sitting on the floor, her back against the wall. Her hands pulsed with pain, the burns still fresh and sore. In her lap lay a photo—partly burned, edges dark and crumpled from the fire. But in the middle, her family's smiling faces were still visible.
Tears ran down her face. Her chest hurt just thinking about the past.
"It was my birthday, We were smiling… everything felt right back then. I never thought I'd be this far from them. Maybe… I won't see them again."
The door creaked open. She flinched.
Eric stepped in slowly, stopping just inside the room. Liana quickly tried to hide her hands behind her back.
But Eric saw something was wrong. His eyes narrowed, and he moved closer.
Then he asked, "Liana... what are you hiding? Do you have a phone again?"
He grabbed her wrists before she could stop him and pulled her hands forward. When he saw the burns, he froze
"What happened to your hands? Why didn't you put anything on them?"
Liana pulled her hands away quickly.
"It's nothing. Don't act like you care. You and your whole family are just cruel."
Eric didn't argue. He stood up and left the room. A few minutes later, he came back holding a first aid kit.
He knelt beside her and quietly began applying cream to her wounds.
Liana flinched from the sting, but she didn't pull her hands away. Eric didn't say much. He focused on wrapping her burned hands gently.
"You should've told someone... these burns are pretty bad," he finally said.
Liana looked down, avoiding his eyes.
"I don't really have anyone here to tell," she murmured.
Eric stood up without a word. He set the first aid kit on the table nearby, then turned and left the room. Liana had slept in Eric's bedroom, while Eric spent the night in his office.
The next morning, he walked into his room to take a shower. He noticed Liana was still fast asleep. Without waking her, he got ready and went downstairs for breakfast.
A couple of hours later, Eric returned to grab his laptop—and found her still sleeping.
He frowned and walked over to her.
"Liana, get up! Go back to your own room. Can't you hear me?"
But when he touched her arm, he stopped suddenly. Her skin was burning.
"She has a fever… a really high one," he muttered.
"Marleen! Marleen!" he called out.
"Yes, sir?" Marleen answered as she hurried in.
"She's burning up. Bring her some breakfast and give her medicine," he ordered.
Just then, his phone rang. Eric answered,
"Yes, Eric here… What? That can't be. Caleb went to school this morning. How can he be absent? Please check again. I'll find out where he is."
He rushed to David's room.
"David! Have you seen Caleb? He left for school, but now they're saying he didn't show up."
David, sounding bored and careless, replied,
"I don't know where he is."
Before Eric could say anything else, Margaret appeared behind them.
"Eric, I just heard Caleb didn't reach school. If anything happens to him, I won't forgive you—or that girl. Everything wrong in this house today is your fault."
Eric tried to stay calm and said, "Caleb is my responsibility. Don't worry, I'll find him."
Moments later, a guard called.
"Sir, Caleb is at the graveyard. He's been there for a while."
"Keep an eye on him—I'm coming," Eric said and left quickly.
At the graveyard, he found Caleb sitting by his mother's grave.
"Caleb, why didn't you go to school? What are you doing here?"
Caleb looked up, his face full of anger and sadness.
"No one cares about me. So stop acting like you do," he said bitterly.
"You did whatever you wanted. You married the daughter of the man who destroyed our family. I don't want anything to do with you anymore!"
He pulled his arm away from Eric and walked off angrily.
Eric stood there for a few seconds, then slowly sat by the grave.
"Mother… I thought marrying Liana would stop the cycle of revenge. But now, I don't know anymore. Maybe I made a mistake."
Marleen was helping Liana with breakfast and medicine when Margaret stormed into the room. "Marleen! You're supposed to be in the kitchen. What are you doing here?"
Then she turned to Liana with anger "You didn't come here for comfort. You're here to pay for your father's sins!"
She pointed at the bed and said coldly, "Get up. This is my grandson's room, not yours. Go to your own."
Marleen tried to explain, "But ma'am, her room is too cold—" Margaret interrupted again,
"I don't care. Do what I said. And don't give her any more medicine. Lock her door after she goes back."
Liana quietly began to cry. Marleen gently held her and walked her back to her cold, empty room.
Eric received a phone call from the company's manager "Sir, you'll need to come to the company today. You have a meeting at 11 a.m. with the new partner—regarding the Japan project."
"I'll be there," Eric replied. "Make sure everything's ready for the meeting."
He hung up and headed to the office.
Eric's workspace was modern and sleek—glass walls, dark tones, and a minimalist black theme that matched his personality.
His assistant stepped in "Sir, she's here."
At the entrance, a woman walked in with a grace that took everyone by surprise.
Her short golden hair shimmered under the lights. Her black dress hugged her body like a glove. She was none other than Emily Monare, Eric's first cousin. As soon as Eric saw her in the meeting room, his face changed. His mood darkened .
"You? You're the one joining us as a partner?" he asked, clearly not happy seeing her here
She sat down like nothing happened and crossed her legs.
"Yes, Eric. It'll be a strong partnership. Grandma told me to be part of it."
Eric didn't say another word. He got up, closed his laptop,
"The meeting is over."
He walked out of the room without looking back.
Behind him, Emily smiled slightly. A strange, quiet smile stayed on her face as she watched him leave.
Back at the mansion, Margaret was busy preparing for Emily's welcome dinner.
"Is dinner ready, Marleen? and tell Emma to clean Emily's room. Everything should be perfect. I don't want anything to go wrong."
"Yes, ma'am. Don't worry, everything will be done," Marleen replied while dusting the furniture.
Liana was lying on her bed, Marleen walked in and saw her pale face. She dashed to her.
"Liana, dear... are you alright? Oh no, you have a high fever. We need to go to the hospital right now."
She helped Liana down the stairs and spoke to Margaret.
"Ma'am, she's very sick. Her fever is high, and she's not even fully awake. We have to take her to a doctor immediately."
But Margaret didn't care. Instead, she instructed ,
"Take her outside. I'll come in a minute." Marleen was shocked.
"But it's raining so heavily, ma'am. And it's too cold outside..."
Margaret cut her off sharply "Do what I told you!"
Soon, Marleen and Liana were standing outside in the heavy rain. Liana was shaking and could barely stand. Margaret came out, looked at Liana, and pulled off her only sweater, leaving her to freeze in the cold rain.
"This is what you deserve," she yelled.
"Emily is coming, and I don't want you here. If you had never come into our lives, Eric would've married her instead."
Then she turned and walked back inside, taking the servants with her.
The door shut behind them with a loud bang.
Liana fell to the ground. She was too weak to stand. Her body was freezing, and her breathing was slow.
She tried to crawl, dragging herself slowly through the rain. After some time, she reached the back garden—and passed out on the muddy ground.
It was dark now.
Emily had arrived at the house. Everyone sat around the dining table, smiling, talking, and enjoying the dinner made for her.
At that moment, Eric came home.
He went straight to Liana's room to check on her. But the room was empty.
He rushed downstairs "Where's Liana?" he asked, looking around at the servants.
Marleen looked at Margaret for a second, then said , "I... I don't know, sir."
Eric's voice rose. "I told all of you to take care of her! How can no one know where she is?"
Without waiting for answers, he ran outside, searching the yard.
Then he heard it— A weak voice:
"P-Please... someone help me..."
Eric's heart sank.
"Liana?! I'm coming! Where are you?"
He ran toward the sound, his shoes sliding in the wet grass.
And there she was.
Liana was lying in the mud, completely soaked. Her face was pale, her lips were turning blue. She wasn't moving.
Eric dropped beside her.
"Liana! What happened?"
He gently lifted her in his arms, holding her close.
"Auron! Open the main gate now!" he shouted to the guards.
He placed her in the car, wrapped her in his coat, and drove off toward the hospital—