A single question uncovers a past buried in lies. As David's obsession reaches a breaking point and Sarlin takes a desperate step toward death, a long-lost name surfaces—Salina. Who is she, and why does her name turn a mother's rage into frozen terror?
Elina looked at Jack, her voice trembling. "Jack, are you married?""I'm not married... I was married," Jack replied. "My wife passed away three years ago." As he spoke, tears began to stream down his face.Feeling a deep sense of sympathy, Elina moved closer to him. "Don't lose heart. You aren't alone; I'm with you. I didn't know your past was so painful. I'm so sorry..."David had expected that hearing about Jack's marriage would make Elina break ties with him. Instead, the opposite happened—her sympathy for Jack only grew stronger.David was still unaware of the true relationship between Elina and Mr. Louis. Driven by a misunderstanding, his anger boiled over, leading him to finalize his marriage with Sarlin. Yet, in the depths of his heart, he desired only Elina.Suddenly, Elina's phone rang. she stepped away from the group to answer it. On the other end, Mr. Louis spoke, "Elina, my child, I have some work for you. I need to see you right now.""I'm coming right away," Elina replied.Hanging up the phone, she ignored everyone and went to her room to get ready. As she hurried out of the house, David, unconcerned about Sarlin's presence, followed her and grabbed her arm."Who called you?" he demanded. Elina looked at him in surprise but remained silent.In a fit of rage, David raised his voice. "I am asking you, who called you? And where are you going?"David's anger was fueled by a desperate, mad love for Elina. Elina, too, could sense that David truly loved her now. But for the sake of her sister Sarlin's happiness, she had already decided to sacrifice her own feelings.Hiding the immense love she felt for him, Elina spoke harshly. "Who are you to question me? It shouldn't matter to you who I meet or who I talk to."In response, David snatched the phone from her hand and redialed the number. Mr. Louis picked up immediately. "Hello, Elina? When are you arriving? I'm waiting for you."David recognized the voice instantly. "You've grown old, yet you have no shame? You're dating a girl the age of your daughter? If you call Elina again, I'll break your face. And there will be no more deals with you, understand?"Elina grabbed the phone back, whispered a quick "sorry" to Mr. Louis, and disconnected. Then, she swung her hand and slapped David across the cheek."How dare you speak to someone like that from my phone? Never show me your face again!" With that, she got into her car and drove away.The entire Smith family witnessed David's frantic display of love. It was clear to everyone that David couldn't live a single moment without Elina.
Sarlin walked toward David, weeping. "I've loved you since childhood. I stayed by you through every joy and sorrow. And this girl, Elina, hasn't even been in your life for two days... yet you've forgotten me for her?"She continued, "David, you are going to marry me, yet you love this characterless girl? How am I supposed to tolerate this? She married you for money, sold her land to take money from you—it was a contract marriage! And the moment you told her you loved her, she seduced your brother! A girl who can decide to change husbands in one night for money... you want to break our lifelong friendship and love for her? Shame on you, David! You know I can't live without you. Please, forget Elina and marry me."Sarlin began to sob uncontrollably, and David's mother pulled her into a hug, crying with her.David turned to Sarlin. "Don't cry, Sarlin. Please forgive me. No matter how much I try to forget Elina, she lives in my heart. I don't know what to do. Just give me some time; I will fix everything."Sarlin hugged him, her eyes still wet. "Fix everything... make it just like it was before."A short while later, Sarlin went home. Her mother, Lara, took one look at her face and knew something was wrong. When Lara asked why she was crying, Sarlin poured out the entire story.Sarlin then locked herself in her room, sobbing hysterically. Lara knocked repeatedly, but Sarlin wouldn't open the door. Panicked, Lara called for Sarlin's father. He rushed over and broke down the door.Lara screamed her daughter's name. Sarlin had tried to slit her wrist with a knife and was lying unconscious on the floor, surrounded by blood.They rushed her to the hospital. After examining her, the doctor said, "Her condition is very serious."Lara's fear turned into a blinding, red-hot rage. She blamed Elina for everything. She waited outside the ICU, praying for the doctor to say Sarlin was okay. Sarlin's father called the Smith family, and they all rushed to the hospital.When Lara saw David, she snapped. "If anything happens to my daughter, I won't spare you!"Finally, the doctor emerged. "Sarlin is out of danger now."Lara rushed to Sarlin's side. "We have no other child but you. How would I live if something happened to you? Don't ever do this again. Don't worry, David was yours and will remain yours. I will make sure you two get married. And I will teach that Elina such a lesson that she will leave everything and go away on her own."
Leaving Sarlin to rest, Lara walked out of the hospital and called Elina. "Elina, where are you? I need to see you this very instant!" She hung up before Elina could answer.Elina was with her grandfather, but hearing the urgency in Lara's voice, she hurried away without even saying goodbye. Her grandfather called after her, but she ignored him, jumped into her car, and sped off. He followed her in his own vehicle.Panting, Elina reached Lara. "Aunty, why are you so worried? Your voice sounded like something terrible happened. Tell me, what's wrong? I'm here for you."Without a word, Lara slapped Elina hard across the face. "You shameless girl! Because of you, my innocent daughter is fighting for her life. You are a curse! Ever since you arrived, everything has gone wrong. Why don't you just leave our lives?"Tears streamed down Elina's face at Lara's words. But Lara didn't stop. Remembering her daughter's condition, she continued to insult Elina.Suddenly, Mr. Louis stepped forward and delivered a powerful slap to Lara."Enough!" he roared. "How dare you speak to a child of my house like that? You call her shameless? Are you looking at her or yourself?"Lara was shocked to see her father there. "A child of your house? I don't understand. Who is Elina?"Louis looked her in the eye. "Your daughter."Lara staggered back, her voice a mere whisper. "Elina... is my daughter? Elina is alive? Does that mean... Salina is alive too?"Hearing the name 'Salina,' Elina looked at her grandfather. "Grandfather, who is Salina?"
Will David and Sarlin's marriage actually take place, or will a massive secret tear everything apart? As Lara's past comes to light, how will Elina's life change? And who was Salina? What is her connection to Elina?
To find the answers to these questions, keep reading "Beneath The Truth," only on Webnovel.