Abandoned by Her Fiancé

The day my adoptive brother's lover falsely accused me of pushing her into the lake, I was kidnapped. It wasn't until the third day that I was finally rescued. Limping barefoot to the car, I saw Maxwell, the brother I had loved for eight years, roll down the window. He looked at me with a furrowed brow.

"Esperanza, you're too disheveled. Sit in the car behind us."

I caught a glimpse of his lover sitting beside him, and with a pale face, I got into the other car and was driven to the hospital for treatment.

During my stay, I received a recording. Amidst the noisy background, someone asked Maxwell, "Maxwell, Esperanza is so fragile, aren't you worried she'll turn against you when she finds out you took so long to rescue her?"

Maxwell laughed softly, his voice smooth and detached. "Those kidnappers were hired by me. They know their boundaries and won't harm her too much. Esperanza targeted Sariah last time, so this was just a little lesson for her."

Yet, brother, in those three days and nights of nightmares, the kidnappers didn't just break my leg; they left me covered in bruises and scars.

---

"Mr. Morales sure spoils Miss Schmidt, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, I heard he recently gave her a vineyard and set off fireworks all over the city for her birthday."

"They say that's why he delayed rescuing Miss Arnold—to celebrate Sariah's birthday..."

While I was leaving the hospital, passing by the nurses' station, their envious whispers reached my ears despite my effort to ignore them. I gripped the wheelchair handles tightly.

Camden, Maxwell's assistant, overheard their conversation and rushed to console me. "Miss Esperanza, don't pay attention to their gossip. Mr. Morales delayed only because he was coordinating with the authorities to ensure your safety from the kidnappers."

I forced a smile and replied, "Okay." Had I not heard the recording, I might have believed him. When I was eight, after my parents died in a plane crash, the Morales family took me in. Maxwell, five years my senior, held my hand, walked with me through the Morales estate, and gently said, "Esperanza, I'll be your brother from now on. I'll protect you."

He treated me well, like a prince in a fairy tale treats his princess. I loved stargazing, so he bought a star and named it after me. If I craved a midnight snack, he would personally make something, despite never cooking before. If someone bullied me, the usually composed Maxwell would retaliate without hesitation.

But by the time I turned eighteen, my feelings for him had changed. After boldly confessing my love for him, his typically gentle gaze turned sharp and disdainful. "Esperanza, that's inappropriate."

Even though, at the insistence of Uncle Teo and Aunt Miranda, we got engaged, he was never affectionate with me again. It wasn't until I heard the recording that I realized how much he despised me. It's just as well.

"Camden, I can get back by myself. You don't need to come with me anymore," I said to Maxwell's assistant, dismissing him before hailing a cab to the Morales home.

In the car, I made an international call. "Uncle Sylas, it's Esperanza. I've decided to come stay with you. Could you do me a favor?"