Love Severed, Affection Faded

Summoning the last of my strength, I forced myself to start packing, gathering the few things that truly mattered to me.

After searching for a while, I realized—every treasured item in my locked gift box, carefully stored in the safe, was tied to Kevin.

Faded, yellowed origami cranes. A fountain pen from a competition I had won. A small athlete's medal. Each piece held whispers of childhood memories.

There, nestled among them, lay a massive pink diamond—the one Kevin had spent a hundred million on at an auction three years ago after my accident, just to make me smile.

The door suddenly swung open, yanking me from my thoughts.

Valentina stepped in, her pink princess dress swaying with each graceful step. But the innocent, wide-eyed act she put on for Kevin and my parents was gone.

Her gaze swept across my room, sharp and cold. "Tsk, same parents, same blood, yet such different lives. Why did you get to grow up in luxury while I was kidnapped and forced to suffer?"

She let out a soft, mocking laugh. "But don’t worry—this unfairness won’t last much longer. Valeria, you’re finally going to experience the pain I endured."

She sneered, her voice dripping with mockery, as if all her misfortunes could be traced back to me alone.

I ignored her and bent down to retrieve the pink diamond, only for her to snatch it away effortlessly.

"A fake diamond? And you actually treasure this?" She let out a scornful laugh before reaching into her collar and pulling out a delicate pink diamond necklace.

"The real one is with me. Kev practically begged me to take it. He said he wanted to give me only the best."

A violent tremor ran through me. I lunged forward, desperate to reclaim it, but Valentina shoved me aside with ease. My body hit the floor with a thud.

"Pathetic. Do you still think you have a chance with Kev?" She clicked her tongue in disdain. "You're nothing now. Just a cheap, discarded plaything."

Then, with deliberate cruelty, she lifted her heel and pressed it onto my fingers—grinding down, slow and merciless.

A raw, guttural scream tore from my throat.

I struggled to fight back, but before I could react, Valentina’s eyes narrowed and in a swift, calculated motion—she slapped herself.

Her sharp nails left two faint, red scratches on her pale cheek. Clutching her face, she let out a broken sob.

"Sister… did I do something wrong?"

I was still gasping from the pain when Kevin burst into the room, his expression thunderous. He rushed straight to Valentina, cradling her face with gentle hands, his voice thick with concern.

"Valeria, have you lost your mind? How dare you lay a hand on Tina?"

"She came up here out of kindness and this is how you treat her?"

At that moment, our parents appeared in the doorway, their eyes immediately drawn to Valentina’s tear-streaked face. Without a single question, they turned on me.

Their voices rose in a chorus of anger. Never once they stopped to wonder what had truly happened.

"Valeria, did all those books you read go to waste? Is this how you treat your sister?"

"You're just an ungrateful brat! Why wasn’t it you who got kidnapped back then?"

Valentina leaned into Kevin’s arms, trying to put on a brave front as she wiped her tears—only for them to fall even faster.

"Don’t blame my sister, please... I was the one being too careless..."

Before she could finish, Mom slapped me across the face. "Oh? This is what you call ‘carelessness’?"

She pulled out a tissue and wiped the blood off her nails, her lips curling in disgust. "Filthy girl."

My face burned, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my chest.

I lay on the ground, humiliated, blood dripping from the corner of my mouth. My glare shot straight at Kevin.

For a moment, his arms around Valentina tensed. His brows furrowed. "You hit Tina and now you're acting like the victim just because we called you out?"

"Apologize to Tina. Now."