Serene's voice could be heard from the study. "What happened that year can't be changed."

Bethany had been on the verge of knocking on the door. Her raised hand stilled mid-air.

"I didn't think she would be so stubborn. If you weren't her mom, not to mention..."

It was Megan. Bethany didn't catch what she said afterward.

"I wouldn't have let Trystan go if it weren't for those circumstances. I hope they get divorced soon so everything can return to normal," Megan murmured.

"Don't worry. There won't be any problems," Serene asserted confidently.

The study fell silent, but Bethany's head was filled with noise. So, her suspicions had been correct? Had Serene plotted with Megan to have her sleep with Trystan? Why?

Suddenly, the door swung open. Serene's heart raced in panic as she noticed Bethany standing outside with a pale face.

"You little brat! Why are you here?" Serene glanced an

Bethany had grabbed a handful of Serene's hair when things had gotten chaotic earlier. She clutched the hair closely while staring out the window, her eyes brimming with tears.

How could she not question her parentage after such heartache?

Meanwhile, the hospital lab had already shut down for the day. Bethany made multiple trips between floors of the hospital before finally completing the procedure. 

But the wait for the results was excruciating—she might have to wait as long as 15 days.

 Exhausted, Bethany returned to Jenny's place.

"Beth? Are you alright?" Jenny's concern was palpable as she noticed Bethany's pallid complexion.

As Bethany told Jenny about what had happened at Reyes Residence, her eyes turned red with anger. She fought to contain her tears as she talked about the DNA test.

Jenny couldn't help but cry a little, too. It broke her heart to see Bethany in so much pai

Even as an observer, Jenny found it difficult to bear. Naturally, Bethany was no exception.

Bethany had loved Trystan for six years and been married to him for one, giving her seven years with him. But what had she received in return? Nothing except Trystan's contempt and mocking. 

It was time to end it all.

Bethany wiped her tears away and attempted to grin at Jenny.

"Jen, you're right. Apparently, every cell in our bodies regenerates every seven years. So, why am I still holding onto Trystan?"

Bethany resolved to regain her strength and direct her attention to what was ahead.

…

Over the next three days, Bethany kept her phone switched off, rejecting all communication with the outside world, and concentrated entirely on her drawings. 

Finally, on Monday, she completed designs for a set of dresses themed around first love.

She decided to present her ideas to Regina as one last chance to fight for herself. When Bethany arrived at the office lobby, she bumped into Megan unexpectedly.

"Beth, what are you doing here?"

Megan pulled Bethany aside and commented, "I'm still in talks with the company's higher-ups concerning your issue. Don't worry. Go back and wait for a while."

Bethany held a portfolio and explained, "Meg, I've designed a few dresses, and I want to show them to Ms. Katz."

"Really?" Megan's eyes lit up. "But Ms. Katz is on a business trip and won't return until tomorrow afternoon."

Megan glanced at the portfolio in Bethany's arms and asked, "How about I look at it first?"

Bethany hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Sure. Thanks, Meg."

Then, Bethany handed over the designs to her. Megan flipped through them and commented, "They're good, Beth. Go back and make some minor changes. Ms. Katz will undoubtedly appreciate them."

"That's fantastic. Thank you, Meg. I'll be back on Wednesday," Bethany remarked with delight.

"Yeah, I should head to work now," Megan replied as she walked away in her high heels.

Bethany kept her hand on the portfolio and watched Megan's lovely figure fade. Her eyes shone dimly, but she swiftly turned and departed.

Back at Jenny's apartment, Bethany told Jenny about the encounter.

"You showed the designs to Megan?" Jenny's sounded somewhat frustrated.

"Yeah." Bethany nodded.

"Beth..." Jenny didn't know how to express herself. "I know you've always trusted Megan, but..." Jenny sighed. "Forget it. Maybe I'm just overthinking."

Jennie was afraid of the uncertainties. So, the next day at noon, she said, "Beth, didn't you say that Ms. Katz will be back this afternoon? Why wait until tomorrow? Let's go to the office now."

However, Bethany showed no intention of leaving the house. Instead, she took photos of the designs with her phone.

"Beth, what are you doing?"

"I want to send these photos to Ms. Katz first."

Jenny sat next to Bethany and agreed, "Fair enough. You can tell her you've been up for several nights working on these. She better appreciate it."

Bethany shook her head and showed Jenny the WhatsApp message she had drafted. Jenny was initially surprised but quickly understood Bethany's intention.

They exchanged knowing looks before Bethany pushed the send button. The wait felt long, and it wasn't until the evening that Bethany received a reply from Regina.

"I've seen them. Aren't these from the Love collection Ms. Reyes designed? They're excellent. I would like to feature them as the primary collection for the next season, but Ms. Reyes isn't satisfied and wants to make some changes."

With shaky hands, Bethany glanced at the WhatsApp message. She passed the phone to Jenny, who immediately broke into a rant.

"I don't believe it! How shameless can she get? I thought she had more integrity than that. How could she?"

Bethany had texted Regina on WhatsApp around midday. "Ms. Katz, have you seen this set of design sketches?"

As it happened, Megan had returned to work that day and duplicated Bethany's design draft so she could give it to Regina before Bethany could.

"Beth!" Jenny was enraged.

Bethany had been living under Megan's shadow for many years. Since they were both victims of the same events a year ago, Bethany's feelings of guilt toward Megan had persisted. 

However, this incident finally proved that Megan had been lying the whole time.

Bethany glanced at Jenny, her voice trembling as she said, "Jen, do you think my mom and Megan schemed what happened at the birthday party?"

After all, Megan was the one who had escorted Bethany into the VIP room at the time, and no one except Megan had known that Trystan had been there.

Jenny stayed quiet. The thought of it made her sick to her stomach.

How terrible would it be to suppose that Serene had conspired with Megan to send her own daughter to bed with a man?

Jenny grabbed Bethany's hand and said, "Beth, you must stay calm. It shouldn't be. Megan is so eager to marry Trystan. She has no reason to do something like this!"

Bethany couldn't calm down. "Maybe there's a perfect reason. Maybe Megan couldn't marry him at the time? Or maybe she had to leave?"

"But why you?" Jenny found everything too incredulous.

"I don't know," Bethany admitted. She couldn't wait any longer. She had to go to Reyes Residence and ask Serene about what had happened back then.

Jenny grabbed Bethany's wrist and advised, "Bethany, stay calm. It's clear that your mom is working with Megan. She won't tell you if the past has anything to do with Megan.

"You can't just directly ask her what happened. You need to consider how to approach it."

Bethany nodded. On the way to Reyes Residence, memories of prior events flooded her head. 

Megan's birthday party had been a grand event, and many prestigious families from Sunville had attended it.

Bethany remembered that Serene was the one who had taken her to the party. Later, Serene had handed her a drink. 

Bethany had felt sick after the drink, and Megan had come along just in time to take her to the VIP room. Trystan had been inside the room, and his eyes had been abnormally red.

Later, Megan had walked in and found Bethany in Trystan's arms. Serene had stormed in and struck Bethany, all while Trystan had ordered her to leave immediately.

Instantly, Bethany had become the object of ridicule. Regardless of her attempts to clarify things later, no one had taken her word for it. 

Serene had accused her of being shameless, Trystan had described her as a manipulative bitch, and Megan had refused to see her.

Yet, Bethany had been perfectly innocent. If Megan and Serene had worked together, then it all made sense. But why? As Jenny had pointed out, why her?

Upon reaching Reyes Residence, Bethany noticed Megan's shoes at the door.

A housekeeper approached and informed Bethany, "How convenient. Ms. Megan is back too."

"Meg is here?"

"Yes, she's in the study with Mrs. Lawson. They would rather not be disturbed."

"It's okay. I'll leave them alone. I'm just going to my room to get something."

Bethany turned to look in the direction of the study, feeling her heart beat faster for an inexplicable reason. 

Serene's voice could be heard from the study. "What happened that year can't be changed."

Bethany had been on the verge of knocking on the door. Her raised hand stilled mid-air.

"I didn't think she would be so stubborn. If you weren't her mom, not to mention..."

It was Megan. Bethany didn't catch what she said afterward.

"I wouldn't have let Trystan go if it weren't for those circumstances. I hope they get divorced soon so everything can return to normal," Megan murmured.

"Don't worry. There won't be any problems," Serene asserted confidently.

The study fell silent, but Bethany's head was filled with noise. So, her suspicions had been correct? Had Serene plotted with Megan to have her sleep with Trystan? Why?

Suddenly, the door swung open. Serene's heart raced in panic as she noticed Bethany standing outside with a pale face.

"You little brat! Why are you here?" Serene glanced anxiously at Megan behind her, unsure of how much Bethany had heard.

Noticing what was happening, Meg

Chapter 18