Chapter 3

It was Bethany. Trystan sat frozen in the car, his blood turning to ice. His hands trembled as he struggled to open the door. Finally, Trystan stepped out and saw Bethany on the ground in front of the car, holding one of her legs. Her expression contorted in terror as she stared at him. Luckily, there was no blood. Trystan couldn't contain his emotions and roared, "Bethany, are you out of your mind? Are you that crazy about money? "How much do you want? 100 million dollars? 200 million dollars? A billion dollars? Tell me how much you want, and I'll give it to you!" Trystan's body trembled violently. How dare she? It was enough to play this life-or-death game once. Did she expect him to fall for it a second time? He couldn't care less about her! "No, I don't..." Bethany shook her head, dumbfounded. She had never seen Trystan like this before. "I don't want money." Even though she was in excruciating pain, Bethany took her phone out and found the message so she could show it to Trystan. "I just... I wanted to give you back to Megan." Trystan grabbed the phone and read the message. "Hey, Beth, it's been a year, and I still can't get Trys out of my mind. I want to come back. Can you please give him back to me? Megan." Trystan clenched the phone tightly. As he turned away, his eyes fell upon Bethany, who had collapsed unconscious. "Damn it!" He swiftly got her into the car and drove to the hospital. … When Bethany gained consciousness, she found herself in the hospital. She groggily opened her eyes and heard Serene whispering on the phone nearby. She had never heard Serene speak in such a loving and affectionate tone before. "You can rest assured. Everything's fine. Just relax and come back. You have no idea how much everyone misses you. You..." As Serene turned around, she caught Bethany's gaze. "That's enough; no more questions. We'll talk when you come back." Serene quickly ended the call, her smile disappearing in an instant. That piqued Bethany's curiosity. "Mom, who were you talking to just now?" "None of your business," Serene replied, stashing her phone away as if guarding it from Bethany. Bethany ventured a guess. "Was it Megan?" Serene's voice rose as she snapped, "I said it's none of your business. Mind your own business. Is your leg not hurting anymore? Why didn't you just get yourself killed?" Bethany was furious, yet she was strangely collected. Was Megan's return the reason Serene had drugged Trystan and tried to get him to divorce her? Her heart ached at the thought. "Did you drug Trystan to make him remember what happened a year ago and to make him hate me even more, all for Megan's sake?" Serene avoided Bethany's gaze briefly before she unleashed a barrage of profanities. "Bethany, aren't you ashamed at all? You know Meg will come back, yet you're still clinging to the title of Mrs. Lawson." Serene scoffed disdainfully. "You deliberately got Trystan to break your leg because you knew your position was at risk. You wanted to make him feel guilty so he wouldn't divorce you. Right?" It seemed that Bethany had guessed correctly. She was so enraged that she laughed. The more Serene asked Bethany to make way for Megan, the more intent Bethany became on foiling Serene's schemes and causing her distress. "Yes, you're absolutely right. I want to keep the title of Mrs. Lawson and rob Megan of her happiness. Are you happy now?" Before Bethany could finish, Trystan barged in, his expression grim. He felt like a fool as he held dinner in his hands. Trystan felt utterly foolish for allowing himself to be manipulated by Bethany time and time again. Bethany was so wicked that even her own mother detested her. She had brought this on herself. Trystan hurled the dinner to the ground, crushed it underfoot, and glared coldly at Bethany. "I'll sign the divorce papers and have them delivered to you!" It was humiliating for him to go through another day of marriage with a woman like her. With that, Trystan stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Bethany felt terrible about throwing her little tantrum. She knew that she shouldn't have allowed her emotions to control her. However, seeing Serene giggle uncontrollably fueled her fury. She couldn't help but ask, "Who's your biological daughter here, me or Megan?" Serene eyed Bethany up and down, clicking her tongue in amusement. "I wish I had a smart, beautiful daughter like Meg, but I'm not that lucky." "Get out!" Bethany grabbed a nearby pillow and hurled it at Serene. "Are you crazy? How dare you hit your mother? Are you that cold-blooded?" Serene exclaimed, incensed. "You don't deserve to be called a mother! Get out! I don't want to see you!" Bethany grabbed whatever she could find on the table and threw it at Serene, desperate to get rid of her. "I would have left even if you hadn't asked. Do you think I'd care to visit you?" Serene retorted, rolling her eyes as she grabbed her bag and stormed out. She wouldn't have bothered to visit that little wretch if Trystan hadn't notified her himself. Bethany collapsed back onto the bed, feeling utterly defeated. She picked up her phone and saw several missed calls and messages from Jenny. The latter thought that Bethany had regretted leaving and had returned to Lawson Residence. Bethany replied to Jenny's texts with a bitter smile, assuring her that she would be staying at Reyes Residence for a few days. Bethany decided she would visit Jenny once her leg was better to spare her from worrying. Bethany spent the night in the hospital, alone and despondent. To her amazement, she awoke the following day to discover Megan standing in front of her. Megan looked even more beautiful after a year away. With her brown curls, flawless makeup, and tasteful outfit paired with stylish high heels, she exuded the elegance of the Reyes family's heiress. In contrast to her disheveled and tormented appearance before she had moved overseas last year, she looked sophisticated and refined. Megan and Bethany were cousins; they had been born on the same day of the same month. Megan had allegedly been born less than an hour before Bethany. Yet, they lived vastly different lives. Megan's father, Samuel Reyes, was the head of the Reyes family and Reyes Group. He was known for his humility and generosity. Bethany's father—Mason Reyes, the third son of the Reyes family—was known for his alcoholism and gambling habits, which had tragically led to his demise half a year ago. Megan's mother, Tina Flores, was everything Bethany imagined a nurturing figure would be—gentle and affectionate. She always asked Bethany if she had eaten and if she enjoyed drawing. She often said that Bethany would become a great artist one day. In stark contrast, Serene tore up Bethany's drawings and crushed her dreams of being an artist by saying they were worthless. "Beth?" Megan gently shook Bethany's arm. "What's wrong? Don't you recognize me?" Bethany hastily wiped away a tear and responded, "Meg, you're finally back." Bethany quickly lowered her head, unable to meet Megan's gaze. Ever since the incident, Bethany had wanted to apologize to Megan in person, but the latter had refused to see her. Bethany felt a pang of humiliation and regret upon their reunion. However, Megan carried on as if nothing had happened. She pulled a chair up next to Bethany's bed. "Trys informed me that his car accidentally hit your leg. Are you okay now? I apologize on his behalf."