"Did you hear?" The words hit Vera like a sledgehammer.

"Vera Grant slept with a hotel waiter!"

Vera's heart sank as she listened to the gossip.

The shameless accusation felt like a punch in the gut. She wanted to defend herself, but she couldn't find the words.

Her mind was a jumbled mess, and she couldn't even remember what had happened last night.

All she knew was that her boyfriend Mike had arranged for someone to take her to the hotel.

Messages kept flashing on her phone from the Grant family group chat.

Vera's eyes skimmed over a series of pictures that flooded her screen. She couldn't bear to look at them any longer and quit the group chat. Her heart was heavy as she realized that her stepsister Carey was one of the naked figures in the pictures.

Vera took a taxi to Mike's villa. It was raining by the time she arrived, and she could barely see through the downpour.

As she approached the villa, she saw two naked figures in the window on the second floor.

Her heart sank as she recognized Carey's distorted expression of ecstasy.

With a heavy heart, Vera climbed the stairs to the second floor. She could hear Carey's seductive voice and Mike's teasing replies. Their sounds of joy echoed through the villa, piercing Vera's heart.

"Darling, you are so strong! Vera is very lucky," Carey exclaimed.

"You're not being dishonest, are you? You should enjoy this for Vera's sake. She's never slept with me, that prude woman!" Mike retorted.

The room was filled with the sound of their lovemaking and Carey's pleading.

Vera couldn't take it anymore. She subconsciously covered her ears and felt a suffocating sadness in her heart. She came here seeking comfort and an explanation, but it had turned into something she never could have imagined.

"Mike, Vera will go back to your villa today, just in case..."

"Isn't it better for her to watch us? Huh?" Mike interrupted.

"Well... you're really something else," Carey chuckled.

As thunder rumbled outside, the rain came pouring down, but the laughter in the room was louder. Vera wiped away her tears and slowly pushed open the door...

As the door creaked open, Mike and Carey paused. They turned to look at Vera, who stood there silently. Mike nonchalantly straightened Carey's head and said, "Hey, let's keep going."

Vera saw Mike turning a blind eye to her and unashamedly pleasing Carey in front of him. Even out of revenge and spite, Mike provocatively intensified his movements!

Vera snapped out of her mind. She rushed forward and kicked Mike in his crotch!

Mike subconsciously cried out in pain, "F*ck! Are you f*cking insane?"

As he spoke, Vera felt a cold and ruthless aura rushing at her. Before she could dodge it, Mike tugged at her arm and threw her to the door rudely.

Their eyes met.

Vera had a sneering look in her eyes, while Mike's eyes were full of disgust.

"Mike, don't you feel disgusting?"

"Am I disgusting?" As if he had heard a funny joke, Mike said sarcastically, "Vera, you've slept with a hotel waiter. How dare you say that about me? Look in the mirror and see how nasty you are now!"

Vera's eyes darkened instantly. It turned out that Mike had already judged her nasty without any intention of letting her explain. 

Then what was the point of her rushing back here?

She suddenly felt very ridiculous. Her lover, whom she had spent so much time with, was actually the same as those relatives.

Was she unlucky to meet a bad man? Or was she just a fool to think that the world and human nature were too beautiful?

"How long have you been with Carey?"

Vera had a lot of things to say, ask, or explain, but in the end, only this sentence was on her lips.

"We've been together since the night you went abroad. Are you satisfied?"

"Huh..."

Vera stood up with a smile. Without any reluctance, she turned around and left.

As she left the villa, Vera's face was void of emotion. She didn't know where to go or what to do.

Her heart ached with the realization that she had been so naive to believe in the goodness of humanity.

Was she just unlucky to meet a bad man, or was she foolish to believe that love and trust could conquer all?

Perhaps it was time to end it all...she thought, feeling like nobody in this world truly cared about her.

Suddenly, her phone beeped with a message notification from an unknown number, "To show my sincerity in being responsible for you, let's get married."

"Let's get married?" Vera's eyes widened in shock.

Was this from the hotel waiter she had encountered last night?