Chapter 5

"Come on in, I'm waiting here for you!" Lucius drove Catherine back to her parents' house, escaping the crowd on the other side.

"But..." Catherine hesitated, but Lucius's expression remained unchanged. He encouraged her, "What? Afraid I'll run away and not help you? I'm not that bad."

Catherine mustered all her courage, opened the car door, and got out. She stepped into the wooden house hidden behind the ancient trees, the place where she had grown up. Many years ago, Catherine left this house not very happily, and today she returned with a heavy heart.

The living room was a mess. Her stepfather sat on an old armchair, holding a glass of liquor, ready to drink. When he saw Catherine, he showed no remorse, his eyes unflinching, making her even angrier.

"Stepfather..." She tentatively began to speak, but he didn't even grant her a glance. He coldly asked, "What's wrong? You think you can come back here? I thought that bastard would have dealt with you by now."

Catherine's eyes sharpened like knives, burning with anger as she looked at him. "You knew everything? Why? Why did you sell your wife's daughter?"

Her stepfather sneered, then placed the glass on the table, stood up, and approached her. "Catherine, who do you think you are? If you think everything in this world is free, you're mistaken."

She didn't understand the deeper meaning of his words and looked a bit puzzled. He continued, "Ten years. I've raised you for ten years. Who raised you? It was me. You owe me, and it's only natural you repay that debt."

Everything around her seemed to fall silent. Catherine couldn't believe her ears. "You bastard! You're a bastard!" Tears threatened to fall, but she tried to maintain her composure.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind her. Catherine's mother appeared, her eyes showing a bit of surprise at seeing her daughter back. "Catherine, why are you back?"

"Mother, do you know what he did?" Catherine questioned her biological mother, her eyes shining with a faint hope that she would say something. But Catherine was wrong. Her mother, Vivian, avoided eye contact, the only hope her daughter had for her mother.

"Don't make such a fuss. Can't you speak softly? What if the neighbors hear?" Vivian bit her lip, speaking such words to her dear daughter.

Catherine laughed foolishly, tears finally falling, her heart aching unbearably. Her biological mother was indifferent to her very survival, and it seemed she was even colluding with the stepfather in this matter.

"What are you going crazy about now?" Vivian pushed her away, her gaze cold as if looking at an enemy.

"Don't touch me! You, you all..." Catherine screamed, shaking off her mother's hand.

"You damned bitch..." Her stepfather tried to rush at her, but Vivian managed to hold him back in time. "That's enough. Get out, Catherine, and never come back."

"You bastards, you are my biological mother," she nearly screamed, tears streaming down her face.

Her stepfather sneered, threw the bottle aside, and slapped her hard, saying aggressively, "Daughter? Biological mother? Catherine, get real. She hasn't considered you her daughter since you ran off with that unknown singer."

In that moment, everything seemed to freeze. Catherine stood there, stunned, her eyes vacant as she looked at the two people before her. Yes, they were right, it was her fault.

"Am I wrong? You ran off with him, and what do you have now? Did he dump you? Haven't you read the news? He's about to marry that supermodel."

Hearing those words, Catherine stood motionless. The pain spread through her body, making her feel like she was about to faint. She stepped back a few steps, mumbling, "No way..."

"Get out, get out of my house. If you behave, that man might still care for you and keep you like a pet. But a slut like you, don't call me your mother." Vivian couldn't stand it anymore and screamed.

From that moment on, their mother-daughter relationship was over. Catherine quickly wiped away her tears, smiling gently. "Alright, I'll grant you that wish. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other."

Catherine turned back to look at her stepfather and mother, her eyes filled with anger and determination. "Do you think I'll stay silent and endure this? No way. I won't let you continue your tyranny."

Vivian couldn't hold back any longer and snarled, "Catherine, what do you think you can do? You have no power, no money. You're just a girl with nothing."

Catherine scoffed, tears still streaming down her face but her voice strong, "Nothing? You abused me, sold me, and she was complicit. I won't let this stay hidden any longer."

"If you dare ruin my life, I'll kill you. I'll expose your true face to the whole city," her stepfather threatened, trying to intimidate Catherine with his words. He truly was no longer human.

Her mother stepped forward and shoved her back, not showing any mercy. "You're crazy, Catherine, get out of here!"

At that moment, as she was stumbling, a hand reached out from behind and caught her, giving her strength. It was Lucius. Had he really come inside?

"Lucius..." Seeing his presence, the stepfather became somewhat more subdued, his eyes softening slightly.

Lucius stared intently at him, then turned to Catherine's mother, his voice laced with annoyance, "You must know who I am, right?"

The room fell silent, even the stepfather said nothing. Lucius continued, "If Catherine chooses to let this go, I won't pursue it. But if she wants to press charges, I will follow it to the end. Lucius here means the law of this city."

Then, Lucius wrapped his arm around Catherine's waist and boldly walked out of the house filled with deceit.

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