The day before my audition for the National Arts Academy, I was dragged into the woods by a group of thugs. For a day and a night, they tormented me. When I was finally found, my legs were broken, my face a mask of blood. My father, who had missed my desperate calls for help because he was “in a meeting,” wept with guilt. My brother, Lex, was on the phone with his medical school mentor, begging them to arrange an emergency surgery. In the hazy space between consciousness and oblivion, I heard my brother’s hushed voice. “Dad, hiring those guys to… ‘teach Stella a lesson’ at school… don’t you think we went too far? Even if you wanted to clear the way for Marie, to stop Stella from auditioning, there had to be another way.” My father was holding me in the back seat of the car, gently brushing stray hairs from my forehead. “Stella has been targeting Marie at school constantly. This was the only way to make her back off, to stop getting in Marie’s way.” He sighed. “Besides, I’ll let her inherit the company. That should be compensation enough.” My teeth began to chatter uncontrollably. A deep, glacial cold seeped into my bones. The happy family I thought I had, the doting father and loving brother… it was all a lie. … “The patient is in critical condition. The surgical team is ready. Should we proceed immediately?” a nurse asked. My father’s answer was chillingly calm. “Wait until tomorrow.” The doctor was taken aback. “Sir, both of her legs have been shattered. If we don’t operate now, the bones won’t set properly. She’ll have a severe limp for the rest of her life.” My brother chimed in, his voice tight with concern. “Dad, she’s so young. We can’t let her become a cripple.” “That’s the point!” my father hissed, his voice dropping to a venomous whisper. “I want her to limp. We’ve come this far; I have to ensure nothing stands in Marie’s way at the audition. Only by completely destroying Stella’s dream of dancing can Marie pursue her own without fear.” “That’s enough. Just have the doctors give her some painkillers for now.” Lying on the gurney, I bit down so hard on my lip that I tasted blood, but a sob still escaped my throat. My father, the man who had treated me like the most precious jewel in the world, now terrified me to my very core. I finally understood. I understood why, after my mother died, he had suddenly showered me with such overwhelming affection. It wasn't to assuage his guilt over her death. It was to dull my ambition, to make me soft and dependent, all to pave the way for his illegitimate daughter. And my brother, the person I adored most in the world, cared more for Marie than for his own sister. The two men I trusted with my life were destroying me for another woman. The more I thought, the more the grief choked me, and I let out a racking cough. My father burst into the room, his face a mask of concern. He tenderly wiped the tears from my eyes. “Did you have a nightmare, sweetheart? Don’t be scared, Daddy’s here.” He patted my back, murmuring stories to soothe me, just like when I was a child. He was always so good at playing the part of the loving father. My brother spun around and ran out. “Get the doctor! Use the most expensive anesthetic! I don’t want my sister to feel another second of pain!” The concern on their faces looked so real. And yet, it was all part of the lie I was living in, a world of pain and deceit they had built around me. My heart seized, and for a moment, I thought I would pass out. The doctor returned, expertly cutting away my ruined clothes to administer the medication. That’s when my father offered his explanation. “Stella, your injuries are too severe. I’m afraid a rushed surgery might go wrong. Why don’t we wait for the top specialists to arrive tomorrow before we set the bones, okay?” He squeezed my hand. “Don’t you worry. Daddy promises, he’ll get you back on that stage.” A single tear traced a path down my temple. I couldn't stop myself from asking, my voice a broken whisper, “Dad… can I really… can I ever go back to the stage?” He flinched, his eyes darting away for a split second. Then he sighed, meeting my gaze again. “Stella, when have I ever lied to you?” The pain in my legs had faded to a dull, terrifying numbness. What choice did I have? I lowered my eyes. “Okay, Dad. I’ll listen to you.” A smile touched his lips. “That’s my good girl…” But his words died in his throat. As the doctor cut away the last of my trousers, revealing the mangled flesh beneath, my father let out a strangled gasp. “My God… what happened?!” Those thugs, they had made a game of it, competing to see who could make me scream the loudest. Below my knees, my legs were a ruin of shattered bone and pulp. My brother couldn’t bear to look. He turned his face away, his shoulders shaking. The doctor shook his head in disgust. “What kind of animal could do something so vicious? Young lady, you’ll have to be brave, this is going to hurt…” I slowly shook my head. “It’s okay…” Because I couldn’t feel a thing anymore. While the doctor worked, I heard my father and brother talking again just outside the door. Lex’s voice was low. “She’s already like this… Do we still have to leak the video of her… of the assault?” My father was silent for a long moment. “Yes,” he said, his voice flat. “Do it. No prestigious arts academy will accept a student with a ruined reputation.” Tears burst from my eyes. “Did I hurt you?” the doctor asked, alarmed. I shook my head, unable to tell if the pain was in my body or in my soul. The two most important men in my life hadn’t just broken my body. They were determined to shatter my spirit, too. In that moment, I wanted to scream at them, Are we family, or are we enemies? A few minutes later, my phone began to buzz incessantly. When I managed to look, I saw it. The video of my assault, posted across all the school’s online forums and gossip sites. Beneath it, a flood of comments, slandering and defaming me. 【That’s Stella Wenner. I know her. She’s always been a slut, acting all high and mighty. She totally had this coming!】 【Can confirm, her personal life is a mess. And she’s a huge bully at school, a real bitch.】 【I wonder what her CEO dad will think when he sees what a piece of trash his daughter really is?】 Each comment was a dagger twisting in my heart. I began to tremble uncontrollably. My brother rushed to my side, his hand covering my eyes. “Stella, don’t look.” My father snatched the phone away, roaring at my brother. “Lex, what the hell happened?! I thought you were handling this!” Lex looked stricken with guilt. “I tried to block it, Dad, but someone must have secretly filmed it. Don’t worry, Stella. I’ll get every copy taken down right now!” Their performance was seamless, a perfectly coordinated act. Every detail was designed to fool me. And it made me sick to my stomach. My father knelt before me, his eyes sincere. “Stella, no matter what happens, you will always be my precious daughter, the apple of my eye.” My brother nodded vigorously. “That’s right, Stella. I’ll always love you.” The video was taken down quickly. But not before countless copies had been made, spreading like wildfire. My reputation was destroyed. Even if my body healed, my life as I knew it was over. And my dream of dancing on a stage was dead. After a full examination, the doctor returned, his face grave. “The patient has multiple fractures in her legs, two broken ribs, and severe burns on her arms.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “But the worst part… her face has been slashed more than a dozen times with a razor blade. It’s… moderate disfigurement.” My father froze, his face turning to stone. “Moderate… disfigurement?” My brother’s eyes turned red. “How… how could this happen?” I remembered it all. The glint of the blades as they slashed down. Me, on my knees in the dirt, begging them to stop. My screams echoing in a forest that wouldn't answer. That day and night would be a nightmare I’d never wake from. “Doctor,” my father’s voice was strained, “whatever it costs, you must fix my daughter’s face!” “We’ll do our best,” the doctor promised. My father, the proudest man I knew, shed tears in front of me for the first time. “Don’t be scared, Stella. Daddy will make you a princess again, adored by all.” But I didn’t believe him anymore. After they left to “handle things,” I pushed myself into a wheelchair and wheeled myself out into the empty hallway. I dialed the overseas number. “I’ve made up my mind,” I said into the phone. “I want to claim my mother’s inheritance.”
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