Sylvia Lancaster’s face was pale, her lips drained of all color.

She lay silently in bed, feeling completely devoid of strength.

With a trembling hand, she unlocked her phone. Flynn Adler still hadn’t replied. She closed her eyes in despair as two tears slid from their corners.

When she had woken up from her fainting spell yesterday, she found that Ethan Sutton was gone. Sitting before her hospital bed were Robert Lancaster and Elaine Hughes, their faces ashen.

Robert Lancaster was watching her coldly, his eyes devoid of any warmth.

Seeing she was awake, Robert immediately demanded she explain the paternity test. He also asked what had happened in the room that day, why she had fallen, and why Holly Rhodes had broken up with Simon Lancaster.

Faced with this barrage of questions, Sylvia Lancaster couldn’t say a word. She could only weep silently, looking at her parents with pleading eyes.

But Sylvia’s tears failed to soften Robert Lancaster and Elaine Hughes. Even Elaine, who had always doted on Sylvia, frowned and asked what was going on with the paternity test and whose baby it really was.

Sylvia didn’t dare mention Flynn Adler. She was afraid that if Clara Hayes found out, she would truly have no way out.

She could only bite her lip and cry softly, remaining silent.

Unexpectedly, upon seeing her act this way, Robert Lancaster stood up abruptly.

He yanked Sylvia out of bed and gave her a heavy backhanded slap!

The slap stunned Sylvia.

Sylvia stared at Robert Lancaster in disbelief—

Robert and Elaine had doted on her her entire life. She never imagined that Robert, who had always cherished her, would actually strike her!

Seeing Robert’s icy gaze, completely unmoved by her tears, Sylvia could only grit her teeth and quietly tell them that the child she had lost was indeed not Ethan Sutton’s. That she had cheated.

But she still didn’t dare mention the baby was Flynn Adler’s. She could only look at Robert and Elaine with pleading eyes, hoping that for the sake of their twenty-odd years together, they wouldn’t blame her.

Upon hearing this, Robert’s face flushed crimson. He glared at Sylvia as if he wanted to devour her.

Sylvia grew frightened seeing him like this and turned her gaze to Elaine Hughes for help.

But to her surprise, Elaine, who had always doted on her, didn’t comfort her. Instead, she walked over with a cold expression and slapped her hard across the face as well!

As Sylvia stared, shocked and heartbroken, Elaine furiously cursed her for being a slut who seduced her own brother.

Elaine trembled with rage. The pride she once felt for Sylvia was now matched only by her hatred!

Elaine had thought that Sylvia, the daughter she had raised herself, had learned from her example to be filial, obedient, gentle, and kind.

But now that the truth was exposed, she realized the daughter she was so proud of was this kind of trash. She had even corrupted her own biological son!

Elaine couldn’t accept that Sylvia had done something as shameless as cheating. Even less could she accept that the person Sylvia had cheated with was her own son, Simon Lancaster!

It was a complete disregard for all morality!

Meeting Sylvia’s heartbroken and desperate gaze, Robert and Elaine told her that Ethan Sutton had already sent over the divorce papers. He wanted her to leave with nothing and was demanding repayment for every cent he had ever spent on her.

Robert and Elaine also said that since Sylvia had done something as shameful as seducing her brother, she was no longer a daughter of the Lancaster Family. Her life or death had nothing to do with them anymore.

After that, no matter how much Sylvia apologized and begged, Robert and Elaine ignored her, turning and leaving the hospital room decisively.

Before he left, Robert snorted coldly and said to Sylvia, "This must be a problem with your genes. You’re really not a Lancaster, so of course you couldn’t be raised right!"

"If we had known, we should have kicked you, the fake, out the moment Melody returned!"

Sylvia listened to Robert’s words in a daze, feeling her heart shatter. She was too stunned to even cry or beg, just sitting dumbly on the bed...

Sylvia silently watched their departing figures for a long time. Then, the helplessness and sorrow in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by pure resentment and hatred.

Sylvia thought, ’Why...’

’Why did I have to end up like this...’

Robert Lancaster and Elaine Hughes kept insisting that she was the one who seduced Simon Lancaster, never once mentioning that Simon was interested in her too.

’It’s as if their precious son Simon is some kind of saint who only fell from his pedestal because I tempted him.’

’But how can feelings be a one-way street?’

Sylvia refused to believe that Robert and Elaine didn’t understand this. They were just biased toward their biological son! But when it came to her, their adopted daughter with no blood relation, they had cast her aside without a second thought...

A dark hatred grew in Sylvia’s heart. She hated these parents who claimed to love her, hated Ethan Sutton for abandoning her, and hated Simon Lancaster, who had vanished without a trace after the incident.

Just then, a doctor came to inform Sylvia that the advance payment made by Mr. and Mrs. Sutton had been used up. She needed to pay the fees as soon as possible, or she would have to be discharged today.

Sylvia felt helpless. She was still recovering from her miscarriage. After everything she’d been through these past few days, the emotional roller coaster had left her body increasingly weak.

She had nowhere else to go, so she could only use what little savings she had left to pay for one more day.

Staring at her dwindling balance, Sylvia had no choice but to message Flynn Adler for help.

But to her dismay, Flynn Adler completely ignored her.

Sylvia waited for a day, but she couldn’t wait any longer. This morning, she messaged the only person who might be able to help her now—her good friend, Clara Hayes.

*

When Clara Hayes arrived, Sylvia was staring blankly at the ceiling in despair.

When her eyes fell upon Sylvia’s paper-white face, Clara couldn’t help but be startled.

Sylvia looked exceptionally haggard and weak, as if all her vitality had been drained away. It was a heartbreaking sight.

Clara quickly took a few steps forward and asked with concern, "Sylvia, you... what happened to you?"

Seeing Clara, Sylvia struggled to sit up and began reciting her prepared story. "It was my older brother’s girlfriend. She got jealous because she saw my brother caring for me, so she pushed me to the ground. I fell, and... I had a miscarriage."

"The Sutton Family blames me for not protecting the baby, so they’re making Ethan divorce me. They’ve already hired a lawyer to handle the paperwork."

"My parents blame me for the divorce, saying I’ve shamed them, so they’ve disowned me."

"Claire, I have nowhere to go. Can you let me stay with you for a few days? I promise I’ll move out as soon as I find a job and a place to live. I won’t be any trouble."

Sylvia spoke through her tears, glancing at Clara’s expression from time to time.

Clara was shocked by her words.

Ever since she ran into Melody Summers at the Oceanus Hotel a few days ago, she had been troubled by the matter. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

She felt that Melody couldn’t be allowed to stay, but she didn’t dare ask anyone else to make a move, afraid that Melody would reveal her connection to what happened to her brother.

She never expected that while she was at home trying to figure out a plan, something this major would happen to Sylvia.

After Clara processed all this information, she said with some indignation, "Ethan Sutton and your parents are being too cruel! How can they blame you for this? You just lost your child, and they’re treating you like this!"

Looking at Sylvia’s pale face, Clara sighed and comforted her, "Why don’t you come stay at my place for a while? You’re still recovering from the miscarriage, and my housekeeper can take better care of you than you’d get at the hospital. Maybe in a few days, your parents will come to their senses and take you back."

Sylvia looked at Clara gratefully and said, "Claire, thank you. Thank you so much. I really don’t know what I would have done without you."

Clara smiled and replied, "Don’t be a stranger. We’re best friends, aren’t we?"

With that, Clara went to handle Sylvia’s discharge procedures.

Watching Clara’s departing figure, Sylvia breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what, with Clara’s help, she at least had a place to stay. If she stayed in the hospital, she wouldn’t be able to afford the fees.