1 After the real heiress returned, my parents sent me to the Isle of Innocence. Once you set foot on that island, you become prey for the wealthy. They ignored my pleas, leaving me to be passed around and tormented by the billionaires who frequented its shores. Within days, lewd photos of me on the island landed in the hands of my fiancé, Liam Sterling, the scion of Kingsbridge’s most powerful family. He didn't defend me. Instead, he announced his engagement to the real heiress. In an interview, when a reporter asked about me, he trembled with rage. "Her? She couldn't even keep her legs closed while she was 'abroad.' She's nothing but a slut." My parents feigned heartbreak. "We sent her overseas for a better education, and this is how she behaves! So shameless! As of today, the Thorne family no longer has this daughter!" After I was tortured to death on the island, my ex-fiancé and the real heiress held a multi-million dollar wedding, broadcast live for the whole world to see. It was an unprecedented spectacle. But even more sensational than their wedding was my wedding gift. … When the wedding officiant held up the gift, a wave of murmurs swept through the guests. "Isn't she supposed to be in another country? What kind of stunt is she pulling now?" "She has no shame. How dare she show up and disgust everyone at Miss Thorne's wedding!" My spirit floated in the air, my gaze fixed on that gift box. I was already dead. How could I have sent a gift? Liam’s eyes were downcast; I couldn’t read his expression. I expected him to defend Clara, just as he had done countless times before. But this time, he simply said, "Let's see what it is." Whispers started again. "Stella Thorne was Liam's ex-fiancée, and she cheated on him so shamelessly. It's only natural he'd want to see what game she's playing." Clara tried to stop him, but in the next second, Liam opened the box. Inside was an old phone. I recognized it. It was mine. The screen lit up, showing seven unread video files. The guests exchanged glances, their whispers growing louder. "You don't think it's... nudes of her from overseas, do you? Hahaha…" "Maybe she's trying to blackmail him with her own nudes to win him back?" "Wouldn't surprise me. Wasn't she some kind of internet influencer before? The trashy kind. She's capable of anything." More than anger, I felt a strange curiosity. How did my phone get here? My mother rushed forward and snatched the phone. "This is outrageous! What is Stella trying to do? Today is Clara's wedding! Is she deliberately trying to cause trouble?!" "She's an ungrateful snake we raised! Even her gifts are cursed!" My father was even more direct, grabbing the phone to smash it on the ground. "Get rid of it! Don't let it taint Clara's wedding!" I let out a bitter, silent laugh. They didn't seem to know I was dead. Then again, the day they abandoned me on that island, they had already considered me dead. Just as the phone was about to hit the floor, Liam's hand shot out, catching it securely. His brow was furrowed as he looked at my parents. "I said, let's watch." My parents froze. The guests fell silent. Without another word, he unlocked the phone and played the first video. On the screen, the scene was from Clara’s first day back at the Thorne mansion. She stood timidly in the doorway, her eyes red, looking like a frightened rabbit. The moment she saw me, she dropped to her knees, crying, "Sister! I know you don't want me here! I'm begging you! Please don't send people to beat me up again!" My mother heard this and slapped me across the face. "You hired people to hurt Clara?! How could you be so vicious?!" The phone was knocked from my hand. I stumbled back. "Mom, I didn't!" But she wouldn't listen. She pointed a finger in my face. "Remember this: you are just the adopted daughter of this family. Know your place, and don't you dare covet what belongs to Clara!" Before the video even finished, my parents were panicking. "We already had it investigated!" my father shouted. "It was Stella who hired thugs to attack Clara! She threatened her to stop her from coming home! We weren't being unfair!" The video continued. In the frame, my trembling hands picked up the phone from the floor. Tears dripped onto the screen. "I really didn't," I whispered. The camera panned over my pale face, then down to my arm, where several large, ugly purple bruises stood out against my skin. The guests noticed. "What happened to Stella's arm?" someone asked. My mother quickly explained, her voice strained, "She did that to herself! She's always been an expert at playing the victim to get sympathy! She just wants attention!" A flood of comments appeared on the live stream, a tidal wave of abuse directed at me. "What a manipulative bitch! She's a total fake!" "She looks so innocent, but she's pure evil underneath! She deserved to be kicked out of the Thorne family!" Clara smiled smugly, then chose her moment to interrupt. "Darling! It's our wedding day. Let's not watch this anymore!" "Even though my sister hired people to hurt me, she's been punished for it now. I don't blame her anymore!" I sneered. Punished? Clara, does your conscience feel no pain at all? Liam ignored her pleading. His gaze was cold, fixed on the screen. "Is that so? I'd like to see for myself exactly how she staged all of this." He tapped the second video. On screen, I was adjusting myself in front of the camera, preparing to record a self-tape for an upcoming audition. Though I wasn't formally trained, I had acted in several popular web series over the years and had a small following. A director had seen my work and wanted me to audition for a role. I had thought that since I wasn't the real heiress, I had to become exceptional in my own right to be worthy of Liam. Suddenly, the door opened and Clara walked in, an apologetic look on her face. "Sister, I know Mom and Dad moved you to the maid's room as soon as I got back. You're not angry, are you?" Before I could answer, her expression twisted into a manic grin. "You're such an idiot!" "Can't you see they only have eyes for me? Why are you still clinging to this family?" "All I did was mention that you might have sent people to hurt me, and they wanted to remove you from the family registry immediately! Isn't that hilarious?" I didn't want to fight with her. "It's not funny, Clara," I said coldly. "I don't want anything that's yours. Please stop coming to me with this nonsense." My lack of reaction seemed to infuriate her even more. She lunged forward, grabbing a handful of my hair, her face a mask of rage. "Stella Thorne! What right do you have to say you don't want what's mine?!" "Liam is mine! If you hadn't stolen my identity as the Thorne heiress, would you have ever had the chance to marry him?!" "I'm warning you, break off the engagement! Or the bruises on your arm will be the least of your worries!" The video ended abruptly. The hall was silent for a few seconds before someone shouted, "What the hell?! So the one being bullied wasn't Clara, it was Stella?!" "So Stella never hired anyone to hurt Clara? It was all a lie?!" "The one who staged everything… was Clara!" My parents’ faces turned white as they looked at their daughter. Clara's eyes immediately filled with tears. "You've misunderstood!" she cried pitifully. "My sister and I were just rehearsing a scene!" "She was busy with her audition back then, and she gave me these lines to help her practice!" A flicker of understanding crossed my father's face, and he chimed in, "I can't believe how calculating Stella is! This was obviously a trap she set up in advance!" My mother nodded vigorously. "And our kind-hearted Clara was just helping her! For Stella to use this video to slander her sister… it's despicable!" "I bet she knows she's filth now. She can't be Mrs. Sterling, so she doesn't want Clara to be either! She's pure venom!" A few guests began to murmur their agreement. "She is filthy. I saw every one of those photos of her. She didn't look like she was being forced." "Exactly. To throw away a man like Liam Sterling… what was she thinking?" "So that's how it was... No wonder the Thornes have no feelings for her! She brought it all on herself!" Floating in the air, I shivered and instinctively looked at Liam. Don't believe them… But Liam just smiled. "I'd also like to know what she was thinking. Let's keep watching." He played the third video. On screen, I was beaming, speaking to the camera. "Liam! I got the part! I passed the audition! Aren't I amazing?" "Hmph! I'm going to buy you a present, just to show you that I'm a successful woman in my own right!" "What should I get you, though?" "You already have everything…" "I've got it! I'll buy a beautiful new dress and wear it when I see you! Hehe, I'm such a genius." In the video, I rested my chin in my hands, my eyes sparkling like stars. A few comments popped up on the live stream: "Stella looks so adorable here..." "Is this really the 'vicious' heiress? Am I seeing things?" Liam's hand trembled slightly, his expression unreadable. Clara grabbed his arm. "Liam! Stella is in your past! I'm the one you're marrying now! Let's stop, please?" When he didn't answer, she burst into tears. "There are so many people here… you're humiliating me…" My mother chimed in, "That's right. Stella is overseas now, living who knows how wild a life. She's long forgotten you. There's no point in watching this." No… My spirit hovered near him, wanting to scream that I had never forgotten. To my surprise, Liam just chuckled softly. He brushed Clara's hand away and continued the video. On screen, I was still happily planning my future. The next second, Clara walked in. "Sister, what are you so happy about?" She covered her mouth in mock surprise. "Don't tell me you actually thought Director Evans gave you the part?" I froze. "What do you mean?" Clara pulled out her phone and put it on speaker. "Director Evans? How was Stella Thorne's acting?" A greasy, lecherous laugh came from the other end. "Her? She was just a fun little toy." "You should have seen her. I asked her to unbutton her shirt, and she played coy for a bit, but she did it in the end." "A girl with no shame, dreaming of becoming a big star. What a joke." The blood in my veins turned to ice. My face flushed with shame. I pointed a trembling finger at Clara. "Why would you do this to me?" Clara crossed her arms, looking down at me. "Just a little lesson. You'd best not touch what's mine." Hearing the argument, my parents burst in. Seeing my state, my mother immediately rushed to protect Clara. "Stella, are you bullying your sister again?!" My father's eyes were blazing. "You have no manners at all!" I bit my lip, refusing to explain as I had in the past. I knew it was useless. But then Clara started crying. "Mom, just now, sister said that in this house, it's either her or me. Is that true?" "You!" My mother was shaking with rage. She slapped me, again and again. "I'm sending you away! I'm sending you away right now!" Clara sobbed, "Why not send her to the Isle of Innocence? That will teach her a lesson." The Isle of Innocence… I'd heard of that place. An island where the rich and powerful traded and toyed with people like commodities. "No!" I dropped to my knees, clinging to my mother's leg. "Mom, I don't want to go there! Please don't send me!" She kicked me away in disgust. "You don't want to go? You're leaving tomorrow morning!" I suddenly thought of Liam. "I'm Liam Sterling's fiancée!" I screamed. "You can't send me there!" My answer was another sharp slap. My father sneered. "Once you're on that island, a plaything for billionaires, do you think the Sterling family will still want you?" "When that happens, the only one worthy of marrying into their family will be Clara!" Even as a ghost, I could feel the sting on my cheek. The parents who had raised me for twenty-two years had never loved me, not even for a second. When the video ended, someone in the crowd asked, "Weren't we told Stella went abroad? Why was she sent to the Isle of Innocence?!" "Can anyone come back from that place… intact?!" Clara panicked, lunging for the phone. "The videos are fake! My sister faked them! She has no self-respect! She went there on her own!" But before her hand could even touch the phone, she was pinned to the floor by the Sterlings' security guards. My parents moved to intervene but were frozen in place by a single glare. Liam's eyes were red. He choked out the words, "What exactly did Stella endure on that island? Let's watch… bit… by bit."
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