Vivienne pushed open the heavy iron gate, rubbing her arms.
Though the sun was shining bright outside, the place seemed to cast a chilling shadow over everything.
"Mom, Grandpa, are you sure you don't need me to come with you?" Vivienne asked.
Jasper shook his head. "No need, sweetheart. Your mother and I can handle this. You just wait here, okay?"
Vivienne nodded, watching Karen and Jasper disappear through the doorway.
She settled back into the car and began to nibble on a strawberry cheesecake.
As Karen pushed open the door, a nauseating stench hit her full force.
The person inside, hearing the noise, slowly turned her head.
Her hair was a tangled mess, unwashed for days.
Stains marred her clothes, and her bare feet were caked in dirt.
The source of the foul smell was clear-it emanated from her.
Jasper sighed deeply at the sight. "Diana..."
The person trapped here was, indeed, Diana!
After the cliff side explosion, Diana had been rushed to the hospital. Once she survived, the Perez family had locked her away here.
The villa might have looked like a luxury home, but it was more akin to a prison cell.
It had everything-a complete set of furniture.
darkness turned the spacious abode into a haunted
lights, no windows, and even the
not even the heat of
of
place, she could not hear anything outside her darkness. She relied on touch to find something to eat when hunger struck. The
agape,
blankly at
seemed like an eternity, she suddenly charged at them, screaming, "I am the only
swiftly pushed her back, protecting her
his head, realizing just how
I have nothing to say. I've raised you all these years, but our bond is
patted Karen's hand,
to engage with the
to support Jasper in putting an end to it all. He had truly loved Diana as his
had to be
filled the
you talk to me about
a child would bring prosperity
nothing but a hypocrite! You adopted me with ulterior motives, and now you
I didn't finish you off that day. If I
last look, then
Many couldn't understand why I adopted Diana and Willa, especially with so many kids
did you adopt her
of duty, and I initially planned to
remember
picking up a proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing did not faze her. After all, she
could I possibly
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