"I was adopted?" Elena's lips quivered as she tried to process what she just read in the diary.
Her hands trembled and she sank onto the floor. The diary lay before her like a weapon, its words cutting through her heart.
"So… the woman I have known all my life isn't my real mother?" She whispered, her voice breaking.
Anger began to rise within her.
"Why didn't she tell me? Why hide this from me?"
Her chest heaved as the betrayal threatened to consume her.
But then, a memory surfaced, forcing the anger to fade.
*FLASHBACK*
It was the middle of the night. Elena, just 14, lay burning with fever.
"Mom… I don't feel good…" She mumbled weakly.
Her mother was by her side in an instant, her hand pressing against Elena's forehead.
"Oh my God, Elena, you are burning up!" She discovered, her voice filled with panic.
Immediately, the woman sprung into action. She tried calling the neighbors for help, but no one answered.
"We need to go to the hospital." She said, her tone firm.
"But… how?" Elena whispered as she knew they didn't even have a car and there was no hospital close by.
Her mother didn't answer. Instead, she bent down and hoisted Elena onto her back.
"Mom, what are you doing?" Elena asked, shocked.
"We don't have time to wait for anyone. Just hold on to me." Her mother said.
Within moments, she had stepped out into the cold night, barefoot. The road was dark and uneven, littered with stones and debris.
"Mom, put me down. You will hurt yourself." Elena had protested weakly.
But her mother didn't respond, her pace quickening as she carried Elena through the streets. Even when her breathing became labored, she didn't stop.
By the time they reached the hospital, her mother was drenched in sweat, her feet covered in dirt and cuts.
"Please help my daughter!" She had cried out, her voice desperate.
The following morning, Elena woke up in a hospital bed and found her mother hovering above her as if she had known the time she would open her eyes.
"Mom..." Elena called out.
"You are awake, my dear. You scared me because you have never been this sick before." She said, smiling. Her eyes were filled with relief.
But then Elena noticed something as she took in her mother's appearance. The woman's eyes were swollen, evidence of prolonged crying and her feet were red and swollen, with deep cuts and blood drying on her skin.
"Mom! You are bleeding!" Elena screamed.
Her mother looked down, startled. It was as if she hadn't even noticed the injuries.
"I'm fine, Elena. As long as you are okay, I'm okay." She had replied softly.
Tears filled Elena's eyes as she stared at the woman who had carried her through the night, barefoot and injured, just to save her.
*END OF FLASHBACK*
Elena's anger dissolved, replaced by a deep ache in her chest.
"She has always been there for me. No matter what, she loved me. She didn't have to, but she did. More than anyone ever has." She whispered, sullenly.
Tears streamed down her face as she realized how much her mother had sacrificed for her.
"How could I be angry at her?" She asked herself, shaking her head.
She took a deep breath and picked up the diary again.
"I need to know more..." She mumbled and her eyes scanned the next page, reading slowly.
"Elena was adopted under rare circumstances. I never wanted to keep it from her, but I didn't know how to tell her." The words from the diary echoed in her mind.
"Rare circumstances? What does that mean?" Her mind struggled to process it.
However, she managed to read further:
"She was switched at birth by someone close to her family. They didn't want her to live."
Elena's heart clenched.
"Someone didn't want me to live?" She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion but turned the page to keep reading.
"Today, I found out who her biological parents are. They are the owners of The Grant Empire."
"The Grant Empire?" Elena repeated, her hands began to shake and her breath quickened. She had heard of the name, everybody knew them.
"They are one of the wealthiest families in the city. If I was switched, did they even know I existed?" She wondered sadly.
At that moment, a sudden, loud knock on the door startled her, breaking her thoughts.
She froze, her eyes darting to the diary before her.
"Mom?" She thought and quickly, she placed the diary back on the table and hurried to the door, her heart racing.
She opened it, expecting to see her mother—but instead, she saw Adrian standing there with a bouquet of flowers.
Elena's eyes widened in shock.
"Mi Amor!" He said brightly.
Elena's stomach churned.
"What is he doing here?" For a moment, she just stared, unsure of what to do.
"Elena? Are you okay?" Adrian asked, his eyebrows furrowing.
She snapped out of her daze and moved to close the door in panic, but he blocked it with his hand.
"Elena, wait! I have been calling you all day..." He said, sounding confused.
Elena couldn't respond, she just stood there, tensed. All she could think of as she stared at him was her last moment with him.
The day he had called her a mistake and told her to disappear so he could be with his newfound true love.
"Elena, what is wrong? You are acting strange." Adrian asked softly, with concern.
That spiked her anger and she glared at him, her mind flashing to every moment he had belittled her, every insult, every ounce of pain he caused in her previous life.
"You jerk!" Elena blurted.
Adrian was taken aback. He tilted his head, studying her.
"What was that? I didn't hear that clearly, right?" He asked, his voice low.
Elena clenched her fists and opened her mouth but before she could talk, Adrian's soft laugh cut her off.
"Of course, you wouldn't say that to me. By the way, I planned something special for us." He continued, holding up the flowers.
And before she could say anything, he took a step back and reached into his pocket.
"Mi Amo
r..." He began to lower himself to one knee.
Elena's heart sank as she realized what he was about to do.
"No!" She yelled in panic.