"I hate you all, and I pray that none of you ever find peace."
Those were Amelia Cosgrove's last words before she jumped off the bridge into the rushing river.
Amelia Cosgrove, the first daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Country A, had everything money could buy but nothing her heart truly needed. Her life had been anything but rosy.
Her parents' marriage had merely been a business transaction, a deal to build both the business and political power of the Cosgrove and Stallion families. And just like most arranged marriages, theirs was loveless. Her father, Mason Cosgrove, was constantly caught having affairs with mistresses and celebrities, while her mother, Rose Stallion, tired of being stuck in such a marriage, ran away with her lover and was never seen again, leaving Amelia and her little brother, Ray, behind.
Amelia was just 10 years old.
Ever since then, Amelia's life had been a downward spiral. At least before her mother ran away, despite knowing her parents despised each other due to their constant fights, her mother had still shown her small bits of affection. But after her mother left, her father wasted no time bringing in his first love, a commoner named Eve, the woman his parents had once forced him to break up with, deeming her unworthy of the Cosgrove name.
Her father quickly made Eve his wife and took in her little daughter, Lilac.
Amelia, feeling abandoned by both her parents, fell into depression. This depression caused her to unconsciously distance herself from Ray, who was just seven years old at the time. As a result, Ray drifted away from her, and Eve and Lilac only furthered the distance by accepting him with open arms.
Seeing the love they showed Ray, Amelia thought that maybe... just maybe...she could start a new life with them. Perhaps Eve would finally shower her with the affection she had always craved. Perhaps, just maybe, Eve would welcome her with open arms, just like other mothers welcomed their children.
So she tried. She attempted to build a relationship, to get close to them.
But what she was met with were their mocking gazes.
"She isn't the heir, so why would we bother pleasing her?" Those were Eve's words.
Somehow, whenever she was with them, something bad always seemed to happen, and it was always her fault, even when she had nothing to do with it. If Eve cried, it was Amelia's fault. If Lilac sulked, it was because of something Amelia had supposedly done.
Even her own brother, Ray, seemed to despise her because of it.
Amelia withdrew into her shell once again, becoming rebellious and wild as an outlet for her pain.
Years passed until her engagement to the favored son of the Blackwood family, Ace Blackwood, was announced. Her grandfather, driven by guilt, had arranged her marriage into the Blackwood family to ensure her protection, to provide her a soft cushion, as the Blackwoods were just as wealthy and powerful as the Cosgroves.
And once again, Amelia felt a spark of hope.
Ace was everything she had dreamed of, handsome, intelligent, and charming. She thought their marriage would be different, that it wouldn't end like her parents' loveless union. She loved him greatly and was willing to do whatever it took to make it work. In her heart, she clung to the belief that this was her chance at happiness.
But once again, everything spiraled down. Happiness, it seemed, was not meant for her.
Soon, she discovered that Ace was having a secret affair with her sister, Lilac.
The one Ace truly wanted was Lilac, not her. In fact, he hated Amelia because she always "bullied" Lilac.
Amelia felt her heart shatter into a thousand pieces.
Why was it always Lilac? Why did she and her mother always steal everything from her?
First her father. Then her brother. Now her fiancé.
She was tired. Tired of fighting for scraps of love. Tired of being the one left behind. Tired of pretending to be okay. She was tired of it all.
As she stood on the edge of the bridge, the cold wind whipping through her hair, she thought of them all.
Her father, who had ignored her.
Her mother, who had abandoned her.
Her brother, who had turned his back on her.
Lilac, who had taken everything she held dear.
And Ace, the man she had loved with all her heart, but who had given his to someone else.
"I hate you all," she whispered, tears dripping slowly down her cheeks. "And I pray that none of you ever find peace."
Then...
She jumped.