Lin Father and Lin Mother still tried to stop us, but Grandma scolded them harshly and threw them out.
After driving them away, she gently patted my hand.
"Ranran, don't be afraid. Grandma is here for you."
To prevent the Lin family from harming me again, Grandma discharged herself from the hospital and took me back to the old residence.
During this time, Lin Father and Lin Mother kept trying to contact me. Even Lin Zechuan and Shen Yuzhou sent messages, warning me not to reveal the truth about what happened back then.
"Su Xiran, Grandma is old. You wouldn't want her to suffer the pain of seeing her own grandchildren tear each other apart, would you?"
I remembered the beatings, being forced to eat food that had been trampled underfoot, the countless times I was nearly violated.
I had questioned myself over and over again in moments of despair, wondering if I had truly done something wrong. Each time the memories surfaced, I would cry in agony.
But now, I finally understood.
I wouldn't say a word about what happened back then.
With my parents gone, all the evidence had been used to clear Lin Jiaojiao's name. The Song family's eldest son had become a vegetable—no one would believe me.
If I spoke, they would only shift the blame onto Grandma.
So let this be the price for occupying Lin Jiaojiao's life for twenty years.
Soon, Grandma's birthday banquet arrived.
I stood before the mirror, looking at my reflection.
The flowing green dress made me appear gentle and graceful, yet the scars covering my bare shoulders and arms stood out starkly.
I draped a jacket over myself, concealing the marks, then opened the door and went downstairs with Grandma.
The banquet hall was already filled with guests. Seeing that Grandma was busy entertaining them, I quietly stepped aside.
Just as I was looking for a quiet corner to sit down, I accidentally bumped into someone.
Wine splashed onto my dress.
The person repeatedly apologized, and I waved my hand, indicating it was fine, before heading to a room to change.
But as soon as I stepped into the hallway, I spotted Lin Jiaojiao waiting there.
She smiled sweetly.
"Sister, since it's Grandma's birthday, I prepared a special gift just for you."
Instinctively, I stepped back.
But before I could react further, a voice—one I had heard in countless nightmares—spoke from behind me.
"My dear little sister, it's been so long. Why don't we catch up?"
My entire body froze.
A face I had desperately tried to forget now reappeared before me.
I turned to flee, but my wrist was caught in a vice-like grip.
A rough hand clamped over my mouth.
The sickening, sticky breath brushed against my neck, and Lin Jiaojiao's smile deepened with satisfaction.
"Su Xiran, you managed to escape in prison once."
"But this time, let's see how you'll get away."
I struggled desperately, but a sharp blow to my stomach knocked the breath out of me.
My body was dragged into the room.
I fought with all my strength, and just then, I heard Lin Zechuan's voice outside the door.
"Jiaojiao, wasn't Su Xiran here just now? Where did she go?"
A flicker of hope flashed in my eyes.
But behind me, Yu Wei's grip tightened.
His voice was filled with cruel amusement.
"What's wrong, Miss Lin? Think I'm too low-class for you?"
"You dodged me in prison, but let's see if you can escape now."
"Once you're mine, whether you admit it or not, you'll belong to me."
A loud thud echoed as something slammed against the walls, drawing Lin Zechuan and Shen Yuzhou's attention.
"What was that?"
"Who's inside?"
I gasped, my heart racing.
The doorknob twisted.
But before anyone could open the door, Lin Jiaojiao's voice rang out.
"It's Sister."
"I wanted to mend our relationship, but she told me I was just lucky to be found."
"She said that if it weren't for me, she would still be the rightful eldest daughter of the Lin family."
"Ge, Azhou, should I have never come back?"
"Is that why even when I just wanted to talk to my sister, she would rather lock herself in a room?"
I cried, pleading with them not to believe her lies.
They had grown up with me. They should have known I would never say such things to Lin Jiaojiao.
But the voices outside the door sent a chilling wave through my body.
"The one who shouldn't have come back is her!"
"Does she think no one knows what she did in prison?"
It was my older brother, the one who once loved me dearly.
"She stole your life, Jiaojiao. If anyone's shameless, it's her."
"After five years in prison, she acts like the whole world owes her something. What a joke."
"Good thing her parents died early. If they knew their real daughter turned out like this, they'd probably wish they had strangled her at birth."
"She's nothing but a parasite. What right does she have to say anything to you?"
"Don't worry. Uncle Lin and Auntie Lin already said that even if Grandma disagrees, they will definitely throw her out."
It was my fiancé, the man who once called me his greatest treasure.
Now, they all blamed me.
Blamed me for being a fake heiress yet still staying by Grandma's side.
Blamed me for thinking that serving five years in prison for Lin Jiaojiao meant I had repaid my stolen twenty years of life.
Blamed me for showing up in front of them after all they had done to destroy me.
"Look at that. They all want you dead."
Yu Wei tightened his grip around me, his voice dripping with malice.
"Why struggle? Just be good, and everything will be easier."
"Or do you actually want to go through what you suffered in prison all over again?"
His words instantly tore open the wounds I had fought so hard to bury.
Being pinned down, hands grabbing me from all directions.
Not knowing who they belonged to, not knowing if I recognized them.
Only remembering that every inch of my skin had been tainted, my cries of agony fueling their perverse excitement.
I was shoved to the ground, Yu Wei's body pressing against me, his breath sickeningly close.
His movements grew more frenzied, his hands rough and relentless.
And just as he was about to rip away the last piece of fabric shielding me, my fingers grasped something cold and sharp—a shard from a broken lamp.
With all the strength I had left, I plunged it into his neck.