A Legacy of Betrayal and Revenge
The grand Brown estate was adorned in gold and ivory, an opulent setting for what should have been the happiest day of Flavia's life.
But for Monica, it was a day of seething resentment.
She stood at the altar in a pastel bridesmaid's dress, her hands trembling with barely concealed rage.
Because today, her sister was marrying Hank Hale—the man Monica had loved for years.
She watched as Hank lifted Flavia's veil, his gaze filled with admiration. A gaze that, just the night before, had been locked with hers in secret, in the dim glow of a candlelit room.
A secret affair. A cruel betrayal.
And yet, the biggest betrayal of all was still unknown to them.
Flavia was not even truly a Brown.
She was a stolen child.
---
The Lies That Shattered a Family
A month after the wedding, the Brown estate buzzed with excitement.
Flavia was pregnant.
Monica smiled on the outside, but inside, her heart twisted with rage. She clenched her stomach, where a secret of her own was growing—Hank's child.
No one knew.
Not Flavia.
Not their parents.
And certainly not Ethan Anderson, the man Flavia had once loved before their parents tore them apart.
The truth was a ticking time bomb, and when it finally exploded, it destroyed everything.
---
The Mastermind's Revelation
The truth came crashing down on Flavia like a collapsing house of cards.
She had found letters, hidden in Monica's dresser—proof of the affair.
And when she confronted Hank, he didn't even deny it.
"Did you really think I loved you?" he scoffed, swirling a glass of whiskey. "You were just the ticket to your family's fortune."
Flavia's hands trembled. "And Monica?"
He chuckled darkly. "She was just… convenient."
Bile rose in Flavia's throat. Her sister had betrayed her, but Hank? Hank had never loved either of them.
Desperate for answers, she turned to the people who had promised to protect her—her parents.
Instead, she was met with a revelation that shattered her soul.
"You were never meant to be part of this family," her mother said, her voice like ice.
Her father leaned back, eyes cold and indifferent.
"Because you're not our daughter."
Flavia felt the world tilt. "W-what?"
"You were stolen," her mother continued, her tone cruelly indifferent. "From the Withlock family—one of the wealthiest families in the country. They were searching for you, but we made sure they never found you."
Flavia's breath caught.
"You… kidnapped me?"
Her father sighed as if she were being dramatic.
"You were simply a pawn, my dear."
The betrayal was too much.
Flavia's heart seized.
She collapsed to the floor, gasping for air.
---
A Child Born in Chaos
Flavia awoke in a hospital bed, the beeping of monitors echoing in her ears.
"You suffered a cardiac arrest," a nurse whispered.
Her hands instinctively went to her stomach.
Her baby.
She was still pregnant.
Months later, she gave birth to a daughter—a delicate baby girl with olive-green eyes and soft golden-brown curls.
But the moment Flavia gazed into her child's face, her breath caught in her throat.
Because Esmery didn't look like Hank.
She looked like… Ethan.
Before Flavia could even process the implications, Monica stepped into the room, her lips curled in a smirk.
"Surprise, dear sister," Monica cooed, leaning close. "On your wedding night, you weren't with Hank. You were drugged. You thought it was him, but the whole time, you were calling out for Ethan."
Flavia's blood ran cold.
She hadn't betrayed Ethan.
She had been deceived.
The truth sent her spiraling into darkness.
She slipped into a coma, unable to wake up, unable to fight back.
For fifteen years, she lay motionless.
---
A Mother's Awakening
Flavia's eyes fluttered open.
The ceiling was unfamiliar. The air smelled like antiseptic and faded memories.
A hand was clutching hers.
She turned her head, expecting a nurse.
But when her eyes met the gaze of a young woman—a young teen with Ethan's eyes—her breath caught.
"Mom?" the girl whispered, voice trembling.
Flavia choked on a sob.
"Esmery?"
The moment was surreal.
Her baby had grown up.
Tears streamed down their faces as they embraced, making up for fifteen years of lost time in a single hug.
Esmery told her everything—about her childhood, her struggles, how she had been raised in a house of lies and cruelty.
And then, another figure stepped into the room.
Flavia's heart stopped.
"Ethan?" she whispered.
His voice was rough with emotion. "I never left you."
Flavia reached for him, their hands entwining, their love still alive after all these years.
For the first time in forever, Flavia thought she had a second chance.
But happiness, for her, was always short-lived.
---
The Final Betrayal
The next morning, Monica arrived.
Her presence was suffocating, her eyes filled with venom.
"You think you can just wake up and reclaim your life?" she spat.
Before Flavia could react, Monica grabbed a pillow.
And pressed it down over Flavia's face.
Flavia struggled, her hands clawing, her body writhing.
But she was too weak.
Her sister's last words were a whisper in her ear:
"You should have stayed in that coma."
And then—everything faded to black.
---
A Witness to Murder
Monica stepped back, breathing heavily, a sick satisfaction washing over her.
Flavia was gone.
Finally.
She turned, fixing her hair, ready to walk out as if nothing had happened.
But she didn't see the nurse standing in the shadows, filming everything.
Or the slightly ajar door, where Esmery stood—her face pale, her heart shattered.
---
A Funeral and a Promise
Three days later, rain poured over the cemetery, drenching the earth.
Esmery stood by the coffin, her fingers clutching a single white rose.
Tears blurred her vision as she whispered, "I promise you, Mom… I won't let her get away with this."
Monica stood in the distance, smirking, believing she had won.
But she had made one fatal mistake.
She had underestimated Esmery's wrath.
Because Esmery wasn't just mourning.
She was plotting revenge.
And when she struck…
She would destroy Monica, piece by piece.
Just like Monica had destroyed her mother.