The woman let out a cold scoff and slowly peeled off her mask. The malicious sneer on her face vanished in an instant, seamlessly replaced by the fragile, tearful look of a victim burdened by unspeakable suffering.
"Quinn, I'm so sorry."
Quinn's eyes turned glacial. "Should I call you Polly Parrish, or Serena Wells?"
"Quinn, I know you recognized me back at the York estate. The reason I acted like that was because I didn't want anyone to remember I grew up as a stray. I was terrified they'd look down on me.
"You know exactly what kind of hell I lived through. My adoptive parents only took me in from the orphanage because they hoped adopting would bring them a biological son. You can guess that just from the name they forced on me.
"Once they had their precious twin boys, I became the family punching bag. They pulled me out of school right after junior high and forced me to work odd jobs just to buy clothes for my little brothers."
Quinn's fingers curled into fists. Polly had lived in the same neighborhood as her, and Quinn was well aware of her adoptive family's deeply sexist, toxic dynamic.
Seeing Quinn remain silent, Serena's eyes reddened further as she continued her sob story.
"I was forced into the real world when I was just a kid. I grew up never knowing what it felt like to be genuinely cared for.
"I thought that man truly loved me. I never imagined he was just grooming me, trying to force me to work at a bar as an escort to fund his gambling.
"Those days were a nightmare with no end in sight. It wasn't until the Wells family finally tracked me down that I was able to cut ties with my past completely."
"Now, my parents want me to get engaged to Colin York, Miles' cousin. I don't want him to know about my sordid past. I just want to present him with the best, purest version of myself, so..."
Quinn's expression remained dark, her voice merciless. "That is still no excuse to steal my identity."
She would never forget the utter humiliation she endured at the hospital when Jade ruthlessly mocked her.
Nor would she ever forget the absolute disgust in Miles' eyes, staring at her as if she were a filthy, contaminated disease he couldn't get far enough away from.
That searing shame and degradation was carved into her very bones.



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Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: She Walked Away With His Twins While He Begged the Ground She Walked On
I would have accepted the jerk husband ending up with the heroine if he’s only powerful, intelligent but he’s so powerless and so stupid....
Can you make Ethan be the endgame? That Miles is a total jerk....