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Abigail's POV

***

I stepped through the door of my childhood home, taking in my surroundings. Nothing had changed in the five years I'd been away. It was as if time had stopped in this place, and it was still stuck in the past. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart and my shaking legs.

My heart pounded in my chest, thudding loudly as I walked down the hall. It felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. My body was still trembling, my hands shaked uncontrollably.

I only needed to see my father, and after that, i would leave the house.

I trudged up the stairs, wiping the sweat from my brow. I had lived in this house for twenty years, and I knew its layout like the back of my hand. I could easily find my way to my father's room, but just as I was about to climb the next step, I heard a familiar voice call out my name.

"Welcome back, sister. " I turned back only to see Lana and Ethan standing a few steps away, their hands intertwined. My heart sank, and I felt a wave of anger and sadness wash over me. I had been moving on all these years and the last thing I wanted was to see my boyfriend together with my stepsister.

Betrayed and hurt, my chest started to feel heavy, all I wanted was to walk past them and get into my father's room, but I had to reply to my step sister even if I didn't want to.

"Thanks" I swallowed the lump in my throat, my reply was short and I didn't want to stay there any longer.

I stood rooted to the spot, my eyes locked with Ethan's. But he didn't look happy to see me. Instead, his face was twisted in a look of pure disgust. I felt the color drain from my face as I realized what this must mean. He now hated me.

"Honey, don't be rude. Exchange greetings with my beloved sister," Lana said to Ethan, in the sweetest way possible. She was doing it all to make me jealous, but what she didn't know was that I wasn't as weak as I used to be and those past five years had changed me for the better.

"I don't have any interest in greeting a person who is immoral and shameless. She has done something awful, so she doesn't deserve my respect or acknowledgment." Ethan gave me a sneering look of disgust, taking pleasure in the satisfaction on Lana's face. Then he decided to speak further.

"Sluts like her should hide there face in shame," Ethan said. "Isn't that right, baby?"

"But baby, she is still my sister. Please don't speak badly of her. Even though she did something bad in the past, we should at least forgive her." Lana objected to Ethan's insult, which was a ruse to appear like an angel before Ethan.

"I have to go see my father, please excuse me," I said calmly, escaping the jeers from Ethan, whom i once loved deeply.

"Father does not need you, he is doing okay. You will only make the situation worse if you go in there. Do not worry, he will be strong and healthy soon." Lana stated, her eyes glistened, as if she genuinely missed me and was saying it all for my sake. But I have known her long enough to be aware of how dangerous she could be, almost like a green snake under the green grass.

"I do not care! I want to see my father" I protested angrily, seeing through my stepsister's pretense, after they betrayed me five years ago, i had learned to never trust their words.

"You are the reason for your father's illness and you dare to step your filthy legs into this house! Shameless!" A voice which I recognized too well interrupted our discourse.

"Mother, don't speak like that, please." Lana faked a tear and pretended to feel sorry for me.

"Aunty is telling the truth. Abigail caused all the misfortunes that have befallen your father. It is a shame that she has shown her face in this home." Ethan snorted in disgust as he mentioned my name, pulling Lana closer to himself.

"That is all in the past. My purpose for coming is to see my father. I will leave after seeing him. Let's forget about the past and focus more on what is to come in the future." I stated, their words didn't mean a thing to me, they did not affect my skin.

"Goddamn motivational speaker! We also do not want to see you here. Your mother ruined your father and now you have come to ruin him further. You are just as shameless as your filthy mother." My stepmother spoke up again, this time with foul language.

I thundered, "If you mention my mother's name again, I will tear you to pieces. Get my mother's name out of your mouth." Rage flowed through me like lava. I could take whatever harsh words they threw at me, but I would never let them talk bad about my mother.

The anger that welled up in my chest was enough to send shivers down their spines. They all kept quiet, surprised by my sudden outburst.

Their excitement was replaced with anger by dread

They suddenly felt intimidated, and it boosted my self confidence.

"How can you talk to Aunt that way? I have now seen your true intentions. You only pretended to be a good girl just to make me bow at your feet. My heart feels happy and alive now that you are out of my life." Ethan said with clenched teeth while staring into my eyes.

While confronting my sister and my stepmother, I was vicious and cold, but when Ethan humiliated me and stood up for my stepmother, i felt my world begin to crumble.

It was the first time Ethan had ever spoken to me in that manner, I had known him to be sweet and caring but today i couldn't say the same.

He now hated my guts and i knew it. Ethan had been in a relationship with me for three years and we had once promised to always be together. At that time, it felt like he was madly in love with me. He gave me gifts and made me feel loved. Ethan was the man with whom I had dreamed of spending the rest of my life with.

I retorted ruthlessly, "Someday you will understand that they are pretentious and as cunning as a snake. Maybe then you will find out the truth and regret saying those words that you uttered. From today, I do not want any of you to bother me. I will be happy if we do not cross each other's path."

Having said that, I walked towards my father's room. He was the only person in the family who understood and supported me.

"Get back here!" Ethan shouted, clearly agitated by my response. He had expected me to react differently and was frustrated by my rationality. He started towards me, as if he was going to grab me and pull me back. But then my stepmother whispered something to him, and he paused.

I took one last glance at them and shook my head in pity before going into my father's room.