Humiliation and torture.

Present.

Thea stared at her used-to-be best friend with shame and guilt. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing could come out. Her mouth had betrayed her at a very critical moment.

Looking at Penelope, she looked as beautiful as ever. She had every girl's dream figure. Comparing her disheveled self to Penelope's, she paled up in comparison. She was not as beautiful as she was two years ago when she married Gael Weston. Years of pain and torture had changed her completely. She was not as cheerful and as gullible as she was before either. She was now smart. Deep in those admiring eyes, Thea also had doubts. She didn't know whether she could trust her ex-best friend again. Time would tell.

When Thea failed to gain the recognition that she wanted from her family, she was hurt and disappointed. She wanted to sever ties with them. She wanted to be on her own. When her family threatened her with her brother, she had no option but to get married to Gael.

Thinking that from that day on,