Chapter 68
I felt my body become weightless.
Jalen had picked me up.
His anxious voice echoed in my ears, along with the sound of the approaching ambulance.§
Feeling his long–lost concern, I finally allowed myself to drift into unconsciousness.
Back then, I never understood why Jalen left so suddenly.
After he disappeared, I was heartbroken for a long time.
I even thought he had found out about what happened between me and Rowen, and that, in his heart, I was no longer the Alicia he once knew.
As time passed, I had no choice but to get used to life without him.
My mother hired other bodyguards for me, but none of them were Jalen.
At the same time, Rowen started visiting me more frequently.
He began showering me with affection, and Rosalie constantly pushed us together, always creating opportunities for us to be alone.
Looking back now, it’s hard not to suspect that Rosalie and Rowen were already involved back then.§
A year before Jalen left, my father brought Rosalie into our home.
That was when he revealed the shocking truth–Rosalie was his illegitimate daughter, born from his affair and raised in secret.§ She was only a few months younger than me, and my mother couldn’t accept that this “mistake” of my father had grown into a person standing before her.
Dad begged my mother for forgiveness, and said, “Rosalie’s mother is gone. She’s all alone now. I can’t just leave her out there to suffer.” Then he promised, “She will remain a secret. To the world, she’s just a girl we adopted. Only Alicia will ever be the rightful daughter of the Webber family.“>
After his repeated pleas, my mother glanced at me, and finally gave in.§
Rosalie began following me around, calling me “sister” sweetly at every turn.
At first, I thought she was easy to get along with–a harmless younger sibling.§
Until that one fateful banquet.§
Rosalie personally brought over two glasses of wine.§
After I drank mine, she suddenly pressed Rowen’s glass into my hand.§
“Sis, I suddenly feel sick and need to go to the restroom. Could you give this to Rowen for me?“§
I looked over at Rowen in the distance and didn’t think too much about it. I handed him the wine.§
And that one simple act… changed my entire life.
I tried to find proof afterward, but the banquet’s surveillance footage was somehow all corrupted.
Even the hotel staff claimed they didn’t see Rosalie hand me the wine.
No one believed me.
I was a victim too, but Rowen thought I had schemed the whole thing.
That was the moment I began to see Rosalie for who she truly was.
But she was too good at pretending–even my father was fooled.§
Later, when I confronted her, Rosalie put on an act and offered to become my maid.§
“Sis, I know you’ve always believed I spiked the drink that night, and that’s what drove a wedge between us. If that’s the case, I’m willing to be your servant. I’ll do whatever you say–as long as it eases your anger.”
She said it as if she were atoning.
And for a while, she truly acted the part–serving me obediently without complaint.
Until I found out I was pregnant.
That unexpected news turned everything upside down.
My father insisted that I marry Rowen.%
In his eyes, Rowen–the son of an old friend–was a man of decent character.
After learning I was pregnant, Rowen appeared very concerned and offered to take responsibility.
And so, I married him.
Rowen came from a modest background, but my father and I were willing to give him a chance to grow
He wanted to start his own company, and we supported him.
Because of my pregnancy, he handled most of the work affairs.
I didn’t expect that, in other people’s eyes, this would be twisted into a sign of how much I loved him &
Rumors spread that I had chased after Rowen for years and even agreed to an unwed pregnancy just to be with him.
To outsiders, he wasn’t someone I married–he was someone I begged to marry me
