Chapter One: The Daughter They Never Loved (Lila’s POV)
Why are you crying over something that was never yours?”
I froze as the woman on the television screen spoke through her tears after discovering that her husband had betrayed her with her own sister. I tightened my grip on the remote control and stared at the screen, feeling a strange heaviness settle in my chest.
“I am not crying,” I said softly, even though I was alone in the room.
But the truth was, I could feel the tears slowly running down my cheeks.
I was sitting in my living room after putting my babies to sleep, waiting for my husband to come home. The house was quiet and peaceful, yet my heart felt restless. As I watched the woman being comforted by her mother, something inside me ached deeply because I knew my own mother would never do such a thing for me.
“My own mother would never stand by me like that,” I whispered, shaking my head slowly.
The thought pulled me back into memories I had tried so hard to forget. I remembered clearly how my life had changed when I was fifteen years old. That day, I had crossed the road carelessly, and my father had run forward to save me from an oncoming car. He pushed me out of the way, but he did not survive the accident.
“I did not mean to cause his death,” I murmured, my voice breaking slightly.
However, in my family, my intentions never mattered.
My mother had looked at me with cold eyes and said that I was the reason my father died. She told me that I was a curse and that I would spend the rest of my life making up for what I had done. My sister Eva never defended me; instead, she spoke to me with disrespect and often reminded me that I did not deserve happiness.
Despite everything, my younger siblings stood by me. Joyce would always hold my hand and tell me that she loved me. James would remind me that I was not to blame, and Bryan would promise that they would always protect me no matter what happened. They were the only people who made me feel like I still belonged somewhere.
“I promised myself that I would take care of them,” I said quietly, wiping my tears. “And I kept that promise.”
By the age of twenty-five, I had built a successful business and created a life that many people admired. I provided for my siblings and made sure they lacked nothing. To the world, I was strong and successful, but inside, I still carried the pain of being unloved by my own family.
It was during one of my company meetings that I met him for the first time.
“You do not look like someone who is truly happy,” he said as he approached me calmly.
I turned to look at him, slightly surprised by his boldness. He was tall, handsome, and carried himself with quiet confidence.
“And you think you can tell how I feel just by looking at me?” I asked.
He did not hesitate before replying.
“Yes, because I see someone who has everything but still feels empty inside.”
His words caught me off guard because they were true.
“Who are you?” I asked, studying him carefully.
“My name is Steve Zach,” he replied. “And I believe I might be the reason you finally find happiness.”
At that moment, I did not know that meeting him would change my life completely.
I allowed myself to trust him. I allowed myself to love him.
And that was the beginning of everything.
I should have been more careful.
I should have questioned why someone like him seemed so certain about me from the very beginning.
But I did not.
Instead, I let myself believe him.
“You are thinking too much again,” Steve said one evening, his voice soft as he sat beside me.
I looked up from my laptop and forced a small smile. “That is because I have too much to think about.”
He shook his head gently and closed the laptop in front of me.
“Not tonight,” he said. “Tonight, you rest.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “And who will run the company if I rest?”
“I will,” he replied confidently, making me laugh for the first time in days.
That was how he was.
He made everything feel lighter.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months.
Steve became a constant part of my life. He called me every morning, texted me throughout the day, and insisted on seeing me even when I was too busy.
