CHAPTER 7

She had no idea what had woken her up in the middle of the night. This was not something she did on a regular basis. Vanity was raised and trained to do things in a systematic manner. She lived her life as if she were a robot from the moment she remembered her own memories, which was around twelve years old, and she didn't feel any remorse for it.

She understood why her parents treated her like that as a child born into a powerful family. She was a daughter, and she had a responsibility that did not allow her to embarrass her family.

She was taught about etiquette and other ridiculous things from a young age so that she would not be an embarrassment when she faced society and married her fiancé.

She was engaged to Norman Sheppard when she was quite young; he was a handsome young man who she admired. She didn't want to embarrass him, so she worked hard to be someone who will be by his side when the time comes.

She was someone who went to bed at ten o'clock every night and didn't like to mess with her routine. That was true until she awoke in the middle of the night from a terrifying nightmare.

Vanity looked for water to soothe her throat, but she realized she had used up the entire cup in the water glass. Vanity had no choice but to leave her bedroom and tiptoe to the first floor, where the kitchen was.

Their family was wealthy enough to be considered among the top three wealthiest in the city; the villa they lived in had three floors in total, and her room happened to be on the second floor.

Her parents owned the top floor, and she rarely went up there. That floor was off-limits, and she didn't want to be punished for not listening carefully. She remembered being severely punished the last time she went up there without informing her parents.

It was traumatic for her to think that her mother could hit her with a belt and lock her in the attic for an entire day. She never complained about being taken out of the attic later that day.

She vowed to herself that day that no matter what they said, she would never go there, even if she was granted permission.

So, Vanity crept into the kitchen, found a water glass, and poured herself some water. She took her time drinking the water before rinsing and returning the glass.

On her way to her floor, she overheard her mother sobbing. She was curious about what made her mother feel that way, so she followed her mother's voice without making a sound, and when she found her, she quickly stopped and hid behind the wall.

Her mother was standing beside her older brother Dwain Drysdale, who was consoling her. Her father was not at home because he had left for a business trip.

She quietly stood there to eavesdrop on them because she was curious what had made her mother cry. Her mother didn't particularly like her; she was aware of this. She kept so many things from her that she felt out of place at times.

She was close to her brother, which led Vanity to believe that her mother was simply biased in favor of a daughter. As a result, she worked even harder and put in more effort, but the results remained the same. She was simply grateful that her mother fed her, clothed her, and gave her an allowance so that she was never looked down upon by others.

As Vanity was about to go insane from hearing her mother cry, she heard something she wasn't supposed to hear. As she stood against the wall, she froze. She shook her head, unable to accept what she had just heard. She had quickly returned to her bedroom to hypnotize herself by repeating the same mantra over and over.

What she heard that day, on the other hand, had such an impact on her that she began to lose her focus, causing her to make several mistakes that drew the attention of everyone. She was chastised and punished for her misbehavior.

She sneaked to the third floor one day when no one was at home. She needed to see for herself before she could believe. As someone who had stolen the Butler's keys earlier that day, she quickly unlocked the bedroom door and took a tour of the bedroom she had no recollection of ever entering.

She quickly searched for the hidden room in the master bedroom because she knew there was one, and after ten minutes she found it. When she revealed the secret room, she was terrified. But what she saw caused her to collapse to the floor, and silent tears streamed down her cheeks.

Everything was a lie, except what she had heard that night. She looked at the girl who was lying on the bed with multiple I.V drips attached to her. They both seemed to be twins, but according to what she knew about this family, her mother only had a daughter eighteen years ago.

She was eleven years old when she was involved in an accident that rendered her comatose for a year. She miraculously awoke, but she had no recollection of her childhood.

Vanity had to learn everything from scratch, from watching videos as a child, from looking through photo albums, and from what her family told her.

Now that everything was out in the open, she realized that the young woman lying on that bed was the real reason she had never known about all those childhood memories.

Vanity looked around the room, which was covered in pictures, and she recognized the child lying there as the same girl. What was she if she wasn't the Drysdale family's real child?

Vanity quickly erased her traces and exited the master bedroom to avoid being discovered. But as soon as she saw those cameras, she knew she was doomed.

She had discovered a secret that was not supposed to be known, and if her mother found out, she would get rid of her, and she wasn't ready to die just yet.

Vanity packed her luxury satchel, which she usually uses when she goes out, and filled it with necessities; she also took some cash and jewelry because she didn't want to be tracked when she used her credit card.

Vanity exited the villa and hailed a taxi after informing the maids that she was going to buy something outside with a smile. The first place she went was to a motel because hotels were difficult for someone fleeing from home like her.

After successfully fleeing her home, she decided to pay a visit to her fiancé and seek refuge from him. She would not have gone there in the first place if she had known what she was getting herself into.