1.

My brother calls me his Princess and transfers money to me as allowance.

His wife to be misunderstands and thinks I’m his secret lover.

She crashes my new apartment, which I’ve lovingly decorated with a group of friends and family.

Julia’s laughter echoed in my ears as I looked down at the shattered trophy. It was like every piece of glass was a wound, each shard representing a piece of my mother’s legacy. She had been my idol, a brilliant mind who never let anyone diminish her worth. And now the last symbol of her strength and her love was in ruins, destroyed in a fit of blind jealousy.

I was trembling, barely able to keep myself upright as I turned to Julia, my voice laced with fury. “This trophy was my mother’s. It’s the one thing I have left from her. You have no idea what you just destroyed.”

2.

Julia’s smug expression didn’t falter. Instead, she raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by my pain. “Oh, so it’s sentimental?” she mocked, glancing at the broken pieces scattered across the floor. “Well, maybe you should’ve thought about that before you started parading around with my fiancé.”

“I am not your fiancé’s mistress. Claude is my brother!” I shouted, my voice hoarse and raw. “You’ve got it all wrong!”

“Stop lying,” Julia snapped, her face twisting into a scowl. “No brother would spoil his sister like that, paying for an apartment and lavishing her with gifts. Do you think we’re all idiots?”

The crowd behind her murmured in agreement, eyes narrowing as they took in the ruined apartment. They looked at me with disdain, a mixture of disgust and anger flashing in their eyes. It was as if they were feeding off Julia’s hatred, letting it fuel their own spiteful assumptions.

Taking a deep breath, I turned to face them all. “Claude isn’t just my brother,” I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. “He’s my family, and he’s taken care of me ever since our mother passed away. I’m here to study for my finals, not to play games with anyone’s relationship.”

But my words were lost on them. Julia scoffed, crossing her arms as she gave me a once-over. “Oh, so now you’re the innocent student, just here to study. How convenient. I wonder if you practiced that little speech in the mirror.”

3.

“I’m telling the truth!” I shouted, desperation creeping into my voice. “You don’t know anything about me or my life.”

“Oh, but I know enough,” Julia replied coldly. She glanced at the scattered remains of the trophy, then back at me. “I know that Claude has been distracted for weeks, avoiding my calls and meetings. I know he’s been sending money to someone behind my back. And I know that he rented this place without telling anyone.” She took a step closer, her eyes blazing. “So tell me, *‘sister’*, why should I believe a word you say?”

The venom in her voice cut through me, but I forced myself to meet her gaze. “Because it’s the truth. You’re making a huge mistake, Julia. If you cared about Claude at all, you’d realize he wouldn’t do this to you. He wouldn’t betray you.”

Julia’s face twisted with rage. “Enough,” she snarled, and before I could react, she shoved me backward. I stumbled, catching myself on the edge of the broken coffee table. The jagged edges of the glass bit into my skin, sending a sharp pain up my arm. I gritted my teeth, trying to ignore the throbbing in my hand as I looked up at her.

“Get out of my way,” Julia demanded, motioning for her friends to continue their rampage. “This place belongs to *my* fiancé, and I’m going to make sure he regrets ever setting foot in it.”

4.

Her friends sprang into action, overturning furniture, smashing vases, ripping apart pillows. The sound of destruction filled the room, each crash and thud a reminder of how little control I had over the situation. They were tearing apart everything Claude and I had worked so hard to build.

I tried to fight back, pushing against the women who were holding me down, but they were relentless. Every time I managed to free one hand, another set of fingers would dig into my shoulders, pressing me back into place. It was as if they were determined to make me watch, to force me to bear witness to the havoc they were wreaking.

In the middle of the chaos, Julia’s voice rose above the noise. “Look at this place!” she shouted, gesturing to the luxurious decor. “This is the kind of life he wanted to keep hidden from me. Well, I’m done being kept in the dark.”

One of the women pulled out her phone, setting it up on a tripod to capture every detail of the destruction. She aimed the camera at me, her lips curling into a smirk as she hit the record button. “Let’s give everyone a front-row seat to the little *homewrecker* getting what she deserves.”

5.

I tried to shield my face, turning away from the lens, but they only laughed, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look at the camera. I could see the red light blinking, the lens capturing every tear, every bruise, every shattered piece of my world. They wanted to humiliate me, to make me feel as small and insignificant as they thought I was.

And then, as if on cue, the door burst open.

Claude stood in the doorway, his face pale and eyes wide with shock. He took in the scene before him—his treasured belongings destroyed, his sister bruised and crying on the floor, Julia and her friends standing over me with smug satisfaction.

“Have you lost your minds?” Claude’s voice was a low, furious growl, each word dripping with barely contained rage. “What the hell are you doing?”

Julia turned to face him, her expression shifting from anger to defiance. “I’m teaching your little mistress a lesson,” she spat. “Or did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

6.

Claude’s jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides. “Sylvia isn’t my mistress,” he said, his voice dangerously calm. “She’s my sister. And you—you’re the one who has to answer for this.”

He moved toward me, helping me up from the ground, his touch gentle but firm. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice softening as he looked at me, his eyes filled with concern.

I nodded, fighting back tears as I leaned against him. “I tried to tell them, but they wouldn’t listen,” I whispered, my voice breaking.

Claude’s expression darkened as he turned back to Julia and her friends. “Get out,” he ordered, his voice hard. “You’ve done enough damage. I don’t ever want to see you again.”

But Julia wasn’t ready to back down. “You think you can just get rid of me?” she sneered, crossing her arms. “I’ll make sure everyone knows about this. I’ll ruin you, Claude. I’ll make sure your name is dragged through the mud.”

7.

Claude’s gaze was cold, unyielding. “Do whatever you want,” he said, his voice laced with disdain. “But don’t expect me to protect you from the consequences. I trusted you, Julia. I thought you were better than this.”

Julia’s face twisted with fury, and for a moment, I thought she might lash out again. But then, as if realizing the futility of her actions, she turned on her heel and stormed out, her friends trailing after her like shadows.

The door slammed shut behind them, leaving only silence and the wreckage of what used to be my sanctuary. Claude turned to me, his eyes softening as he reached out to brush a tear from my cheek. “I’m so sorry,” he murmured. “I should have been here sooner.”

I shook my head, struggling to find the words. “It’s not your fault. They just…they wouldn’t listen.”

8.

He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close as I finally let the tears fall. The pain, the humiliation, the helplessness—I let it all out, clinging to the one person who had always been there for me.

As I cried into his shoulder, Claude’s voice was a soft promise in my ear. “I’ll fix this, Sylvia. I’ll make sure they pay for what they’ve done. No one will ever hurt you like this again.”