My heart has no moonlight

On her twenty-fifth birthday, Nicole received two “gifts.”

The first was Gregory—the man she had desperately pursued for five years—finally agreeing to become engaged to her.

The second was the meticulously planned, premeditated assault he had orchestrated.

She hadn’t known. Not until she tried to push open the door and found him, covered in fresh wounds, while those bloody truths stabbed into her already battered heart like a serrated blade.

“Greg, that was brilliant!”

“Not only did you teach that bitch a lesson for Judith, but now Nicole will be even more devoted to you!”

“Yeah, she’s probably still swooning over her knight in shining armor! Hahaha!”

The chorus of mocking laughter seemed to drill straight into Nicole’s skull. She bit down hard on her lip, fighting to keep silent, her hands and feet turning to ice.

“Tch, serves her right. Who told her to run and leave Judith behind when they were attacked seven years ago?”

“Exactly! A selfish, vicious woman like her deserves whatever she gets.”

Gregory’s eyes darkened. “Judith saved my life back then. Anyone who hurts her will pay tenfold.”

Nicole’s heart was being sliced to ribbons, then ground with salt, as she remembered his gentle, reassuring words just moments before he found her.

“Don’t be scared, Nicole. I’m here.”

So even that tenderness could be faked.

His acting was truly impeccable.

“Greg, aren’t you… worried you might be punishing the wrong person?”

Someone voiced a hesitant doubt. “The panic on Nicole’s face looked real…”

“What, you believe her nonsense? That *she* was the one who saved me?”

Gregory let out a cold snort. “Do you think someone who’s terrified of water would ever jump in to save anyone?”

Besides, when he’d opened his eyes, the first person he saw was Judith.

How could it possibly be wrong?

Hearing this, the girl managed a bitter smile.

The tears she’d been holding back could no longer be contained, falling in heavy, silent drops.

The man she loved most was the architect of her nightmare.

He, too, thought she deserved it.

But back then, it was Judith who had pushed her forward, telling her to run for help.

As the attackers closed in, Judith had shoved her ahead.

“You go first! I’ll hold them off!”

“Go get the police! I’ll wait for you!”

By the time Nicole returned with help, all she found was Judith curled on the ground, clothes torn, a picture of utter devastation.

Eighteen-year-old Judith lay unconscious in the hospital for three days. The first words she spoke upon waking were a tearful scream for Nicole to get out.

“Why did you leave me alone! Why!”

“I never want to see you again! I hate you!!”

Just like that, no one listened to Nicole’s side of the story. She became the family’s permanent sinner, condemned to spend her life atoning for Judith.

As the biological daughter who’d been brought home, Nicole became the only outsider in her own family.

No one believed her. Not even