I couldn’t tell her that, in fact, less than a month after I moved into the Cross Family, I had already ended up in bed with Vincent. I was afraid that if she knew the truth, she would think of me as a woman with impure motives and would come to despise me.

Mrs. Cross refused to eat breakfast, threw her spoon down and stood up, trying to pull me out of the house.

Vincent immediately grabbed me by the arm. "Mom, I need to talk to Diana."

He suddenly tightened his grip on my hand, causing me to flinch in pain and furrow my brow. Was he afraid that I might tell his mother the truth?

Wanting to see me and Vincent get along, Mrs. Cross decided to wait for me in the car.

Vincent comforted Evelyn for a moment before pulling me aside. "Diana, I won’t hold last night against you, but you should know which things to say and which things to keep to yourself. Evelyn is different from you. She’s been pampered and has never suffered a day in her life. On the other hand, you have endured hardship from a young age, so be more understanding."

Was I supposed to suffer forever because Evelyn took away my parents and my life?

I curled my lips into a faint smile. "Hmm."

Seeing that I was no longer bristling with thorns, Vincent wrapped his arm around my waist, attempting to kiss me, but I dodged him.

"Have some decency! Don’t let your Evelyn misunderstand."

Vincent withdrew his hand as though electrocuted, his gaze dark and unreadable. "Diana, something’s been off with you since yesterday. Didn’t you used to love it when I touched you?"

I stepped back, keeping a calm demeanor. "I find it filthy."

Not only was his heart filthy, but his body was too.

Feeling the sting of my disdain, Vincent flung his sleeves and turned away, heading to the living room where he openly flirted with Evelyn as if no one else existed.

I walked out the door indifferently, ignoring the scorching gaze burning into my back.

Vincent had always forbidden me to defy him and my repeated rejection of his advances seemed to have completely infuriated him.

Yet, I no longer cared.

As I got into the car, Mrs. Cross sighed. “Are you sure you want to leave so soon? Why not wait until your birthday?”

I glanced at the plane ticket scheduled for three days later and politely declined Mrs. Cross’s kind suggestion.

But I never expected that after accompanying her to have afternoon tea with her friends, I would gradually lose consciousness.