Chapter 2

Everyone froze, staring at each other.

Seeing an outsider barge in, the smile on my mother's face instantly vanished, replaced by vicious anger.

"Professor Martin, what the hell are you doing barging in here in the middle of the night? This is trespassing! I could call the police!"

Professor Martin stormed to the coffee table and swept the champagne tower onto the floor.

The crisp sound of shattering glass mixed with Vanessa's shrieks echoed throughout the room.

"Call the police? Go ahead! Claire is your own daughter-born from your own body! You've bled her dry, stolen her house to give to this brat, and you still have the nerve to talk about humanity?"

My mother let out a cold laugh, slowly rising to her feet and brushing wine droplets off her skirt.

"Professor Martin, as an educator, you should watch your language. This is our family's private matter. What right do you, an outsider, have to interfere?"

"Bullshit! Claire is my most outstanding student, and I absolutely will not stand by today!"

Professor Martin turned and pointed directly at Vanessa, his voice thundering.

"And you, you ungrateful wretch! Don't forget who raised you all these years!"

"Treating your sister like this-do you have any conscience at all?"

Adrian shrank back, not daring to say a word.

Professor Martin turned back around, placing his broad hand heavily on my shoulder.

"Claire, don't be afraid. I'm here today. Let's see who dares lay a finger on you."

Looking at Professor Martin's towering figure, the grief and despair in my heart finally found a small measure of comfort.

Just then, my mother suddenly let out a strange laugh and strode into the master bedroom.

Ten seconds later, she emerged clutching that black diary.

My heart seized, and every hair on my body stood on end.

"Professor Martin, don't rush to play the hero just yet."

My mother forcibly shoved the diary into Professor Martin's hands, her lips curling into a deeply malicious smile.

"Take a look at what's inside first. After you read it, then decide whether you still want to defend this bitch."

Professor Martin frowned, his face full of suspicion as he accepted the diary and flipped directly to the first page.

The living room fell into a deathly silence. Even the sound of breathing was clearly audible.

I stared intently at Professor Martin's face, my nerves stretched to the breaking point.

At first, Professor Martin only casually scanned the words on the page.

But in just half a minute, his hands began to tremble violently, beyond his control.

His breathing became labored, his chest heaving dramatically.

Large beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead and slid down his cheeks.

I watched as the color drained from his once-ruddy face, leaving him pale as a sheet.

"This... this can't be... you... you actually..."

Professor Martin's voice shook so badly he couldn't finish a single sentence.

He slammed the diary shut and looked up, fixing me with a terrifying stare.

That look was filled with endless shock, fear, and bone-deep hatred.

"Professor Martin?" I called out tentatively, trying to reach for the edge of his sleeve.

But he jerked away.

The next second, Professor Martin let out a roar like a wild animal and raised his hand, slapping me hard across the face.

He used all his strength. I was sent flying and crashed heavily onto the floor covered in broken glass.

Sharp shards pierced my palms and cheeks. Blood streamed down.

"You beast wearing human skin!" Professor Martin pointed at me, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

I clutched my bleeding face, staring at him in disbelief.

"What happened? What the hell is written in that thing?"

Professor Martin charged toward me, raised his shoe, and kicked me mercilessly in the chest.

The pain curled me into a ball like a shrimp. I opened my mouth wide but couldn't make a sound.

"You have the nerve to ask! You're an absolute monster! I must have been blind to ever treat you like my own daughter!"

Professor Martin turned to my mother, his attitude completely reversed.

He even bent slightly at the waist, his tone full of deep apology.

"Mrs. Harrison, I apologize for my earlier rudeness. A social menace like her truly doesn't deserve to stay in this house. She should have been beaten to death long ago!"

My mother smugly snatched the diary back and locked it in the bedroom again.

Professor Martin crouched down, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and forced my head up.

"First thing tomorrow morning, I'll submit an application to the university to revoke your degree immediately and remove you from my research team! Trash like you doesn't deserve to exist in this world!"

He slammed my head against the floor and stormed out without looking back.

I lay on the cold floor, staring hard at the bedroom.

The diary. That diary again.

Everyone who read it changed.

What secret was hidden inside?

What could make them turn on me in an instant?

Could it be that my mother deliberately slandered me in the diary?

But that didn't make sense.

Professor Martin was a university professor with critical thinking skills. How could he be stupid enough to believe things without evidence?

Unless-

There was something even more damning in that diary.

No. I had to see it with my own eyes.

I struggled to crawl forward, trying to rush into the bedroom and open that diary.

But Adrian stepped on me, pinning me down.

He kicked me in the chest, his eyes vicious. "You want to know what's in the diary?"

"You don't deserve to know!"