Reclaiming Her Heart

Ann slumped into the back seat of her car, exhausted.

She hadn't slept well last night, and now her cheeks were throbbing with pain.

Through the car window, she saw Connie still sitting inside the store, looking very pleased with herself. There were stacks of money beside her, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

A moment later, a man walked into the store.

Even after all these years, Ann recognized him instantly. It was her stepfather, Otha Hagen, the man who had almost assaulted her.

When Connie had walked in on them back then, Otha hadn't even flinched. He was confident that Connie wouldn't take Ann's side.

Sure enough, that night Connie had slapped Ann across the face. Meanwhile, she had shouted, "How could you be so shameless, trying to seduce your stepfather at such a young age! Get to bed, now!"

Ann hadn't understood at the time why she was being slapped and scolded after what had happened to her.

Later, when she met Brody, Otha finally stopped trying to touch her.

Ann gripped the steering wheel tightly, tempted to floor the gas pedal and run Otha

over.

He was even fatter now, looking like a wriggling worm from a distance. Ann couldn't fathom why Connie treasured such a man.

Feeling nauseous, Ann couldn't even drive. She quickly got out of the car and walked to a nearby flowerbed, where she vomited.

Seeing Otha had brought back the shadows of her childhood, making her dizzy. She wondered if Connie had arranged for Otha to be there when they met.

Her stomach churned even more. She vomited again, but only bile came up since she hadn't eaten much that day.

She grabbed a bottle of water from the car to rinse her mouth, but then she heard a greasy voice, saying, "Ann, it really is you. I didn't recognize you from so far away."

The fat worm had wriggled over to her.noveldrama

Ann looked up and saw his greasy chin and shiny bald head.

Her face twisted in disgust as she opened the water bottle and splashed it at Otha. "Get lost!"

She glared at the man who had haunted her nightmares, wishing she could tear him apart.

But Otha just smirked, his eyes shamelessly roaming over her body.

"You're all grown up now, playing games with your boyfriend. You used to cry when I wanted to play games with you. Your mom would beat you so hard whenever you cried. So, how about it? Want to play a game with me now that you're all grown up?" he said.

Ann trembled with rage, wishing she had a knife to stab him with.

All these years hadn't lessened her hatred; it had only grown.

Otha, now soaked, moved to hug Ann.

But Connie's voice cut through the tension, "What are you two doing?"

Otha quickly pulled his hand back and forced a smile. "It's been so many years since I saw Ann. I just came over to say hi."

Connie's face instantly showed her irritation. "Ann, why are you still here?"

She looked like she was afraid Ann might steal another glance at her man.

Ann found it both amusing and pathetic.

What was even more pathetic was that she felt hurt by Connie's coldness.

It turned out that money couldn't buy family affection.

She got back into the car, dazed, and heard Otha talking to Connie.

"You should be nicer to her. That purse you're holding was a gift from her. Ann's really changed a lot."

"What are you up to? Did Ann say something to seduce you again?"

"No, honey. Let's go get some pasta."

Otha wrapped his arms around Connie, and they walked toward the Italian restaurant.

Ann watched them, her hands trembling as she tried to start the car, but she had no strength.

She felt like her soul had been drained, leaving her empty.

Then Selena called, asking about recent company events. Ann had to muster all her energy.

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"Ms. Fair, everything's going well. Austin got nominated for another award, Sophia's script is in progress, and Betty's role in Hellyword has been announced. She gained nearly a million fans on Twitter, posting photos regularly. She's really dedicated," she replied.

Selena sighed with relief. She couldn't handle documents right now.

"Ann, I'll need you to take care of the company for a while. I'm having some health issues and can't manage the paperwork."

"Of course, Ms. Fair. Take care of yourself."

After hanging up, Selena felt the breeze and sighed.

She had mentioned seeing a therapist that morning, but Raymond had disagreed, suggesting she just rest.

Selena didn't want to admit she had psychological issues either.

She felt her way out of the room, hearing Raymond's voice from the study. The Montague Group had a lot of paperwork, and he was handling it.

Selena walked in, following his voice, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Selena, what's wrong?"

"Does your wound still hurt?"

"No, it doesn't. Are you still worried? I told you I'm fine. You should rest. Maybe you haven't been sleeping well and had a nightmare."

Selena wanted to reassure him, but suddenly, it felt like a string snapped in her mind. Raymond's voice started to change, sometimes sounding like K, sometimes like Raymond.

She jumped up, horrified, and backed away.