I Learned My Lesson, Now They Regret It

On the day of my engagement party, the fake heiress of the Sharpe family, Angelina Sharpe, bursts into the hall while covered in wounds. She falls to her knees before me and begs for mercy. "I've learned my lesson, Char. I never should have taken your place as the heiress of the Sharpe family. I'll leave right now. Please spare me." Dad refuses to listen to my explanation and slaps me. "How could you be so despicable? She's my daughter too." My fiancé, Henry Fuller, is wearing a furious expression as he steadies Angelina. "I'll never marry a woman with a wicked heart like you, Charlotte Sharpe." They seem to be deaf to my explanations and send me to the infamous Trueheart Academy. "You can come back once you've learned how to behave yourself!" No one in the family visits me even once in the three years that I spend there. I am electrocuted and put in solitary confinement. I'm also publicly humiliated. My sense of shame and self-esteem are completely shattered. Later, my family finally takes me home when Angelina and Henry are engaged. I've become the well-behaved woman they want me to be, but they're the ones who lose their minds. Chapter 1 I had been trapped in a small, dark room for three years when Mom picked me up. "You should know what to say and what not to say after you leave, right?" the instructor asked, glaring at me with eyes that were brimming with warning. I nodded obediently and changed into a clean white dress. I then trailed behind the instructor. I had just made it to the entrance when someone blocked my path. "You've been through a lot, Char!" I couldn't help but think about the countless terrible nights that I was forced to suffer when I heard my sister Angelina Sharpe's voice. I reflexively fell to my knees by her feet and stammered, "I-I'm sorry. It's my fault. Please forgive me." Angelina threw herself into Mom's arms with a shocked expression. "What's going on with Char, Mom? Is she still mad at me?" she asked. The fear and despair in my eyes were obvious as I shrank back. Mom was briefly stunned before a deep disdain filled her eyes. "What's with the pitiful act, Charlotte? We just sent you here to learn the rules since you mistreated Angelina in the past. Do you really think that you'll convince anyone with this act of yours?" She then swatted my hand away and brushed her sleeve. Angelina approached me with a mocking look on her face, whispering into my ear. "Did you have a good time during the last three years, Charlotte? I specifically asked them to take good care of you." I reflexively shoved her away when I felt her fingers on my skin. She stumbled backward and nearly lost her footing. Mom's expression immediately turned furious. She slapped me hard across the face and snapped, "How dare you push Angelina right in front of me? It seems that you haven't learned to behave yourself in the last three years. You can just keep staying here if that's the case." My entire body trembled violently as I frantically shook my head. I fell to my knees again and repeatedly knocked my forehead against the floor, saying, "I've learned my lesson, Mom. I shouldn't have pushed Angelina. I'm begging you. Please take me away from here. I'll never do it again." Mom scoffed before turning around and leaving, ignoring my pleas. Angelina glanced at me before grabbing Mom's hand and playing coy with her. "I'm sure that Char didn't do it on purpose, Mom. Why don't you forgive her? Let's go home together." "Fine," Mom said with a sigh. "I'll let it slide since you asked. You're just too kind." The corners of Angelina's lips curled up into a smile as she walked over to me. She crouched down and caressed my pale face, saying, "Don't worry, Char. You're still the heiress of the Sharpe family no matter what state you end up in." The heiress of the Sharpe family. How could a rose that had been crushed into the mud possibly return to its former glory? I numbly trailed behind them, unable to stop my tears from falling as I watched Angelina and Mom chat and tease each other. 20 years ago, to ensure that her daughter would live a good life, Angelina's mother bribed her relative who was working in the hospital and sneakily swapped two babies from their cradles. Later, when the Sharpe family discovered what had happened, they searched for me and took me home. However, the years-long relationship that they had developed with Angelina wasn't something that someone like me, a lost daughter who had just returned, could erase. Even three years ago, I just wanted Mom's and Dad's love and acknowledgement. I never once thought of stealing anything away from Angelina. However, no one believed me. I also had no idea why Angelina was assaulted, or why she said those words to me. … After we returned home, Angelina smiled and locked arms with my ex-fiancé, Henry Fuller. "Char is back, Henry. We can live just like the old days from today on." "Sure," Henry said while tenderly patting her long hair. His eyes were full of adoration as he gazed at her. Meanwhile, there was a dark and unreadable emotion in his eyes when he looked at me. When the two of them walked past me, Angelina moved her lips close to my ear and whispered, "Henry and I are a match made in heaven. You're so filthy that you don't even deserve to carry my shoes for me." I was briefly stunned. Did Angelina plan all of this just because Henry wanted to marry me three years ago? Chapter 2 The day of Angelina's engagement party arrived in the blink of an eye. The maids helped me into a gown. It was the same size that I used to wear, but at that moment, it hung a little loosely on my frame. Angelina and Henry looked like a perfect couple as they stood under the spotlight and accepted everyone's blessings. The lights were glaringly bright. My face slowly paled as my body trembled. There were countless days and nights when I was shoved into a dark room and "disciplined". Four cameras were set up around me to record the entire process of my humiliation from all angles. I gritted my teeth and straightened my posture. However, I was violently triggered when I heard the sound of a whistle. "Huh? Where's that whistling coming from?" I nearly jumped out of my skin and reflexively reached behind me to unzip my gown. It was already loose on me, so it slipped off my frame when it was unzipped, exposing my body to everyone present. Everyone turned their attention toward me. The reporters lifted their cameras and frantically snapped photos. "The heiress of the Sharpe family strips in public." There wasn't a single media outlet that wouldn't want such a sensational headline. Henry's expression darkened, but he was also the first one to snap back to his senses. He shrugged his coat off and draped it across my shoulders. He had a cold look on his face when he swept his gaze across the reporters. "No photos. Anyone who mentions what happened here will be making an enemy of Fuller Group." The reporters shot reluctant looks at me before unwillingly dispersing. Mom and Dad were utterly stunned. They never could have imagined that I would do such a thing. Meanwhile, Angelina's eyes flashed. Her face was flushed when she exclaimed, "Char must be mad at me and Henry. That's probably why she resorted to such tactics to attract the attention of the men here." The hesitance in Henry's eyes disappeared the moment he heard her words. His gaze turned icy again. Dad was beyond frustrated. His hand was shaking when he pointed at me and snapped, "You damned wretch! You already ruined Angelina in the past. How dare you cause a scene during her engagement party? Lock her in the basement so that she can reflect on her actions!" The maids dragged me toward the basement. The pitch-black darkness seemed to swallow me from all sides in an instant, making me feel as if I was once again trapped in the small, dark room. I frantically banged on the door, but the only response I got was a scoff from Angelina. My heart immediately plummeted into my gut. During my time at Trueheart Academy, I would get locked in the dark room whenever I made a mistake. The room was pitch-black. I wasn't given any food or water, and I was also blindfolded and tied to a chair. My other senses were infinitely amplified since I couldn't see. All of my nerves were assaulted by hunger and pain. Every second that ticked by ate away at what little rationality I had left. As a result, I developed an extreme fear toward dark and isolated environments. As my consciousness began to fade, I could vaguely make out a figure picking me up. When I woke up again, I found myself in the hospital. Henry was looking at me with a slight frown. "You're awake? The wounds on your body and those scars… What happened to you?" I stared at him in a daze as his gaze lingered on my body. I had no idea where to start. Shouldn't he know about everything? Why was he pretending to be clueless and questioning me instead? I was "disciplined" on my first day at Trueheart Academy. Angelina had stood behind the screen and admired the way I was assaulted. She was also the one who told me the truth. "I wasn't actually assaulted, Charlotte," she said. "But Henry specifically sent you here to enact justice on my behalf. After all, I can only 'escape my demons' if you become tainted too." Tears spilled down my cheeks as I stared at Henry. In the past, he was the one who held my hand and told me that he wanted to marry me, assuring me that he didn't mind that I grew up in the sticks. However, Angelina was able to easily sway him to her side with a simple scheme. Perhaps his so-called love didn't mean a thing from the very beginning. I turned my head away with a look of disdain. My tears blurred my vision. Angelina's high heels clacked loudly against the floor as she entered the hospital room. The corners of her lips curled up into a smile as she gazed at my back. "I dropped by Trueheart Academy to get to the bottom of things, Henry. They told me that, for the past three years, Char was always…" Her hesitant expression made Henry even more anxious. "Always what?" "She was always ignoring the instructors and threatened them with self-harm. Also… She seduced them, using her body in exchange for better treatment," Angelina said while hanging her head, her voice becoming smaller and smaller. Henry looked even more upset than before. He hauled me up from the bed and hissed, "How shameless can you be, Charlotte?" Chapter 3 I frantically shoved Henry away, terrified that they would send me back to that horrible place. Tears streamed down my face as I fell to my knees before him. Henry shot a long look at me before averting his gaze and leaving. I clutched the blanket as if my life depended on it, trembling violently as I hid under the covers. Suddenly, I felt someone patting me before slowly pulling the blanket away. "Don't be scared, Charlotte. It's me. Terence Carter." Terence Carter. I opened my eyes and shot a timid look at him, slowly calming down. Terence had been my neighbor when I was a child. Angelina's mother treated me terribly at the time, scolding and beating me without rhyme or reason. Terence was always the one who took me in when she chased me out of the house. We lost contact with each other after I returned to the Sharpe family. "Your body's still very weak, Charlotte. Here. Have some soup," Terence said as he offered a bowl of chicken soup to me. However, I didn't dare accept it. I was too scared to trust anyone ever again. Terence placed the bowl of soup down and reached behind me. I was briefly stunned before I reached behind to unbutton my patient gown, moving like a puppet on strings. Terence froze for a split second before immediately grabbing my hand and buttoning the gown again. "I just wanted… to fluff the pillow for you," he explained. "I really regret it, Charlotte. I thought that you were living a good life with the Sharpes. I also assumed that you were going to marry Henry soon. If I had been a little more determined, you wouldn't have…" He choked on his words as his eyes reddened. A hot tear rolled down his cheek and dripped on my palm, causing ripples to radiate across my heart. If this was a dream, I didn't want to wake up. However, it didn't take long for the dream to be shattered. "Stripping in public to seduce the men who were at the party wasn't enough for you, Charlotte? You're even seducing your doctor now?" The hospital room door was thrown open. Anger and disdain were written all across Mom's face. Terence shielded me behind him as he brandished my medical record. "Charlotte is severely ill, Mrs. Sharpe. Please refrain from stressing her out even more." "Post-traumatic stress disorder? There's no way that she has that. We just sent her to the academy so that she would learn the rules. Why would she develop PTSD from that?" Mom averted her gaze after glancing at the medical record. Angelina supported her with a pained look on her face as she tried to advise me. "She's right, Char. I know that you and Dr. Carter are old friends, but that doesn't give you the right to forge a medical record to anger them and make them worry about you." "If you doubt my professionalism, you can ask other medical organizations to run tests on Ms. Charlotte, Mrs. Sharpe," Terence said with a frown. "Our priority is to cure Ms. Charlotte as soon as possible." His tone was extremely firm, which planted a seed of doubt in Mom's mind, especially when she recalled my strange behavior. However, she swiftly smothered that idea when she remembered how thorough Angelina was with her work. She had even personally dropped by the academy to investigate it, confirming the fact that I had willingly harmed myself and committed those heinous acts. She refused to believe that a scheming woman like me would develop post-traumatic stress disorder. "Stop humiliating yourself in front of everyone, Charlotte. Come home with me right now," Mom demanded with a wave of her hand, prompting Angelina to immediately dart forward to grab me. "No…" I whined while shaking my head, frantically swatting her hand away. The bowl of chicken soup toppled off the table and spilled all over the floor. Mom's expression darkened in an instant. "Behave yourself, Charlotte Sharpe!" she berated sharply. Terence pulled me behind him and shot serious looks at them. "I already told you that Charlotte's in really bad shape right now, Mrs. Sharpe. She can't leave the hospital yet. Will you only be satisfied after you've killed her?" Mom's expression shifted slightly. She shot a mocking look at me before saying, "I know my own daughter better than anyone else. She picked up her habit of lying from her foster mother. Unfortunately, it's impossible to fix her terrible habits." Henry barged into the room the moment the words left her lips. He rushed toward me, shoving Terence aside to grip my shoulders. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? If I had known that you were suffering, I never would have allowed you to continue staying there!"