Chapter 6

Gigi came back from the police station to find the Hart residence dead quiet. She didn't think much of it and was just about to head upstairs when footsteps echoed from the front door. The door opened, and Donovan and Meredith walked in first. Kenny followed closely behind them, gently leading Catherine, who was trembling from head to toe. Seeing Gigi set Donovan and Meredith off. "Are you out of your mind? Did you call the police? "Catherine just hit the gas by mistake. It isn't like she ran you over on purpose. Why did you involve the police? Are you trying to put her behind bars?" Between soothing Catherine, Kenny still found time to chew Gigi out. "You barely got a scratch, but Catherine had to sit through hours of questioning. "If we hadn't signed the statement, who knows how much more she would have had to go through? You know Catherine's health isn't great. If something happened to her, could you live with that?" Had Gigi received barely a scratch? She had been hanging on at death's door, while Catherine only had to endure a few hours of interrogation. Gigi was so angry that she laughed. For the first time, she met Donovan and Meredith's gaze with defiance. "That's right. I'm the one who reported her to the police. So what?" She usually just took whatever came her way, but today she was fighting back. They weren't having it and raised their hands without hesitation. "Watch your mouth! What kind of attitude is that? I'm not letting you off today, you brat!" The moment they finished talking, the bodyguards came up and tied her down. Motionlessly, like all the fight had been drained from her, Gigi let them tie her up and shove her to the ground. Donovan grabbed a belt and whipped it at her with full force. "You rascal! You're nothing but trouble!" With each strike, the belt carved a fresh red mark into her skin. She had lost count of how many lashes she had taken. All she could hear was the sharp whoosh of the belt slicing through the air and Meredith cheering from the side. "Serves her right. Give it to her good. If I had known she would turn out like this, I never would have given birth to her." Gigi's body trembled as she snapped her head up, her eyes bloodshot and filled with tears. When Donovan saw the utter despair in her eyes, his hand froze in mid-air, and he couldn't bring himself to whip her again. She bit her lip until it lost all color, and every word she forced out was soaked in agony and heartbreak. "You act like I don't deserve to be your daughter, but did it ever occur to you that I never wanted you as my parents? "You gave birth to me just to turn me into Catherine's blood supply. Did you ever stop to ask if I wanted that life? "Growing up, I wore her hand-me-downs and ate whatever she didn't like. We have the same birthday, but you never gave me a present. "Have you ever really seen me as your daughter? Do you even know what I like to eat, my favorite color, what I'm allergic to, or what I'm afraid of? "If I ever had the choice, I would rather have never existed. This is a world where I've never been loved." Everyone was stunned. Hearing her bring up all her painful memories made everyone's chest feel heavy. That was when Rylan finally reached the Hart residence. The first thing he saw was Gigi on the ground, battered and bruised. His breath caught when he heard her heartbroken words that nobody loved her. He rushed to help her up from the ground. "That's not true, Gigi. I love you." Gigi's smile didn't reach her eyes as she shook her head. Then, she walked off without a word. Rylan instinctively tried to catch up to her, but Catherine collapsed on the floor, her hands pressed to her temples. "My head hurts so bad, Rylan." He immediately came to a halt. In the end, he spun around and made his way toward Catherine.