STIGMA

"Ouch! That hurts!"

Pale as snow, Fiona Qiao woke up from her dream in the most horrifying way. She opened her eyes, revealing a layer of crystal mist which emphasized how delicate and feeble they were. Suddenly, her breathing started to get rapid and beads of sweat started to drip from her forehead indicating her fear.

At that moment, her body trembled and at the same time felt numb. Then, she slowly placed her hand right on top of the birthmark on her chest to soothe herself from the aching pain. In the pitch-black room, she bit her lips slightly while inhaling the minty breath of the man next to her.

No matter how hard she tried to get rid of it, she still failed to do so.

It was as if she also felt the pain from her dream in a very tactile way — the heat, the desperation and the helplessness that she could no longer endure.

Anyone who would see her suffer like this would most probably choose to close their eyes for it was a truly shocking scene.

As she thought of this, there was a sudden shiver down her spine. In fact, she had been bothered by this irregular dream for more than a month now. There was nothing she wanted more in the world than for this nightmare to stop.

That day, as she woke up in the hotel, something grabbed her attention that it almost burned her eyes. She got up and tried to make the bed when she noticed something — a glaring bloodstain on the pristine white bed sheet!

Moreover, she could not help but feel anxious for the damage had already been done, and it was impossible for her to clean up the mess in a very short time.

Snapping back to reality, Fiona Qiao covered her sweaty head with her hands. At that point, all she could do was lower her head in a feeble manner and sigh in dismay.

All of a sudden, her phone rang. It was her aunt, Melissa Han, who was calling. After she picked it up, her aunt on the other line worriedly spoke, "Didn't you promise that you would come back today? You've been living in our family for so many years. In fact, we also feel ashamed, but Olivia... "

Melissa Han paused on purpose, and Fiona Qiao already understood what she meant.

"I know. I'll be right back," Fiona Qiao replied in a mellow voice.

She had owed Melissa Han's family a great debt of gratitude. As a matter of fact, she could have probably been a thief on the street if the Ling family had not taken her in. But as she recalled what it could have been like for her without their help, she was forced to show a bitter smile.

She was upset, but she didn't feel harmed in any manner. In her head, she must do what needed to be done.

"Remember to come on time. The Fu family is on their way and we don't want to keep them waiting."

Hearing this, Fiona Qiao bit her lower lip quietly as she clenched her fist.

Meanwhile, today was a special day to hang banners, have a feast, and sing their hearts out for Olivia Ling, Melissa's daughter. Since it was Olivia's birthday, it was also the perfect time for the Ling family and the wealthy Fu family to discuss about the marriage. Olivia Ling didn't much have a choice on this one because even before she was able to see the world, she was already engaged to a boy in the Fu family.

Ideally, it was Olivia's fortune the Ling family was after in this union. But as it turned out, it was not what they had originally intended.

Fiona was there to replace Olivia in marrying the eldest son of the Fu family, Caspar Fu. Being paraplegic, Caspar would not be able to do anything even if it wasn't really Olivia who was marrying him. Afraid of losing face, the Fu family agreed to whatever was offered to them.