Chapter 1

From Today On, You’re No Longer Part of the Bennett Family!.

Smack—The harsh slap hit Elizabeth’s face, stinging sharply.

“You disrespectful girl… you have no shame! Tell me! Who’s the father of the baby you’re carrying?!”

Charles glared at his eldest daughter and her growing belly, his eyes burning with anger.

“I… I don’t know.”

Tears streamed down Elizabeth’s face. Her cheeks were red and swollen. Her dark hair, hanging over her shoulders, seemed to droop as she hugged herself tighter.

“You don’t even know who the father is? How messed up is your life?!”

Her stepmother Rebecca, with her arms folded, watched with disgust.

“I wasn’t fooling around! I really didn’t!”

Elizabeth shook her head wildly, trying to explain.

She had been taken advantage of without knowing who the man was. The only thing she remembered was passing out after drinks on graduation night and waking up to find someone had already harmed her.

She couldn’t tell her father and didn’t want her stepmother—always eager to bring her down—to know.

But as she kept this secret, her belly grew every day.

“No? You don’t even know who the father is, and you still say otherwise?!”

Rebecca’s sharp gaze cut through her as she yelled, “Husband! Now everyone in Riverside Town knows our eldest daughter is immoral and irresponsible. You can’t keep supporting her.”

Charles looked at his young wife. “What should I do then?”

“If it were me, I’d disown her,” Rebecca said sweetly but coldly. “Darling, I know you care about Elizabeth. But after this huge mess, the Bennett Group will be ruined if we don’t cut ties right away!”

“Rebecca, so all you want is to get rid of me and take the company for yourself!” Elizabeth shouted.

Since her mother’s death, her father had quickly married Rebecca. Since then, Elizabeth had been constantly bullied by her stepmother and stepsister. Her disgrace might not be entirely unrelated to them.

“What are you saying?!” With her temper rising, a bitter look flashed across Rebecca’s face. “Your father and I truly love each other, and I’ve tried to be kind to you all these years… but you’ve scorned me without gratitude! Why would I want your father’s company—his hard-earned success?”

As Rebecca spoke, her face showed more and more fake sadness, with tears flowing as if deeply hurt.

Charles held his wife, his heart aching. Slamming his desk, he yelled, flustered and upset, “Kneel!”

Elizabeth clenched her fists, her eyes red.

“Why should I kneel?! I did nothing wrong!”

She was the victim. Why should she be blamed for everything?

“You are a disgrace!” Charles jumped up and slapped her again. “You’ve shamed the Bennett family! From now on, you’re no longer part of us!”

The slap knocked the wind out of Elizabeth, and she fell—her belly cramping, her breath caught.

“You’re… disowning me?” Her voice shook with disbelief.

Meanwhile, Rebecca went to her husband, wiping her tears and trying to calm him insincerely. “Darling, don’t… Elizabeth is pregnant. What if you hurt the baby?”

She knew how to pretend to care—just moments ago, she was pushing Elizabeth out of the family, and now she was acting concerned.

Charles snorted coldly, no longer caring about any father-daughter bond. “It’s because she’s pregnant that our family has lost face! You’re turning out just like your mother, bitch!”

‘Bitch… Haha. Bitch?!’ He was truly heartless. No different from the days leading up to her mother’s death.

Elizabeth clenched her fist, her knuckles turning white.

She was his daughter. How could he be so cruel?

“Dad, we’re home.”

A voice like a bell chimed.

By the door, a girl in a white dress walked in with a refined man.

Seeing their linked hands, Elizabeth’s face went pale.

Was that her stepsister Amelia, together with her childhood friend, Robert?