Anastasia stared at her reflection in the vanity mirror in her room. She was all dressed up, ready to head to the city hall to retrieve her marriage certificate.

She stepped out of the mansion's gate to hail a cab that would take her to the city hall. Despite being the first daughter of the Harrison family, she had never been given a car of her own. 

It was a daily frustration that she had to take a cab wherever she went, a reminder of how little regard her family had for her independence. 

All of a sudden, Anastasia saw a car make a stop right where she stood. 

"Hi, Ana. Are you also heading to the city hall? Want me to give you a ride?" Michelle, her younger sister asked her, sizing her up and down with a disgusted look as if she was a pest. 

Anastasia was aware Michelle wasn't in fact 'offering' her a ride. She was mocking her since she didn't have a car of her own. 

Their relationship had always been an unpleasant one. With Michelle being the favored daughter of the Harrison family, she always got what she wanted. 

Even when Anastasia wanted it too, she would be forced to give it up for Michelle. It was the duties of the eldest daughter, they said. 

"No, thanks," Anastasia responded.

"Whatever," Michelle snorted before she zoomed off, leaving a cloud of dust behind that made Anastasia cough.

In no time, Anastasia was able to find a cab. 

Reaching the city hall, Anastasia found Michelle standing in front of a staff; it was the same staff that called Anastasia to come retrieve her marriage certificate. 

It turned out they had registered to the same staff. 

Anastasia wanted to turn back and leave to avoid another encounter with Michelle. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on her side. 

The staff recognized Anastasia and quickly called her. 

"Mrs. Wallace, I have your marriage certificate with me. Please come and get it," said the staff. 

Instantly, Michelle turned back with a grin on her face when she saw Anastasia. 

"Ana, come and take your marriage certificate," she urged her. 

Anastasia read between the lines. She was mocking her for marrying the black sheep while she was married to the CEO of the Wallace enterprise.

Anastasia revealed a small smile that didn't reach her eyes, took the marriage certificate from the staff, and turned, about to leave, but Michelle stopped her. 

"Come on, I want to see it. I want to see the useless man you will start calling your husband for the rest of your life," she urged, her eyes filled with mockery and her tone hushed, so that the staff wouldn't hear her. 

"We can see it later," Anastasia replied, about to walk out but Michelle grabbed her hand, stopping her. 

"Don't make me repeat myself," she threatened with a glare. 

In a blink of an eye, Michelle's expression was back to normal, as if she hadn't just threatened Ana. 

"Anastasia." Ana heard someone call her. She turned back to find Richard marching towards them. 

When they had come to register, he had made it clear to her that he wasn't coming along with her to get the certificates. 

'What is he doing here?' She wondered. 

"Hi Michelle," he greeted her, while Michelle tried to hide the disgust in her face as she stared at him. She couldn't be any more glad that she was married to Xavier.

Turning to Anastasia, he suggested, "Let's go home and celebrate by having a little fun tonight." He winked at Anastasia with a sly grin on his lips as he chewed a piece of gum. He placed his hand on her waist, making her flinch.

Anastasia ignored him, pretending she didn't hear him speak. She gulped down her saliva, inhaled then exhaled, hoping it would calm her nerves. 

"I'm talking to you," Richard nearly yelled at her when she gave him nothing but silence. 

"You are hurting me," she managed to mumble, her eyes lowering, unable to make eye contact with him. His grip on her waist had tightened. 

"Oh, so you can hear me? I thought you went deaf for a second," said Richard, licking his lips lustfully as he sized her up. 

Tears pooled in Anastasia's eyes while her hands clenched on the envelope, the paper that clearly stated she was finally married to Richard, who was the black sheep of the Wallace family. 

While her younger sister, Michelle was to marry her first son, Xavier, whom she had only seen once when he and his grandma came to their mansion to finalize a few things with her family. 

She knew her whole world had shattered and there was no point in revival. She could have ran away, far away from these people, but she couldn't. Her father had already threatened her that if she did, he would demolish the NGO she owned. 

The NGO was a place filled with happy children, a place she worked hard to build with her savings. The center had been spearheaded by her cousin who lived in constant fear of Anastasia's father. So, for the children's happiness, she had to sacrifice her freedom. 

Michelle scoffed when she saw Anastasia tearing up. 

"Richard, I've been asking Ana to show me the certificate, but she doesn't want to show me. But now that you are here, don't you want to see how handsome you look in it?" She asked him with a bright smile. 

"I want to see how I look in the picture, not that I would be surprised by my looks since I've always been handsome. Show it to me, baby," Richard urged her. 

'Fool,' Michelle thought to herself. 

Anastasia didn't want to delay and make things harder for her. Her hands trembled as she ripped open the envelope that contained the marriage certificate. She could feel the weight of their gazes on her as she spread it open, her breath catching in her throat. 

Her eyes fell on the photo attached and the certificate slipped from her grasp, fluttering on the floor. Her heart pounded wildly, her chest tight with a mix of disbelief and fear. 

'That's not Richard, that's Xavier.'

...

Michelle frowned when she saw Anastasia drop the certificate. She picked it up, her eyes widening in disbelief when she saw the photo attached. She looked at Anastasia, shock mirrored in their expressions.

"This is Xavier? How come you have Xavier's picture in your certificate?" Michelle questioned, glaring at Anastasia who was still frozen in shock as if she had a hand in it. Her voice attracted the attention of the people at the city hall. 

Michelle didn't waste any time and quickly tore open her certificate. "What the—" she nearly cursed when she saw Richard's picture attached alongside hers on the certificate. "I'm married to Richard? What sort of a mistake is this?" She questioned no one in particular. 

Richard was also baffled by the mix-up, but he didn't see it as a big deal. As long as he was married to one of them, he was okay with it. 

Ruffling his hair, he said, "You two can go ahead and figure out how this happened. I have to meet up with my friends and have a drink." After that, he went his own way. 

Michelle couldn't help but glare at his back. 

Anastasia heard what Michelle said, and couldn't help but be even more shocked. The whole mix-up was completely unexpected. 

Anastasia was internally hoping for a miracle from the heavens, but she never expected their spouses to be exchanged. She found herself married to Xavier, while Michelle was now married to Richard.

"What is this?!" Michelle's outburst brought her back from her thoughts as she compared the two certificates in her hands, as if her eyes were deceiving her. 

Michelle gritted her teeth in anger. She went to the staff and showed her the certificates. 

"What sort of joke is this? The man I came here with earlier was Xavier Wallace, and you got me married to Richard Wallace?!" She barked, veins popping on her neck out of frustration. 

At first, the staff was wondering what Michelle could be whispering to Anastasia. But seeing the mix-up, she felt a cold sweat run down her back. 

"You need to fix this!" Michelle ordered, her anger palpable. She had been daydreaming about how her wedding night with Xavier was going to feel like. But now that she wasn't married to Xavier as she'd expected, she felt a sudden urge to kill. 

The staff nodded vehemently, rushing from her seat to find out what could have caused the mix-up. 

Michelle turned to Anastasia. "I'm sure you are happy about this. You bribed the staff to swap the IDs, right? I know your ways, Anastasia. Mum and Dad are going to hear about this, and I will make sure they beat the truth out of you," she threatened, her teeth gnashing together while her fists clenched on the certificates. 

Michelle had never imagined getting married to Richard, Xavier's younger brother. He never took his life seriously and never set a goal for himself. The only reason he seemed important was because he came from the Wallace family. She didn't want to be married to such a person. She deemed it to be an abomination. 

"What are you saying, Michelle? How could I have bribed the staff? We came here at different hours to register, and there are many staff here as well," said Anastasia, hoping Michelle would believe her. 

The staff came back, sweat already glistening on her forehead. 

"I'm s-sorry, Mrs. Wallace. There w-was a fault with our system and it ended up swapping y-your IDs," the staff stuttered, afraid of her own life especially since Xavier Wallace was involved. She was internally hoping she wouldn't lose her job. 

"Shut up! This is a city hall for crying out loud and you are telling me there was a fault with your system? Don't tell me lies. She," Michelle pointed at Anastasia. "She bribed you, didn't she?"

The staff glanced between Michelle and Anastasia, confused by Michelle's words. All she could do was shake her head. "No ma'am—"

The staff didn't get the chance to complete her sentence when Michelle stormed out of the city hall, dragging Anastasia along with her. 

"Get in the car," she ordered when they reached outside. "We are going home and you are going to explain to Mom and Dad how this mistake happened," Michelle added, getting into the car. 

Anastasia had no choice but to get into the car. 

Michelle drove the car, heading to the Harrison mansion while calling Ana names now and then. 

The latter kept quiet, awaiting her doom as soon as they got out of the car since Michelle had already texted their parents about the mix-up. 

"You'd better confess now, else Dad is only going to beat you up to a pulp," she threatened nonstop. 

They finally arrived at the mansion. Michelle stepped down from the car and dragged Anastasia inside. 

Reaching the living room, Michelle pulled Anastasia with so much force that the latter fell on the ground—wincing in pain. 

"So, you were so greedy to have what your sister wanted that you went to the extent of bribing the staff members at the city hall to have your photo exchanged with Michelle's, huh?" Amelia questioned, the intensity of her glare scaring the skeletons out of Anastasia. "I'm talking to you, can't you speak?" She demanded. 

"What else can she say, mum? She has been caught red-handed so she has nothing to say," said Michelle. 

"You are going to get a divorce from Xavier," their father, Robert declared, his expression also holding the same amount of disdain as the other two as he glared down at her. 

Anastasia got up from the ground, and gulped down her saliva before she replied, "I don't want to divorce Xavier." She had no idea where that confidence came from, but she hoped it stayed longer. 

With gritted teeth, Robert threatened, "In that case, I will lock you up. No food and water until you agree to divorce him."

Michelle grinned when she heard her father. 

Robert dragged Anastasia even though she tried to stop him by pleading, but he didn't halt for a second. When they got to her room, he threw her in and locked it. 

"Dad, please." Anastasia's voice could be heard from inside, but they all ignored her. 

All of a sudden, Robert got a phone call. He picked up the call without looking at the caller, anger still evident in his expression. 

"Who is it?" He demanded. 

When he got the news over the phone, his expression went from surprised to sudden rage which made him grip his phone tightly in his hand.  

"Who was that?" Amelia asked when she saw her husband's expression.  

"It was the lawyer. He said the doctor attending to mother and father just contacted him, saying that both of them were dead. He also said that they had transferred all their properties to Anastasia," Robert forced the words out of his mouth.

...

"What?" Amelia asked, her voice barely a whisper. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know, but one thing is for sure," said Robert. "You are going to have to transfer everything in my name," he declared loud enough for Anastasia to hear through the door.

Anastasia couldn't believe her ears. She felt a deep sadness over her grandparents' deaths.

Their bond had been so strong that when her grandmother fell ill, her grandfather's health had also declined from the loneliness he felt while she was in the hospital. Now, both of them were gone.

Her grandparents were the only two people in the family who ever treated her kindly. Whenever they were around, even her parents, Michelle, and her brother Jack would treat her well. They all acted like a perfect family that loved her, never raising their voices at her as long as her grandparents were present.

But since they got sick, her marriage was suddenly arranged with Richard until they were in their current situation. 

"I'm not transferring anything," Anastasia objected, her tone soft and timid. 

Amelia suddenly opened the door, startling Ana. "And what's that supposed to mean?" She questioned her. 

"It means I'm not transferring anything. Grandma and Grandpa transferred everything they owned in my name because they wanted to and I won't disrespect them by transferring it to your name," she declared, her eyes on her mother as she glared at her, gritting her teeth. 

"You unfilial child!" Robert barked, striking her across the cheek. "I am your father and you have no right to disobey me, do you hear me?" He spat all over her face, grabbing her chin with so much force that she thought he was going to punch her. 

Without waiting for her answer, Robert struck her across the cheek the second time. She fell on the floor as her blood painted her lips, her cheeks bleeding. 

Michelle smiled, hiding her conflicting emotions. She was overjoyed to see Anastasia being treated like a dog, but a flicker of annoyance lingered. It irked her how things seemed to be going so well for Anastasia that day.

First, she had bribed the staff into swapping their IDs, ensuring she married Xavier, the man she was supposed to be with. And now, their grandparents had died, leaving everything they owned to Anastasia. Michelle was angry at how unfairly things had turned out in Anastasia's favor.

Robert pulled Anastasia's hair and forced her to stand up. "Are you going to sign the property papers?" He questioned her again and she shook her head. 

"No," she mumbled. 

This was the first time after a long time since Ana had disobeyed him. He couldn't fathom why she was suddenly disobeying at a time like this. His parents have always been richer than him. 

It was their wealth that made their family part of the influential people in their city, Radiantia. 

He had always anticipated the day his parents would pass away, imagining the moment the lawyer would call his name, announcing that he had received the majority of their wealth.

But the reality was far more cruel. He didn't receive even a percent of their estate; everything was left to his unfilial daughter, Anastasia.

Without further warning, Robert dropped Ana to the ground. He pulled off his belt and whipped it across her body, eliciting a sharp yelp of pain from her.

As if that wasn't enough, he started kicking her all over, intending to inflict unbearable pain on her so that she could choose to sign the papers. But Ana was extremely stubborn at that moment. 

Amelia, with her daughter, didn't want Robert to be the only one having the fun so they joined. They loved how they kicked Ana as if she was a soccer ball. 

"You think you are stubborn, aren't you? Let's see how much pain you can endure," Robert said. 

All of a sudden, they saw blood pool under Anastasia's dress. It was so shocking that they backed away a little. 

"Why is she suddenly bleeding?" Michelle asked no one in particular. She looked at Anastasia who had already passed out. 

"Call the guards, we need to take her to the hospital. She'd better not die yet when she hasn't signed the property papers."

Robert's bodyguards immediately rushed in when they heard their names being called. 

"Take her to the booth of the car, I don't want her dirty blood staining my fancy car seat. We are taking her to the hospital," he ordered and they immediately did as they were instructed. 

—

When they arrived at the hospital, Anastasia was immediately rushed in for treatment. Robert followed closely, his face a mask of cold determination.

 He grabbed the doctor by the arm, his grip firm and unyielding. 

"Listen carefully," he said, his voice low and threatening. "I only need her fingers to be moving. That's all that matters." 

The doctor looked at him, conflicted but unable to defy the urgent demand. Reluctantly, he nodded, and Robert stepped back, watching as they wheeled Anastasia away, his mind already calculating his next move.

"When is she going to be awake?" Robert asked as soon as the doctor came out of the hospital room. 

"She should be awake in about two hours," he replied. "But why does her body seem like she got beaten up? Did something happen to her?" He asked, wanting to know more about his patient. 

"She was robbed and that was how we found her, doc," Robert lied. He couldn't tell the doctor exactly what had happened. 

"I hope my sister will be alright," Michelle said, forcing a tear out of her eyes. Amelia hugged her as they sobbed together. 

"I see. Well, I'm sorry for the loss of your grandchild because unfortunately, the patient had a miscarriage." The doctor dropped the bomb which had the trio glance at each other in bewilderment. 

"I'm sorry but I don't think I heard that well," said Amelia. "Please can you repeat that?" she requested, waiting for the doctor. 

"The patient was pregnant and she had lost her baby, she had a miscarriage," the doctor repeated. 

...

The doctor excused them to grieve the death of the unborn baby they didn't know existed. 

"Ana has the nerve to get pregnant and didn't tell us anything about it," said Michelle. "It serves her right to lose the child," she added, a small grin stretched on her lips. 

The other two thought the same as well. They didn't care about the death of any unborn child they had just killed. They only wanted her to transfer everything she owned in Robert's name so that he could share it equally, they thought. 

"I will have my assistant get the property papers ready with the divorce papers. She will have to transfer all that is in her name to mine and she will also have to divorce Xavier. So should you, Michelle," he said to Michelle. 

"Believe me when I say that I'm ready to sign the divorce papers right now. I can't stay married to that jobless bull, he won't even be able to take care of me," she replied. 

"That's good. And after that…" Robert drawled, staring at the corners to be sure that no one was listening to them. When he was sure that they were alone, he continued, "We will have to get rid of Ana."

Amelia and Michelle glanced at each other before Amelia said,

"I was thinking the same thing. She is already starting to act stubbornly. I don't want her getting some crazy ideas so it's best to get rid of her soon."

Robert was proud of their line of thinking. This was his family, the family he was proud of. When it came to doing something evil, he knew his family would always support him even when it came down to killing someone. They never failed to show their support. 

"I will be the one that kills her, I don't want you two staining your hands with her blood," he said with a gentle smile on his face. "We will finally be getting rid of Anastasia and she will be out of our lives forever," he promised. 

They waited for Anastasia to wake up. Robert's assistant had already arrived with the papers he had requested. They were in his hands, anticipating Ana's awakeness. When the nurse who was in charge of taking care of Anastasia informed them that she was finally awake, they quickly rushed in. 

Inside the hospital room, Anastasia saw the people she once called family. No, she corrected herself. She didn't want to call them her family again.

"Monsters," she called them loud and clear for them to hear her. 

The Harrisons were shocked. Anastasia's defiance and resilience kept catching them off guard. This only made them more determined to get rid of her permanently once they had gotten what they wanted from her.

They didn't want to waste time bothering with the name she called them. Robert threw the papers at her bed, pointing at it, he ordered,

"Sign those papers. Those are the property and divorce papers. Sign them quickly and don't waste any time glaring at me."

Anastasia glared at him one more time before her eyes landed on the papers. It was all because of the papers that she had lost her baby. She was also shocked when the nurse from earlier informed her that she had a miscarriage and needed to take a rest. 

"Where's Richard?" She questioned, her tone chilly with not an ounce of emotion. This was the first time she was using that tone on them. They would be lying if they said they didn't feel scared for a moment. 

As if on cue, the door of the hospital room opened and Richard came inside, looking drunk and smelling as if he showered with alcohol. 

"What happened? Why did you suddenly call me here?" Richard asked, his words slurred. 

The more Michelle stared at Richard in disgust, the more she cursed at Ana internally. 

"Anastasia had a miscarriage and I'm guessing the child is yours?" Robert asked, staring intently at Richard as the latter stumbled until he found a chair to seat. 

Anastasia scoffed from the bed. He made her look like a prostitute with his words. 

"He is the father, it's not a guess because you let him have his way with me whenever he wanted, and you wouldn't intervene even once," she reminded him, her tone filled with so much anger that she felt her chest squeeze tightly that it became difficult to breathe. "You were supposed to be a father."

"Don't you dare sit down there and teach me about my role," Robert remarked. 

The both of them exchanged glares, none of them willing to back down. 

"So you mean to tell me that Anastasia was pregnant with my child and she lost the baby?" Richard asked, facing Anastasia. "You lost the baby?" He asked her directly but Anastasia didn't bother replying to him. 

He was drunk and there was a high chance he wouldn't even remember what occurred the next day. 

"Isn't that supposed to be good news?" He asked, smiling like a fool as his stench continued to fill the room. "It's good that you lost the baby because I'm not ready to be a father at all. So that was why you people called me over? Sigh…I'm leaving." He stood up from the chair and found his way out as he wobbled. 

As soon as Richard closed the door behind him, Robert urged Ana. 

"Sign those papers immediately."

A tear dropped from Ana's eyes but she wiped it immediately. 

She took the papers. "I will only sign these documents under one condition," she said which surprised them. They hadn't expected her to give in so quickly. 

"What is it?" 

"It's a trade. I'm willing to trade the properties for my peace of mind. I'm going to leave forever and I don't want you looking for me to trouble me ever again," she responded, her seriousness evident in her firm tone despite the pain she felt in her chest. 

...

A wild grin stretched across Robert's lips, making him look like the devil's replica. He nodded eagerly, agreeing to her condition without wasting a second.

"I will leave you alone and you will never be a part of the Harrison family again," he said. 

"That's exactly what I want."

Anastasia took the papers and signed them. The Harrisons watched as the ink stained the paper with her signature. They finally got what they wanted. 

Unbeknownst to Anastasia, they had a completely different plan for her. 

Anastasia handed the papers over to Robert and he wasted no time in retrieving them as his eyes glued on her signature. 

A few moments ago, Anastasia had been the richest member of the Harrison family. But now, having transferred everything she owned into Robert's name, he was the wealthiest.

"I will have the doctor come treat you properly so that you will recover quickly," said Robert, a huge smile on his lips. 

Anastasia stared at him, her face expressionless. She didn't say anything to either him or the other two that were behind him. 

Michelle was with the divorce papers. It was obvious from her smile how she ogled at Anastasia's signature that she was happy about the divorce. Sadly, Xavier was on a business trip so the divorce had to wait until he came back. 

'What can I expect from them? I shouldn't feel sad about this, I'm finally free from their clutches,' Ana thought to herself. 

The Harrisons excused her and called in the doctor to give her proper treatment.

A few days passed, and it was finally the day Anastasia was going to be discharged from the hospital. She waited for Robert until nighttime, the hours dragging by, before he finally arrived.

It was raining heavily on that day, making the streets slippery and dangerous. 

"Ana," Robert called her. He was sitting beside her in the back seat while his two bodyguards were at the front. "I'm so glad we are going home, everyone missed you," he added, a warm smile on his face which made Anastasia uncomfortable because he'd never spoken to her with warmth before. 

He attempted caressing her cheeks but Anastasia immediately scouted away from him. 

"I'm only going home to take the necessary things I need and I will leave," she corrected him, glaring at the hand he dropped by his side.  

Robert sighed, his smile still evident on his face. 

Anastasia saw the car change directions and she immediately became alert. 

"Where are we going?" She questioned. "This is not the way to the mansion."

"I'm sorry but I can't let you leave, Ana."

Before she could react, Robert hit her head hard with the gun he snuck out of his pocket without her noticing, making her go unconscious. 

They stopped the car for a brief second, carrying Anastasia to the boot of the car discreetly. They got back and continued their ride, heading towards their destination, where they planned to bury her. 

Suddenly, the car hit a patch of mud and skidded uncontrollably. The bodyguard who was driving tried to regain control, but the vehicle was very close to the edge of the road. 

Everyone inside was scared for their lives, except Anastasia who had already passed out in the boot of the car and was unaware of what was happening. 

The other cars on the street made their way quickly so they wouldn't collide together and have an accident occur. 

The car hit the barrier at the edge of the road, causing the trunk to fly open. Anastasia was thrown from the vehicle, rolling off the cliff and tumbling into the thick forest below.

Robert quickly got out of the car when he was sure that the car was stable and found the booth of the car already opened. 

He gritted his teeth in anger. "We are going to search for Ana in the forest," he instructed and had the bodyguards follow him. They went the other way which led to the thick forest since they didn't think they would survive it if they jumped over the barrier. 

The search for Anastasia began. But unfortunately, after an hour of searching for her under the heavy rainfall, they grew tired. 

"Boss, there's a possibility that she has already been eaten by the wild animals," one of the two bodyguards said, his eyes darting from one tree to another in fear that a wild animal would jump on them and use them as their dinner. 

"I agree. Even before she lands in the thick forest, I'm sure the branches have already stabbed her. She won't be able to survive it, boss," the other one immediately agreed, hoping that their boss would just let them leave the creepy forest. 

Robert contemplated for a while before he replied, "I guess you are right. She won't be able to survive it. She's dead." He declared. They turned their backs, deciding to leave. 

**

Deep in the forest, a man clad in a suit with an umbrella above his head, held by one of his men which protected him from getting drenched in rain ordered, 

"Make sure you leave no evidence behind." It was Xavier, talking to his men. 

The men, also clad in black suits, responded in unison. "Yes, boss!" They covered the body, a human trafficker who they had recently caught but refused to give them intel about his organization with sand, burying him deep in the ground. 

Xavier threw away the cigarette he was smoking in the forest, the rainfall quenching it immediately as he supervised his men. 

When he was sure that they didn't leave any evidence behind, he turned to leave but another one of his men screamed, grabbing his attention and the attention of others as well.  

"What is it?" Xavier questioned, annoyance evident in his tone. Even though the forest was thick and people rarely visited it, they still needed to be careful. 

"Boss, there's something over there," the man said, pointing to one side of the forest which was pitch black. 

A flashlight beam cut through the darkness, illuminating the area and giving them a clear view of the scene.

Xavier walked towards the object with cautious steps but when he got closer, he realized it was a human being and not an object. 

Xavier pushed the body over to see the face. His eyes widened in shock and disbelief as he recognized the person lying before him.

"Anastasia?"