When she opened her eyes, it felt as if she had been asleep for days as every part of her body was at ease and without pain.
For a moment, PrimRose thought she was free from her sickness and that everything was fine. She was without worries as she looked at the ceiling, wondering what her life would feel like after this phase.
Then, thoughts about her stepsister occurred to her. She wondered what she had signed and how it was going to affect her. She couldn't trust Hillary as she knew fully well that her blonde stepsister had been trying to get rid of her.
She had asked for a reason once, but she got nothing, except for the fact that Hillary hated PrimRose because she shared in her father's property.
The door flung open as she sat up. She was surprised to see that the pain was all gone but she still felt terrible. The pain left but the discomfort lingered.
"Oh, sleeping beauty is up. Oops," Hillary placed her four fingers on her mouth as if she uttered something wrong. "The story isn't right, you that ogre's female in... what's the cartoon name again?" She pretended to try to remember.
"Sleeping beauty has a prince to come save her but you... even if a prince ever appears, one sight of you and he's," she waved her hand slowly and made her eyes follow the slow movement of her hand, demonstrating to PrimRose the meaning of her words. "... gone," she finished.
PrimRose watched her. If it was the first time Hillary was acting that way, she would have been hurt but this was the nth time, so the pain had disappeared long ago.
She was the ugly duckling, the fat cow, the hippo—she was the ugly one.
"Thank you for looking after me," she said, her voice soft and weak.
Hillary scoffed. She found a chair and sat down. "Please, why would I waste my father's money on a hopeless person like you? You are alive because you did us a favor by paying us back," her smile was mischievous.
PrimRose was confused. But while she was looking at Hillary for a little more explanation, Hillary sneered, looking at her in disgust and hate. "Gosh, you are so ugly, your double chin when you talk makes me feel irritated. How can someone be this ugly and hideous? Well, you sure are the perfect match for that mad billionaire," she stood up, leaving PrimRose in confusion.
"Hillary," she climbed out of bed subconsciously and walked up to Hillary who was about leaving the room. She touched the girl's shoulder to stop her. "This is about the documents, right?"
Hillary hated the fact that PrimRose touched her, so she pushed her to the floor. "How dare you touch me with that filthy heavy hand!" She yelled.
It was when Hillary pushed her that she realized that she wasn't treated. Her head felt heavy like before, her heart was beating unsteadily and her body felt like it had been drained.
She was still sick. She must have been given painkiller pills or sleeping pills to cause her to feel the pain less.
Evelyn rushed into the room and saw PrimRose on the floor, but she tended to Hillary first. "What happened here?" she asked, acting as if PrimRose was invisible.
"That stupid girl touched me," Hillary complained, glaring at PrimRose who was still helplessly on the ground.
"What were you thinking, you fool? Have you checked yourself in the mirror to see how many surgeries you'll need to be as gorgeous as her? Do you want her to be infected by your ugliness?!"
PrimRose looked at her mother in disbelief. It was, of course, not the first time her mother had been this harsh and wicked to her but when she wondered why her mother hated her so much, she flared up and could no longer suppress those feelings.
"Is it a crime to touch her?" PrimRose's voice lacked confidence and was filled with emotions. "I'm human too, mother, why do you treat me this way? You never wanted a child, why then did you have to get laid without protection? You wanted this but you make me pay for all your mistakes. To hell with you! Go to hell!" as she screamed, she lost her voice in her tears.
"You are not my daughter. My daughter isn't ugly," Evelyn said while Hillary watched in amazement.
She knew that PrimRose was Evelyn's daughter, but she had been hiding it from her father because she and Evelyn had a deal. This was one of the reasons Evelyn despised her daughter, and treated her like a god.
"But you love to sleep with ugly men." Her words surprised her more than it did to Hillary and Evelyn.
"How dare you call my father ugly, you dirty thing," Hillary, furious, went close to PrimRose and slapped her face. She slapped her again, but PrimRose did nothing about it. She acted like a doll—giving no emotion to the pain inflicted on her face
"You know what's worse?" Hillary, glaring wickedly at PrimRose, said.
With their gazes on each other—PrimRose's eyes filled with curiosity while Hillary's was with anger and hatred.
"The end of you is near and you know why?" she smiled maliciously and stood straight. She took the document from Evelyn and tossed it to PrimRose. "Ugly PrimRose is married to lunatic Salvatore," she said in a singsong tone, watching PrimRose go through the document.
"This can't be," she murmured to herself. "This can't be! Why did you do this to me?" PrimRose was about to get up but the pain in her head sent her back to the floor.
Evelyn and Hillary burst into laughter. "Ha, so pathetic," Hillary uttered. "You thought you could get away with all the expenses my father spent on you but look at you now, married to a mad man," she continued laughing.
PrimRose was too shocked to speak.
Last two months was when the news about a woman committing suicide because she dated Salvatore only for a week spread through the whole country.
Not only that, but there were also several women who had ended up in the mental asylum because of their encounter with Salvatore. Being married to him only meant one thing.
It meant that there was no hope left for her in this world.
"Yes, he is coming to claim you in..." she looked at her watch and as if she was a fortune-teller, a maid entered the room to announce the arrival of Salvatore's messengers.
PrimRose went on her feet and walked close to her mother. "Is this how much you hate me? You sold me for money and for what?"
Then, she looked at Hillary. "I still don't understand why he would want me. I'm ugly and fat. You are the beautiful one..."
"Do you expect me to marry a lunatic?"
"The document was for you and not me," PrimRose realized and still couldn't comprehend how selfish and evil her mother and Hillary could be.
"Don't look at me like that. A goddess like me doesn't deserve an old lunatic and such an offer can't be declined so... why don't you pay my father for all he has done for you? Be grateful."
With that, she walked out of the room after telling Evelyn to prepare PrimRose for her departure.
She looked at her mother and shook her head. "Thank you for everything," with a broken heart, she said and went ahead to pack her things.
PrimRose looked at the mirror and seeing that she was now alone, she burst into tears. "I am ugly and... I don't deserve to live. I..." she stopped and was about to cut her face with the hair pin in her hand, but she didn't succeed because of the maid who barged into her room.
"It's time you left, Miss."