Destroyed Us for Your Bastard? Say Hi to Your Cellmate, Ex! - Chapter 39: Chapter 39

What's it like to be raised as a "human experiment" by your biological parents?
At age six, Quinn Morrison was "accidentally lost," only to be taken in by foster parents who subjected her to years of abuse.
At twenty-one, her biological parents suddenly appeared, taking her hands and claiming they'd finally found her.
She thought she'd finally found the warmth and family she'd been longing for.
Little did she know, it was all an elaborately designed deception...
By chance, she overheard a conversation between her so-called "family" and her fiancé, speaking from their pedestals of privilege.
"The subject is performing adequately. Continue observation."
"The more pain she experiences, the clearer we can see her true nature. This is all for her benefit."
As it turned out—
Her "getting lost" at six was premeditated, her foster parents' abuse was deliberately arranged, and even being welcomed back into the Morrison family was nothing more than a human experiment.
What she believed was family love was nothing but lies.
She chose to escape.
But the Morrisons went crazy searching for her everywhere—
"Quinn, come back. The experiment is over now."
"We've already acknowledged you as the Morrison heir and my future wife. How long are you going to keep throwing this tantrum?"
"Richard, when can we end this experiment? She's proven herself reasonably exceptional already."
"I've regretted abandoning her when she was six. Though it was supposedly for her own good, she's still flesh of my flesh. What if we—"
Quinn froze outside the door, about to deliver drinks, and instinctively held her breath. Mrs. Morrison's voice carried clearly through the door.
"It's been so long, and we can see that Quinn is actually a wonderful girl. She hasn't developed self-loathing from abandonment, nor has she become arrogant or entitled since returning. Maybe we can terminate the experiment early..."
"Mrs. Morrison, we need just one more month. We're at the final stage of testing. Stopping now would compromise all our results," a male voice responded.
"Exactly. We must continue. We can't throw away years of effort at the final stage." Mr. Morrison's voice was cold and firm. "We've sacrificed so much for this experiment. She's merely experiencing some hardship. It's nothing significant."
Deliberately abandoned? Experiment? These words made Quinn's head swim. The tray trembled in her hands.
"Just one more month, and we'll compensate for all these years. Besides, she's so understanding—she'll surely appreciate your good intentions..."
Quinn couldn't bear to listen anymore. She turned abruptly, the wineglasses on her tray finally losing balance and crashing to the floor. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the empty hallway, but she was already stumbling away, too distraught to care.
Turned out it was all fake.
Being "kidnapped" at six was intentional. Her cruel foster parents had been carefully selected. Even being "found" a year ago was staged...
"Well, well, if it isn't my dear sister?" Madelyn's mocking voice came from above.
She wore a custom Chanel gown, Cartier diamond necklace sparkled brilliantly under the lights, creating a stark contrast with Quinn's plain, worn server uniform.
Quinn instinctively stepped back, but Madelyn had already affectionately linked arms with her.
"Since you're here, come with me!" Madelyn's smile was radiant, but her eyes gleamed with malice. "Today is our shared birthday. We can't have you working all night! Come, let's cut the cake together!"
"No... that's not necessary..." Quinn tried to pull away, but found herself trapped in Madelyn's surprisingly strong grip, her manicured nails nearly digging into Quinn's flesh.
"Don't be shy!" Madelyn dragged her toward the ballroom. "Dad, Mom, and Richard will be thrilled to see us getting along so well."
The ballroom was brilliantly lit. Guests looked surprised as Madelyn entered pulling Quinn in her server's uniform.
Quinn felt their gazes cutting into her skin like knives—contemptuous, mocking, without a shred of kindness.
"Everyone!" Madelyn took the microphone, her tone childishly sweet.
"Today I want to thank someone special—my sister Quinn. She was lost years ago due to an unfortunate accident, and we missed her terribly. We finally found her last year... Though my sister might not be too fond of me, but I'm very grateful that she could attend my birthday party...."
Standing on stage, Quinn felt countless eyes fixed on her.
She noticed Mr. and Mrs. Morrison, who had somehow returned to their front-row seats, their expressions darkening. Richard frowned, seemingly about to stand up, but ultimately remained seated.
"So, I want to celebrate this special day with my sister." Madelyn turned and took two champagne flutes from a server's tray, offering one to Quinn. "Sister, here's to you."
Quinn stared at the bubbling liquid, an ominous feeling rising within her. She wanted to refuse, but with all eyes on her, she reluctantly accepted the glass.
"Cheers." Madelyn flashed a sweet smile that made her look genuinely fond of her sister, lightly clinked glasses, then immediately drank hers in one go.
Just as Quinn was about to raise her glass, Madelyn suddenly turned pale, clutching her stomach and doubling over. A moment later, she coughed up blood onto the pristine white tablecloth.
"Madelyn!" Richard was the first to rush onto the stage, roughly pushing Quinn aside. She stumbled backward, colliding painfully with the edge of the table, her face going white with pain.
"Call an ambulance! Quickly!" Mr. Morrison barked, while Mrs. Morrison had already rushed to Madelyn's side, her trembling hands caressing the girl's pallid face.
"Quinn Westerly! How could you be so vicious?" Mrs. Morrison suddenly turned, pointing accusingly at Quinn. "Just because Madelyn grew up with us, you're so jealous that you'd poison her?!"
"I... I didn't..." Quinn shook her head, face ashen. "I really didn't poison anyone..."
"My God, how horrible..."
"No wonder she grew up elsewhere—such a wicked heart! To do something like this... what an ungrateful wretch!"
"Miss Madelyn was so kind to her, and this is how she repays that kindness... Madelyn was right about her hatred all along..."
The surrounding whispers crashed over Quinn like waves. She struggled to breathe, looking toward Richard, only to meet ice-cold eyes.
"Quinn, I warned you not to try anything." Richard's expression was frigid. "Security, restrain her and turn her over to the police!"
Two security guards immediately stepped forward to grab her arms. Quinn tried to struggle, but it was futile.
"...I'm just a server. How could I possibly get poison? It wasn't me..." Her protests were drowned out by the accusations from the crowd.
Just then, a faint "crack" sounded from above.
Quinn looked up to see the massive crystal chandelier swaying, its screws coming loose one by one.
Her eyes widened in horror. She instinctively tried to flee, but the guards roughly shoved her to the ground.
Looking up, she saw Richard carrying the unconscious Madelyn to safety, Mr. and Mrs. Morrison being escorted away by security, and guests scattering in panic...
No one remembered her.
No one reached out to help.
With a thunderous crash, the chandelier fell directly on her. Excruciating pain instantly engulfed her body as warm blood poured from her wounds.
As her vision blurred with red, she saw Richard and the Morrisons running toward her in horror, their mouths opening and closing as if calling her name.
How ironic...
Despite the intense pain, her lips curled into the faintest smile.
Even knowing it was all a lie, why did her heart still ache at the sound of their worried voices?
A year ago, when she learned her biological parents had found her and wanted to bring her home, Quinn had been so excited she couldn't sleep all night. She eagerly returned with them, never imagining she was simply falling from one hell into another.
Her memories from before age six were somewhat hazy, but many features of the house matched those blurry recollections.
Yet the parents who had once doted on her now treated her with cold indifference, and Richard, who had always protected her, now regarded her with utter contempt.
She never understood why. She tried desperately to please them all, even planning to work part-time after being accepted into a prestigious graduate program abroad, hoping to earn enough for thoughtful gifts to present along with her acceptance letter—all to earn just one smile from them.
But before she could share her joy, she discovered the birthday party at the hotel where she worked was for her fake sister Madelyn. No one had wanted to invite her; they even found her presence as a server embarrassing.
And then she accidentally learned the whole truth.
An experiment... she was nothing but a test subject after all...