WTF! My Fiancé's Mistress Turned My Prize Horse into My Little Pony Right Before Kentucky Derby?！ - Chapter 45: Chapter 45

After Dad died, Mom planned to commit suicide by drinking sulfuric acid, taking three-year-old me with her.
When she tried to give it to me first, her hand trembled accidentally, spilling half the bottle all over my face.
As I screamed in agony, covering my face, she was so terrified by my hideous, acid-burned appearance that she ran away—and never came back.
I lived like that, with my ghostly appearance, until I was twenty-five.
Finally, luck smiled on me—I found a boyfriend who didn't seem to mind my looks, and his stepsister Zara treated me like her best friend.
On Zara's birthday, they both invited me to their family gathering.
I was overjoyed and spent two hours going to buy a birthday cake from Zara's favorite shop.
The moment I reached their front door, I could hear laughter and chatter from inside.
"Zara, sweetie, any luck finding that bone marrow donor? Your brother mentioned it's someone you guys know—they'll definitely help out!"
"Don't worry, Mom. It's my brother's girlfriend. She's totally devoted to us. She'll come through for sure."
I rang the doorbell. A middle-aged woman opened the door, but the moment she saw me, she slammed it shut.
I stood there stunned. So the woman who had just been speaking was her? It had been over twenty years since we'd last seen each other...
After a long moment, she cracked the door open, her expression disgusted.
"What the hell are you doing here? I've got a family now. If you can't make it on your own, go die somewhere else! Don't you dare mess with my life!"
I didn't say a word. Just set down the gift and cake and smiled faintly.
"Happy birthday."
I caught a flicker of guilt in her eyes before I turned and walked away.
I'd been waiting for this moment for a long time.
The next day at work, my boyfriend Marcus came rushing over, worry mixed with accusation in his voice.
"Riley, what happened yesterday? Zara's birthday party—my parents waited for you for hours. How come you were a no-show?"
I studied Marcus's eyes, trying to figure out how much of what he felt for me was real.
"Something came up."
"You could've at least given us a heads up. I called you like fifty times yesterday—when you didn't pick up, I thought something terrible had happened."
I just shook my head and went back to my work.
Marcus glanced around, then suddenly pulled me into the stairwell and handed me a medical report, his tone dead serious.
"Riley, I need to ask you for a huge favor."
Remembering yesterday's conversation about bone marrow donation, I already knew what was coming.
Sure enough, the report showed Zara's leukemia diagnosis. The next page, our compatibility results.
"Zara—she's got leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. Remember that company health screening? I took your sample for testing without asking... I'm sorry, but it was a successful match!"
"That family gathering yesterday was supposed to be when I told you. Look, I know your face situation isn't ideal, but this could actually help you bond with my family."
"Then we can get married smoothly!"
Marcus sounded excited, determined, like this was already a done deal.
"Marcus, I don't want to donate."
He clearly hadn't expected me to refuse. Just stood there, stunned.
Why should I agree?
Give me at least one reason.
After being disfigured and abandoned, it was old Mr. Peterson next door who got me to the hospital.
The pain and mockery I've endured all these years have always kept me on the edge of suicide.
Every single day, I had to cake on foundation and hide behind a mask.
Because of my face, no matter how high I scored on tests or how talented I was, I could only get the most basic jobs.
I can't even have any reflective surfaces in my apartment, and I keep the curtains drawn year-round—I was terrified of seeing my own face, uglier than any ghost.
So, now, I really wanted to see what Marcus would choose.
Would he pity my tragic past and give up?
"Riley, Zara's your best friend!"
"You...you worried about surgical complications, do you?"
Marcus grabbed my arms, but he could only look at my lips—I knew well he was too scared to see the disgusting scars on my face.
My heart sank.
"Bone marrow donation doesn't hurt. Actually, the hardest part is finding a match, and you two are already compatible. Some donors walk out the same day. Riley, please! Just save Zara."
Of course we were compatible—she was my sister too, for real, in blood.
I knew Marcus was clueless about that, but was he really okay with my disfigurement, or just putting up with it for the bone marrow?
But... why couldn't he even look at my scars?
Maybe I already knew.
I just didn't want to admit.
"Sorry, I can't donate. You'll have to find someone else."
I started to leave, but Marcus yanked me back.
"Riley, how can you be so heartless? Everyone stares and talks shit about you! Zara and I never treated you like that. Besides us, who else would even deal with a freak like you?"
"It's just a simple procedure. You won't even save your friend's life?!"
I turned back around and locked eyes with him.
"I'll donate, but I want five million dollars, plus Victoria needs to get on her knees and apologize to me."
"Meet both conditions, and I'll see you at the hospital in three days."
Under his shocked and conflicted expression, I just turned and walked away.
Around midnight, Marcus texted me.
[My family agreed to your conditions. I had no idea about your history with my stepmother, Victoria. I'm sorry, Riley.]
Agreed?
But I never swore that I would actually go to the hospital.