Soon after, their home became a parade of visitors. Everyone came to offer congratulations and sing praises of their remarkable daughter. Swept away by the flood of admiration, they slowly lost their grounding. Their hearts brimmed with joy as they imagined the day Katrina would stand as the Griffiths family’s future head.

But that dream had soon turned sour.

Every Griffiths successor underwent brutal training—lessons and trials that tested both mind and body. Katrina, lacking the sharp instinct of her peers, stumbled again and again. Maxine’s punishments came swiftly and harshly, each one cutting deeper into her spirit.

Day by day, the once lively, carefree Katrina transformed into someone cold and distant. Sometimes, her anger would flare without warning, fierce and frightening.

Clifford and Belinda knew Katrina was in agony. Whenever the pressure became unbearable, Katrina would lock herself away, tearing at her pain until her body bore the marks of it. The sight of her broken form was a pain sharper than anything Clifford and Belinda had ever known.

Many times, they had wanted to beg Maxine to let Katrina go—to take back her decision and allow their daughter to live a simple, peaceful life.

But fear held them hostage. The thought of offending Maxine and dooming their family froze them in silence. Katrina would not allow them to do so either—the shame of losing her position as heiress, of becoming the subject of scorn, terrified her more than the suffering itself.

She had trapped herself in a prison of pride and pain, refusing every escape. And so, her torment had become Clifford’s and Belinda’s.

When Katrina had failed in her mission to kill Elliana, Clifford and Belinda had thought she was gone forever. Their grief had been unbearable—yet beneath it, a small voice whispered that perhaps it was for the best. At least her suffering was finally over.

Now, Elliana revealed that Katrina was still alive and had even returned to the innocent, carefree girl she once was. Tears returned, unstoppable. Amnesia didn’t matter. If Katrina no longer remembered the pain, she was finally free. To them, it felt like she had been reborn—a second chance to love her right, to protect her from every hurt. They silently made a vow. This time, they would never let her face that darkness again.

Clifford cleared his throat, his voice trembling.

L?t?st chαpt?rs ιn glovе.?

“If I may ask… how do you plan to punish Katrina?”

Before Elliana could speak, Belinda’s voice broke through her sobs.

“What she did is unforgivable. You have every right to take her life, and we wouldn’t . But please,” she whispered, tears streaking her face, “please, spare her. She’s my child.”

Her words ended in a shuddering cry. After all, what mother wouldn’t want her daughter to live? Maxine had reached nearly eighty before she died, and even then, Anita had wept like a child. Katrina was still so young—her life had barely begun.

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