When Cassandra heard that someone had invited Rachel out for dinner, her narrowed eyes instantly filled with suspicion. “Which friend? It’s not Tyler, is it?” she asked.

Rachel’s hand froze slightly as she reached for her bag, but she didn’t respond. She wasn’t facing Cassandra; instead, she simply walked straight toward the door as if she hadn’t heard anything.

Fury surged across Cassandra’s face. She stood abruptly and pointed a trembling finger at Rachel’s back. “Rachel, stop right there!”

Rachel didn’t even pause. She just walked right out.

Cassandra’s entire body trembled with anger. “This is outrageous! She has absolutely no respect for me!”

“Madam, don’t forget, she can read lips, but she can’t hear,” Mrs. Jones said.

That snapped Cassandra back for a moment, but the anger was still there.

“Just the sight of her irritates me. Who does she think she is? She used to have the Lloyd family backing her, but now? She’s not even their biological daughter.”

She turned toward Samantha and softened her voice.

“Don’t worry, Rachel can’t affect you. William might be a bit reluctant now, but only because she lost her hearing for him. In the end, everything depends on the child you’re carrying.”

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Lewis. I'm fine with it. I just want to stay by William’s side and give birth to our baby. I won’t fight Rachel over anything,” Samantha said.

Cassandra gently rubbed Samantha’s cheeks. “You really are such a good girl.”

After leaving the Lewis family estate, Rachel caught a glimpse of a familiar-looking car nearby. It didn’t look like Tyler’s. Why would he be here anyway?

But it was already dark, and she couldn’t make it out clearly. Besides, her ride had just arrived, so she didn’t pay much attention.

She told the driver to head to a tattoo studio.

When she got there, the owner was already closing up.

Knowing she would be leaving town soon and had too much else to handle, Rachel didn’t want to delay. She took a few notes from her wallet and placed them on the counter.

“Can you please help me out? I probably won’t be around the next few days.”

The shop owner glanced at the cash and casually swept it into his bag. “Alright, come in.”

Rachel let out a sigh of relief and walked in. As she rolled up her shirt, the tattoo artist caught sight of the butterfly on her back and frowned.

“That butterfly’s been there a long time, hasn’t it? If you want to get it removed now, it won’t be easy. It will hurt a lot too.” Anyone familiar with tattoos knew that while getting one could be beautiful, having it removed required serious patience.

Rachel didn’t hesitate for even a second. “No problem.”

The artist blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected her to be so resolute. “Alright then. Let’s get started.”

Rachel took a deep breath and lay down on the narrow table. The moment the laser touched her skin, a wave of sharp, burning pain shot through her back.

She gripped the table tightly. Cold sweat formed on her forehead.

The artist, feeling the tension in her body, paused and wiped his own brow.

“If it’s too much, we can stop right now,” he said.

“No. It’s fine. Please continue.”

No matter how much it hurt, she forced herself to endure it.

That butterfly on her back had been a constant reminder of all the love she had poured out, only to find out in the end she had been nothing more than a stand-in.

The artist couldn’t help but feel some admiration for her. This kind of pain wasn’t something most young women could handle, yet Rachel went through it without complaint.