Chapter 1

Anna Noelle’s POV

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"Anna! Where are you, you wicked girl?!" Cindy shouted.

The harsh, booming voice sent a wave of panic crashing through my chest. I was in the middle of feeding the chickens in the yard, freezing mid-motion as dread set in. Cindy always needed something from me, and it never ended well.

The moment she spotted me, she stormed over and, without a single word of warning, struck me hard across my left cheek. The brutal impact shocked me, causing the container of chicken feed to slip from my grip and spill onto the dirt.

"Give me back my earring, you thief!" she shrieked, her voice boiling with a rage that intensified the terror already gripping my chest.

"I—I don't know what you're talking about—"

Before I could even finish, she lunged forward, twisting her fists into my hair and yanking it back violently.

"Ow! Cindy! That hurts! Please, let go!" I sobbed, tears stinging my eyes from the agonizing pull. They trembled on my lashes, threatening to spill over at any second.

"Oh, so you're fighting back now, huh?! Hand over my stuff, Anna!" she screamed, still demanding an item I had never even touched, let alone stolen.

She rained slaps and scratches down on my face and head. I threw my arms up to shield myself, but there was no escaping her long, sharp nails.

"Don't play innocent with me, Anna! Give me back my earring right now, or I swear I'll tell Mother!" she threatened, her voice shaking with malice.

Before I could even attempt to answer, she delivered a vicious shove that sent me tumbling backward—straight into the filthy, reeking pig trough beside the chicken coop.

My chest heaved in rapid, shallow gasps, a suffocating mix of panic and humiliation choking me. I swallowed hard, wincing as I tried to push myself up, but Cindy closed the distance instantly and struck my face again.

The blow sent a sharp throb of pain through my cheek and split my lip. A metallic, copper taste bloomed in my mouth—blood.

She grabbed a fistful of my hair once more, forcing my head back at an agonizing angle.

"That's what you deserve, thief! Why won't you just give me back my stuff? Huh? You wouldn't be getting hurt if you'd just return it!"

“No, please Cindy! I swear! I-I didn't steal your earning!”

"Cindy! What is going on here?!"

"Oh my god! What happened here, sister?!"

The sharp voices belonged to Helena, my stepmother—the biological mother of Cindy and her sister, Wendy.

I froze as their eyes fell on me. There was no sympathy in Helena's gaze, only a quick, sharp flicker of disgust. Wendy's lip curled in open revulsion.

"Eww, Cindy, why are you near her?!" Wendy shrieked, pulling her sister back. "She's sitting in the pigs' trough! Ugh, it's so vile! Get away from her before you catch something!"

A rush of relief washed over me when Cindy finally let go, leaving me abandoned on the filthy ground—humiliated and broken.

"What is the meaning of this, Cindy? And why is Anna sitting in the dirt?!"

Cindy glanced at me first, and I caught the faint, malicious smirk curling on her lips. But the moment she turned to face Helena, her expression morphed instantly, transforming into a mask of fear and distress.

"She stole my things, Mother!" Cindy cried, her voice trembling as if she were the victim. "I was only trying to take back what's mine, but she refuses to return it!"

I froze, my words caught in my throat. I couldn't believe what I was hearing—Cindy lying so easily, so convincingly, as though the truth had never mattered.

"What?!" Helena's sharp voice cracked through the air. When I looked up, her eyes were blazing with fury, directed entirely at me.

I lowered my gaze to my ruined, dirty clothes, unable to bring myself to look at Helena. Deep down, I already knew she would take Cindy's side—after all, she was her real daughter. I had no right to hope she wouldn't believe the lies.

"Oh my God! Is it your missing earring, sister? The sapphire one? I think I saw Anna with it the other day."

At Wendy's words, a fresh wave of dread washed over me.

I forced myself up from where I was sitting. I couldn't just stay down and let them frame me for something I never did.

"No! I didn't take Cindy's earring, Wendy! I didn't steal it!" I shouted, desperate to defend myself—only to fall silent as Helena's sharp voice cut through the air.

"Enough!"

I bit my lip, trembling with a volatile mix of anger, fear, and humiliation. My body shook as the sisters' accusations echoed in my ears, silencing any further defense.

"You two, go to your rooms and check your belongings. Keep your things safe," Helena ordered her daughters before turning her cold gaze back to me. "And you, Anna…"

I couldn't lift my eyes to meet hers, terrified of the verdict. Was she going to punish me for a crime I didn't commit?

"Get ready for lunch. After that, we're going to talk."

That was all she said before turning away.

When I finally looked up at the sisters, I caught them grinning at me, their eyes communicating a cruel message: You deserve this. You deserve all of it.

"Just wait for your punishment, Anna. The Moon Goddess will never accept someone like you—someone who's already rotten at heart. Come on, let's leave this pathetic little thief behind."

Wendy's taunting voice cut through me like a blade as she pulled Cindy away, her sister smiling triumphantly at my misery.

I couldn't bring myself to say a word in response. It was as if time itself had stopped. My throat tightene. My chest felt unbearably heavy with the weight of resentment and the raw sting of their cruelty.

Was it because I was born an Omega? Was that why they branded me a weak, pitiful thief.