Claiming Her Heart Is a War Novel – Acacia, who had been the beloved daughter of the Ashford family for seventeen years, saw her life plunge into abyss when the real heir returned. Her once-kind family and brothers suddenly turned hostile, and her fiancé, who had followed her around since childhood, embraced the true daughter instead. “Slap!” A sudden slap landed on Acacia Ashford’s cheek, leaving her face stinging with pain. Looking up, she saw her fiancé’s face twisted in fury. “You’ve monopolized my love for so many years, and yet you dare to hurt Nora? You’re nothing but a disgraceful wretch!” he spat venomously. After venting his anger, Rowan immediately turned to Nora with tender concern. Everyone turned against her, and she was eventually driven out of the house. But they soon regretted their actions… Acacia vows to make them pay!
“Slap!” A sudden slap landed on Acacia Ashford’s cheek, leaving her face stinging with pain. Looking up, she saw Rowan Ashford’s face twisted in fury. “You’ve monopolized my love for so many years, and yet you dare to hurt Nora? You’re nothing but a disgraceful wretch!” he spat venomously. After venting his anger, Rowan immediately turned to Nora with tender concern. His demeanor shifted dramatically. Nora, dressed in a white dress, had reddened eyes as she spoke softly, “Rowan, this has nothing to do with Acacia. I saw her cooking something for you, and I wanted to learn from her. But because I’m clumsy, I upset her, and she accidentally knocked over the pot, burning me. It’s all my fault. Please don’t blame her.”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she lowered her head, making her appear even more pitiful. Acacia stood numbly, watching the scene unfold before her. A year ago, an unexpected incident revealed that she was not the Ashford family’s biological daughter. The Ashford family had quickly located their true daughter and renamed her Nora Ashford. For Acacia, this revelation was a devastating blow. Although the Ashfords said she could still stay with them, her life had changed drastically. Her room had to be given to Nora. Her clothes, jewelry, and handbags were all transferred to Nora. When Nora felt upset about her poor academic performance, Acacia’s achievement of ranking first in exams brought her not praise but criticism.
Her family accused her of deliberately scoring high to humiliate Nora. From then on, Acacia didn’t dare to excel in exams anymore—or draw any attention to herself. She watched as the family who once adored her gradually lost interest in her, their eyes filled only with affection for Nora. Even her childhood friend and fiancé had become Nora’s. Though Acacia understood that she, like Nora, was an innocent victim of the hospital’s mix-up when they were infants, she knew she had occupied Nora’s rightful place and thus endured everything in silence. But to her dismay, Nora showed no intention of living peacefully with her. Instead, she schemed relentlessly, further alienating the Ashford family from Acacia. This time, Acacia had prepared some food to help with Rowan’s recurring stomach issues. She never expected Nora to forcibly interrupt her cooking, trying to push her away. As a result, the pot tipped over and burned Nora instead.
Nora immediately cried out in pain. Hearing the commotion, Rowan rushed in and, without hesitation, slapped Acacia. Now, seeing Nora cry from the pain, Rowan’s heart ached for her. “Nora, you’ve done nothing wrong. It’s her fault! She’s been jealous of you for years after taking all my love for herself!” Then, he turned to Acacia, his face full of disgust. “Why are you just standing there? Apologize to Nora right now!” Acacia’s chest tightened painfully, but her expression remained emotionless. “What if I told you I never touched the pot?” “If not you, are you saying Nora deliberately tipped the pot to burn herself? Nora is kindhearted—how could she do such a thing? She’s not a vicious woman like you!” Rowan bellowed angrily. “Besides, Nora’s hands are meant for playing the piano. If anything happens to them, you’ll pay for it!” Acacia’s entire body trembled.
There was a time when Rowan had treated her like his beloved sister. The jewelry she fancied, he would travel across oceans to bid for and personally deliver to her. Yet, because Nora once said she liked them, those jewels were taken from her and given to Nora. Even the piano that had once been hers suffered the same fate. After Nora expressed an interest in piano, Acacia was no longer allowed to touch it. One time, Acacia couldn’t resist playing a few pieces on the piano in secret, only to be caught by Nora. Nora cried, saying she had no talent and couldn’t compare to Acacia. Rowan immediately smashed the piano and bought a new one for Nora. From that moment on, he explicitly forbade Acacia from ever touching the piano again, threatening to break her hands if she disobeyed. These memories surged back like a tidal wave, leaving Acacia’s heart battered and bruised. Yet now, she no longer felt any pain. Looking at the disgust in Rowan’s eyes, Acacia surprisingly felt a sense of relief.
She had spent an entire year repaying the Ashford family for the kindness they had once shown her. Noticing the growing indifference and detachment in Acacia’s gaze, Rowan felt a flicker of unease. Seeing Nora choking back tears from the pain, Rowan’s fury finally erupted. “You’ve occupied Nora’s place for so many years. We didn’t drive you out—that’s already our greatest mercy. Yet you still bully Nora. Ashford Manor has no room for you anymore! I will not allow anyone who threatens Nora to stay here!” After saying this, he waited for Acacia to cry and apologize. Ever since Nora had returned home, Acacia seemed to care more about the family, likely because she was afraid of being kicked out. But after a moment of silence, Acacia responded, “Alright, then I’ll leave.” With that, she turned and headed upstairs. Rowan froze. She had decided to leave so easily? Impossible. How could she bear to? Though his mind said otherwise, Rowan felt an inexplicable discomfort.
Nora, with tears in her eyes, choked out, “Acacia has lived with us for so long. If she leaves, where will she go? I’ll go beg her to stay!” “Don’t go!” Rowan immediately grabbed Nora, his brows furrowing once more, his anger deepening. “If she leaves Ashford Manor, she’ll have nowhere to go but the streets. There’s no way she would willingly leave. She’s just trying to threaten us! I won’t let her get away with it!” He cursed inwardly, “Acacia has become so ill-tempered now, nothing like the obedient girl she was as a child!” This time, he resolved to teach her a proper lesson. If she refused to leave, he would make sure to drive her out! Not long after, Mrs. Ashford returned home. As they sat down to dinner, Rowan brought up Acacia’s situation. Hearing this, Mrs. Ashford’s brow furrowed so tightly it seemed she could kill a fly. “William, call her downstairs,” Mrs. Ashford ordered coldly.
No sooner had she spoken than Acacia appeared, descending the stairs. With a backpack slung over her shoulder, she swept her gaze across them indifferently. Under the warm glow of the chandelier, the dining table was laden with an array of sumptuous dishes—all of them Nora’s favorites. Rowan was cutting a steak for Nora. Seeing that Acacia was truly planning to leave, he felt a pang in his chest, which was quickly overtaken by anger. “Acacia, so you’ve finally grown some courage? Using running away from home as a threat now?” he sneered. Acacia replied coolly, “You were the one who told me to leave.” Mrs. Ashford frowned in displeasure and said coldly, “Rowan was only speaking in anger. Where will you go after leaving here? If something happens to you, do you want outsiders accusing the Ashford family of being cruel to you?” Indeed, the Ashford family valued their reputation immensely. The reason they had kept Acacia in the first place was precisely to maintain a good public image. Mrs. Ashford rubbed her temples, as if dealing with a headache.
“Fine, kneel down and apologize to Nora now, and this matter will be over. Don’t upset Nora again in the future.” Tears glistened in Nora’s eyes as she gently said, “Mom, don’t make things difficult for her. I’m fine…” “Why?” Rowan immediately objected. “Acacia, apologize! Even if you’re leaving Ashford Manor, you must first apologize to Nora!” He stared intently at Acacia, his eyes filled with rage. Acacia dared to threaten them! He would never let her succeed! A cold smile curled on Acacia’s lips as she looked at Nora. “Nora, tell me, was it really me who knocked over the pot?” Nora’s gaze flickered with unease, and she murmured softly, “Acacia, I don’t blame you. It’s all my fault.” Seeing Nora’s aggrieved expression, Rowan’s fury burned even hotter. He stepped forward abruptly, reaching out to grab Acacia’s neck. “You wretch! How dare you threaten Nora!” Instead of grabbing her neck, his hand caught hold of a phone. On the phone screen, a video was playing, and Nora’s voice could be heard. “You’ll tell everyone this dish was made by me for Rowan!” Nora’s tone was haughty.
Acacia’s voice responded coldly, “Nora, that’s enough!” “How dare you speak to me like that? Acacia, I am the daughter of the Ashford family. Do you know why I’ve kept you here? To make you understand everything! As long as I tell them these dishes were made by me, the Ashford family will never doubt me. They’ll always side with me!” In the video, Nora shoved Acacia but failed to push her away. Instead, she accidentally knocked over the pot, burning her fingers. She screamed in pain. Rowan entered just in time to see this scene and, without hesitation, slapped Acacia. The video ended, and the living room fell into a deathly silence. Acacia, who had been the beloved daughter of the Ashford family for seventeen years, saw her life plunge into abyss when the real heir returned. Her once-kind family and brothers suddenly turned hostile, and her fiancé, who had followed her around since childhood, embraced the true daughter instead.
“Slap!” A sudden slap landed on Acacia Ashford’s cheek, leaving her face stinging with pain. Looking up, she saw her fiancé’s face twisted in fury. “You’ve monopolized my love for so many years, and yet you dare to hurt Nora? You’re nothing but a disgraceful wretch!” he spat venomously. After venting his anger, Rowan immediately turned to Nora with tender concern. Everyone turned against her, and she was eventually driven out of the house. But they soon regretted their actions… Acacia vows to make them pay!