pte

om died the instant my heels

th a freezing clarity. The suffocating hurt h

is jaw locking tight as if my presence were an intolerable insult. Besid

ed, shifting uncomfortably

king entirely onto the man

room with frigid composure. "I didn't realize the Kingsley Group conducte

on. "Elena, that's enough. Lower y

laden coffee. "I'm simply admiring your dedication. No wonder you double over in agony in the dead of night. You gorge on reckless, forbidden food out he

r large doe-eyes welling wi

ke a fragile flower in a storm. "I-I just wanted to cook for him. I woke up early to make his

e collapsed sideways against Xavier's broad chest, clutching

ything! Elena thinks I'm trying to harm

large hand resting against her back with a gentle, protective t

me, that tenderness insta

ay to prepare this meal with genuine affection. You have no right to barge in here, throwing your bitter, ve

And you have no right to play the high-and-mighty lord when you lied to my face, abandoned your own home, and relied o

that coffee sloshed over the linen. She lunged to her feet, placing herself between me and Vivienne like a mother lion guar

ed face. "Just like she manipulated you her entire life. I stated facts. If she actually cared about Xavier, she would know a sing

ienne's grace, jealous of her beauty, jealous that everyone loves her! You think because you stepped into her wedding dress and stol

, my voice vibrating with the sheer weight of five years of sacrifice. "I gave up my dance career, I gave up my future, and I lived with a man who looked throug

an answer. "Dad? Are you going to sit th

ed to his plate, shrinking into his seat

Bitter. Resentful. You took Vivienne's title, you carry my name, but you will never possess a sing

my parents shoved me through the church doors because their precious gold

uestion that had haunted my entire exi

breath? Why was my hard work never enough? Why did you strip every opportunit

he polite socialite mask shattered entirel

ce, her voice dripping with cruel venom. "You were never wanted. I never intended to

r eyes wild with vin

die without a compatible donor! That was the only reason you were brought into this world, Elena! You were a savior sibling-a medical match engineered to provide umbilical cord blood, bone

ged into a suffocati

rashed over me like

s as a tiny child that my mother had dismissed as "routine checkups," the cold indif

r a daught

t. An insurance policy bo

jaw remained set, but his eyes flickered with an uncomfort

idn't just burn out; it tur

und silence hu

e father who watched in silence, the sister who built her life on my blood, and the

I didn't let a

enty-five years, I had bled for them, starved for their affec

as o

of pain, anger, or warmth-completely hollo

ime, meeting his cold green e

d quietly. "You d

n my heel and walked out of the house, leavi