Chapter 2
As I stepped out the door, Matthew roared behind me,
“Amara! If you walk away now, I swear I’ll never marry your daughter!”
“You brought us into this house under the guise of charity–but wasn’t it just to raise me as Shirley’s future husband?”
Matthew smirked as I froze in my tracks.
“Well, let me make this clear–I’ve only ever loved Sofia. I’ve had enough of Shirley’s pathetic, self–important crush.”
Sofia, overwhelmed by his declaration, rushed to him, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Let go of Matthew!”
She started prying at the guard’s fingers one by one, trying desperately to free him. But her strength was nothing. She barely moved
them an inch.
When that failed, she spun toward me, eyes wide with desperation.
“Please, Amara, let them go.”
“If it weren’t for my weak immune system–and the doctors warning it could lead to kidney failure–they never would’ve asked her to donate a kidney to me.”
“The Voss family has so much money. Even if Shirley donated a kidney, with proper care she’d be fine.”
“And if she truly doesn’t want to…I’ll leave. Just don’t punish them.”
Tears streamed down her face–pure, fragile, perfectly staged.
Matthew struggled against the guards, glaring up at me like he was the victim.
“Fine. You win. Money always wins.”
“If Shirley agrees to the transplant, then sure–maybe I’ll consider marrying her.”
“But nothing matters more than Sofia’s life.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed.
They actually thought getting into the Voss family was that easy?
I didn’t even bother answering Matthew. I turned to Jax instead.
“And you?” I asked coldly. “Is this how you feel too?”
Back when they were kids, Matthew treated Shirley like an older brother would–protective, distant, and sometimes strict.
But Jax was different. He was her confidant, the one she could always talk to about anything.
Whether she was crushed over a bad test score or thrilled after discovering a new favorite snack, Jax was the first person she’d run to.
Even the first time she found herself blushing over Matthew, it was Jax she told.
And now, I was staring at the same boy who used to shield Shirley from everything,
who never once hesitated to stand by her side.
But his face had twisted with disgust as he snapped at me,
“I should’ve known–Shirley’s cruelty clearly runs in the family,”
“You’ve been pulling the strings for years, keeping us locked up in this mansion like puppets. What, now you want to control who we’re allowed to love too?”
Chapter 2
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“Well, I’m done. Just like Matthew, I think Shirley doesn’t deserve a damn thing. She’s not even in the same league as Sofia.”
After hearing their answer, I turned away, climbed into the car with my daughter in my arms, and instructed the bodyguards to stuff something in their mouths.
They didn’t deserve words anymore.
Ridiculous–a part of me still expected better.
I should’ve known better.
I know my daughter.
What Matthew did might have hurt her–but it was Jax’s betrayal that truly broke her.
They were raised on the wealth of my family, fed by our hands, clothed in our name, and now they bite the very hand that kept them
alive.
She doesn’t need their pity. Not their affection. Not anymore.
Her future will be paved with power and wealth–enough to last for generations.
I held her close, brushing back the strands of hair stuck to her tear–streaked face.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” I whispered.
“This is all my fault.”
Chapter 2
