Chapter 4

But there was nothing like that.

Clutching my stomach, I said softly, “I won’t fight you, Audrey. Please let me leave, okay? I’ll cut off all ties with them. From now on, they’ll be your parents alone.”

She laughed coldly. She grabbed my hair, lifted a glass and forced the alcohol into my mouth. “You think I’d believe that nonsense?”

“Doesn’t your stomach hurt? Then drink more. Die faster. Once you’re dead, no one will fight me for Mom and Dad.”

The strong liquor burned all the way down. The pain made my whole body tremble.

With what little strength I had left, I shoved Audrey away.

She screamed and fell to the floor.

The lounge door suddenly burst open. Mom and Dad rushed in and shoved me aside in panic.

“Audrey! Are you okay? Did the glass cut you?”

“Althea Sinclair, can’t you see the floor is covered in glass? What if you hurt your sister by pushing her?”

I stared at them, their faces filled with fear and concern, so real that they had completely forgotten to pretend to be poor.

It felt as if something inside my chest had been ripped open.

So… they had been here all along.

Then why had they ignored my pain?

“Althea, you hate us for pretending to be poor and lying to you. Fine. Hit me if you want. I won’t fight back. But you crossed the line when you cursed your parents, saying they deserved to die.”

Mom and Dad looked at me with deep disappointment.

“This was your mother’s idea and mine. It has nothing to do with Audrey. What right do you have to lay a hand on her?”

“We pretended to be poor because you were greedy and reckless with money.”

They began listing my so-called sins, one by one.

“When we first brought you home, you were jealous of Audrey. You sneaked into her room at night and cut up all her dresses.”

“And the jewelry Audrey lost? It was all found in your room in the end.”

I clenched my fists tightly and stared at them in disbelief.

Dad’s eyes grew colder as he looked at me. “The time you took Audrey’s most valuable necklace, you even insisted on calling the police.”

“Do you know how much that jewelry was worth? If the case had been fully investigated, you would’ve been sentenced to at least ten years.”

“We used all our connections to stop the police from going further. We even made your sister apologize to you just to calm you down. What did we ever do wrong to deserve your hatred?”

Mom’s eyes reddened.

“Your father and I had already planned everything. As long as you didn’t ask us for money during these three years and learned to endure hardship, we would tell you the truth.”

“We would bring you home and divide the company and inheritance equally between you and Audrey.”

“But you disappointed us, Althea. Just because pretending to be poor made you uncomfortable, you cursed your parents to die.”

My whole body shook uncontrollably.

“So… you never trusted me.”

“So, every time you said you believed I didn’t do those things, it was all a lie.”

I wiped my eyes and said softly, “If you hate me this much, then I won’t be your daughter anymore.”

I struggled to my feet and staggered toward the door.

“Althea! Stop right there!”

“We only scolded you a little and wanted you to admit your mistake. And you’re cutting off the family over this?”

Mom yelled angrily, “Come back here!”

When I didn’t stop, panic finally crept into her voice. “If you’re leaving, then leave everything we gave you behind!”

“The clothes you’re wearing, they’re all from us. If you hate us so much, then don’t use our money!”

I stopped walking.

Seeing that, she let out a breath of relief, but her face remained cold as she opened her mouth.