Chapter 7N
A sharp slap snapped me out of my thoughts. My father’s hand struck my face with such force that my vision blurred.
“Your sister barely made it back home and this is how you treat her?!” he bellowed.
He glared at me, his voice filled with disgust. “Kneel down and apologize to Nancy!“N
Nancy’s mother grabbed my hair, yanking me down, forcing me onto my knees.N
“You shameless slut!” she spat. “Stealing your own sister’s man and daring to ruin their love?“N
Her foot shot forward, slamming into my stomach. Agony exploded through me as I curled into myself, gasping for air like a wounded animal. Luke stood by, watching it all with those cold, detached eyes. Not a flicker of warmth. Not an ounce of pity.
He simply looked down at me, his expression void of emotion.N
“Lyra, you’ve really disappointed me.“N
His voice was quiet, but each word cut through me like a blade.N
“I’ve never seen a woman as heartless as you.“N
My breath caught in my throat.N
“I was wrong from the beginning,” he continued, his tone eerily calm. “I thought Nancy was gone. When I met you again, you reminded me of her so much that I took you as her replacement.“N
He exhaled, as if he had finally rid himself of a burden.N
“I thought I loved you. But now that Nancy is back, I can’t abandon her.”
Every syllable felt like a dagger piercing through my heart. So that was it. I was nothing more than a replacement. A mere stand–in for the real thing. I laughed. A hollow, empty laugh that carried no joy, only despair.N
Tears blurred my vision as I looked at the man I had loved for years- A liar. A cruel, heartless liar. And my father? The man who was supposed to love and protect me? He stood with them, condemning me, cursing me, abandoning me. They all wanted me to apologize. They all said I was the one who had stolen Nancy’s boyfriend. But wasn’t he the one who had pursued me first? Wasn’t he the one who had betrayed me?
Nancy–she was the one who had stolen everything from me. From the moment I returned to this house, she took what was mine. She stole my father. She took my room. She claimed my toys. And now–she was taking my man. And she had the audacity to play the victim? She knew exactly what she was doing. She had sworn her sovereignty over him from the very start. And yet, everyone still chose to believe her.
11:24 AM
