Framed By Family, Reborn By Love

PARKE

ook back. His face, contorted in a mixture of disbelief and hurt, was a sight I wouldn't soon forget.

.. she's been so worried about you all these years. She'd love to see you. We're hosting

in the garden. I squeezed my eyes shut for a fleeting second, the image of her saccharine s

t walk into th

d seeping into my bones. The city lights began to blur as we pulled away, leaving the solemn

t her, to confide in her, to think she was a friend. She had used my designs, my ideas, stolen them outright, then spun a web of lies so intricate and convincing that ev

erfunctory gesture devoid of warmth. "You're family now, Jillian," he'd said, his eyes already drifting towards the potential business opportunities my father's architectural firm might present. "But you need to be strong. Fo

ame, a brilliant mind to be exploited, t

erimental designs, they had claimed. But I knew. I knew Caitlyn had tampered with the blueprints. I had proof, a single, damning no

r through my tears. I'd called Benson, my voice weak, a desperate plea for help. "Uncle Benson, please," I h

. I can't. Kolby's wedding is in two days. Caitlyn needs me. You know how sensitive she

pleaded, a fresh wave of tears

hardening. "You need to take responsibility. We've decided it'

e walls of the hospital room pressing in. My heart had felt like a hollowed-out cavity in my chest

aint, jagged scar just below my left rib

rtment building, a stark contrast to the old-world ch

r to my penthouse suite, my phone buzzed. It was a video call. My li

e room. Daisy, my sweet, vivacious dau

my heart swelling. "How'

he exclaimed, holding up a co

er, my eyes welling up. This was my l

ey, you. Everything okay? You were out longer than

f. How was your day?" I deliberately omitted any mention of Kolby, of the cemetery, of the raw emotions that had

"Elia, my dear. Gabriel Sullivan here. Just checkin

en me a second chance. Derrick Malone, Gabriel's sharp legal counsel, my protective

g over me. "It was... illuminating. But nothi

ember, you're not alone. Not anymore.

hosen family. The contrast with the cold indifference of my biological one

but filled with the echoes of their love. A profound sense of pea