The Hidden Heiress's Bitter Return

ked overhead, shaking the house. I' d always hated thunderstorms. A childhood fear, irrational but

e. I was in the kitchen, trying to find something to eat, my appeti

, crying, her hands over her ears. Ethan was kneeling

It' s just a storm.

see me standin

e. Olivia whimpered and buried her face i

the woman he' d chosen over me, while I stood alone, my own fear a tight band aro

s, matching the turmoil inside me. I lay on the bed, curled on my side, one hand

its father prioritized a "fragile" acquaintance over its own mother, where its home

washed-out sky. Ethan was distant, preoccupied with Oliv

swept into the living room, her expression d

, her voice sharp.

maybe later. Sarah'

gusting rumors, Sarah. About your behavior at that festival. Honestly, I never thought you were good enough for

ou think," I star

red. "You' ve shamed my son. You' ve shamed this famil

t me like ph

ion. And then you need to divorce Ethan. He deserves be

ss. Abortion? Divorce? Be

"Mom, that' s enough! Y

should be upset! Sh

erate plea in my eyes. Te

to me, then back to his mo

regrets it. But... the baby is mine. I' ll accept

as confirming to his mother, to the world, that I was the one who had erred, that o

umbness spread through me, cold and final. He had made his choice. A