The Wife They Cast Aside

had lived a life

ge of a breakthrough, with a full scholarship to a prestigious research prog

as set to marry Mark Sterling, the heir to the powerful Sterling Corporation. It w

phia v

a massive scandal, and h

nto my sister's place. At twenty-two, I sacrificed my career, my dreams, and my identity.

s career, and poured every ounce of love I had into Mia. In return, I received a cold, indifferent hu

s wr

ade shattered just three days

since dawn, a multi-layered creation with Mia' s favorite cartoon characters sculpted from

ever coming back?" Mia' s

froze ove

with me. "Yes, sweetie. She is. She' s coming back for

up my spine. Soph

did she leave

ld my breath, my heart

too well. "Sophia was young and scared. She needed support, but Olivia was jealous of her. She said

ody in a pained gasp

sharp and angry. "It' s Olivia' s fault

med, his voice cold as ic

f sacrifice, of sleepless nights, of selfless

. I started up the grand staircase, my mind a chaotic storm of

I heard Mia' s footste

my hand on the po

ore. Her eyes, the same blue eyes I had lovingly ga

creamed. "You' re the reaso

ords, she lunged forward and

kward into empty air. The world spun-the crystal chandelier, the ornate ceiling, Mia' s enraged face-

om of the stairs, the world a blurry mess. My ankle was twisted at an un

pared to the gaping wound in my soul. My daughter, the child

ouse that was never my home, a strange clarity pierce

fingers were clumsy, shaking, but I found the number I hadn't diale

s everythin

mentor. The man whose research posi

of my head. "Dr. Lee," I choked out, my voice a broken whisper. "The research posit

Always," he said

utter despair, but also of a desperate, flickering hope.

ding at the top of the stairs, looking down at me. There w

dain. "Stop making a scene. Your sister will be here in a

idn't even glance at my twisted a

child I had loved more than life itself. And in that m

marble, the pain a grounding force.

ice surprisingly steady

widened

vorce my daddy! My real mommy is coming home! You'

cold of the marble floor seeping into my bones, and for the f