The Heiress's Unseen Revenge

he wrought-iron gates, my heart pounding a nervous rhythm against

led me to a sunlit parlor where a woman with familiar eyes-

asked, my voice

cker of recognition in her gaze, a deep, maternal

," I blurted out, the words clu

flowers slipped from her grasp,

uthoritative voice cut through the

old pragmatism. He looked me up and down, his gaze dismis

ke a slap. He kne

continued, his voice like ice. "I will not ha

ople I least wanted to see walked in. Damien and

med, walking forward to greet them. "Dam

I was an inconvenience, a

ien's voice was sharp, his ey

rents," I said, my vo

k of fury. But Kiersten, the mast

ing to Damien's arm. "I should just leave. I

us," Damien said,

nd that is you, Kiersten," B

"Kiersten is the on

my lips. "So you're all just going to stand there and lie?

f something in his eyes-guilt, maybe.

about," he said, his voice cold.

he has a family, a fortune, a fi

went pale. He

ow of running out of the room, crying,

f the house, toward the l

ien yelled, cha

had to get away from this house of lies. As I reached th

, her face twisted with

. My arms flailed, and I grabbed o

e. A childhood trauma, a near-drowning incident at a foster home, rushed

swam right past me, his eyes only on Kiersten. He pulled her to

l, and only then, as if an aftert

dened in ho

ve ba

gs. The world went dark. My last thought was