Chapter 61
The door slammed shut behind me with a deafening finality.
Grounded. Locked inside my room like a criminal. Because I had dared to touch his precious Katie.
I sat on the edge of my bed, fists clenched tightly in my lap, trying not to let the tears spill. But it was no use. The walls felt like they were caving in, suffocating me with everything I had tried so hard to survive.
Hours later, my father came storming in, his face twisted with disgust.
“You’ve always been like this, Lily,” he said coldly. “Selfish. Jealous. Broken–just like your mother.”}]
Each word was a slap across the face. He didn’t even look at me with anger anymore. Just… disappointment. Like I was something dirty he wished he could wipe away.
“And now,” he sneered, “you dare hurt the only daughter worth something?“>
I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood.
Not once during my punishment did Cameron come. Not even a text. Not even a knock on the door.
It was as if I had disappeared–and no one cared.
When the lock finally clicked open the next day, I didn’t waste a second.
I grabbed my suitcases–the ones I had already packed–and slung my coat over my aching shoulders. My burns throbbed under the fabric, but ! ignored it.}
I was done. I was halfway through checking my bag one last time when my phone buzzed.
A message from the family lawyer.
“The summer house deed has been officially transferred to your name, Miss Lily, and also a new personap chef.”
I stared at the screen, a small, broken laugh escaping my throat.
At least one thing they had promised me was real. Without hesitation, I pocketed my phone and rolled my suitcase toward the door.
On my way out, I passed Katie’s room. Through the slightly open door, I glimpsed Cameron sitting beside her, carefully adjusting her pillows, laughing softly at something she said.
She was draped in blankets, pale and fragile–looking, playing the perfect victim.}
I simply walked past. They had each other now.
I reached the front gate, dragging my suitcase behind me.
The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the driveway. The cab I had called was already waiting, engine idling softly.
I was about to step inside when a voice called out behind me.
“Lily!”
I turned slowly. Cameron was jogging toward me, his face pulled tight with confusion.
“Where are you going?” he asked, slightly breathless.
I smiled–empty, tired. “On a trip,” I said simply.
His brows furrowed. “Alone? Without me?”
“Yes,” I said, meeting his eyes steadily. “Without you.”
He looked thrown off, like he couldn’t quite compute what I was saying.
“But you always brought me when you traveled,” he said, voice low. “You always said you needed me there…“}
I shrugged. “Well, things change.“}
Cameron’s hands curled into fists at his sides.
“But why?” he asked. “Why now? What is happening?”
I tilted my head slightly, studying him.”
“Because,” I said softly, “my sister needs you more. I heard she likes the pastries from that new bakery in town. Why don’t you go get them for her?”
I smiled–a real one this time. One dripping with bitter understanding.
“I’ll be back… maybe,” I added casually.
Before he could say another word, I slid into the cab and closed the door.
The car pulled away from the curb. Through the window, I saw Cameron standing there, frozen, his face dark with something he couldn’t
even name.
Guilt? Regret? It didn’t matter anymore.
As the cab turned the corner, I pulled my phone from my pocket.
I removed the SIM card–the one filled with numbers of people who had never truly been mine.
Without hesitation, I rolled down the window and flicked it into the wind.
