She shoved my shoulder — a weak, childish push meant to provoke — but I shoved her back. Harder. She staggered, let out a dramatic shriek, and intentionally crashed into a side table. The porcelain vase toppled and shattered into glittering shards.
Right on cue, Lewis stormed in.
“What happened?” he demanded, eyes darting between us.
Victoria ran straight into his arms, trembling like an abused kitten. “She pushed me!” she cried.
I stepped forward, heat flooding my face. “She started it—”
Lewis lifted his hand sharply — the gesture alone enough to cut my voice off. His eyes were glacial. “Nadine, what is wrong with you?”
Wrong… with me?
Victoria sniffed loudly and buried her face into his chest. “I think she hates me,” she whimpered. “Ever since my parents died and hers adopted me… she’s never liked me. She always bullied me. I tried so hard to be her sister, but she—she never wanted me.”
My jaw dropped.
That was a lie. I opened my mouth to defend myself, but Victoria pressed on, voice breaking at all the right places.
“I didn’t do anything wrong. I just wanted to be part of the family. Maybe she thinks I stole her parents’ love… but I never tried to. I just… I just want to belong.”