My mother's gaze skittered away, guilt written plainly across her face. "Isabella... Charlotte's family situation is difficult. If she didn't get into Yanda, she wouldn't have been able to handle the blow."
"But you?" A sigh. "You won't do. We have to avoid suspicion. People would talk."
The tears came instantly, spilling over no matter how furiously I wiped at them.
"I understand." My voice cracked. "So being your daughter means you can't participate in my future at all."
The chair scraped harshly against the floor as I stood. "Fine. Then I won't be your daughter anymore. That way, you won't have to rack your brains trying to 'avoid suspicion.'"
——
Another second in that room would have suffocated me. I turned on my heel and marched toward the exit.
Two steps. That's all I managed before my father's voice boomed behind me.
"Charlotte will be my student. As my daughter, if you walk out now, you are publicly declaring your dissatisfaction with her! Do you have any idea how that will impact her reputation?"
I stopped.
Looked back at him.