They were huddled around a brazier, feeding the flames with every last one of my business plans and the legal documents from my overseas company—burning them sheet by sheet.
Three years of blood and sweat, my carefully prepared safety net—destroyed before my eyes.
They were determined to erase me completely.
I couldn’t even muster the strength to scream stop.
Sensing movement, my mother strode toward the door.
It swung open roughly. She looked down on me as if I were nothing but trash waiting to be disposed of.
“The wedding dress will arrive tomorrow morning.”
“This is your final contribution to this family.”
“After the wedding, the Bennett family will have only one daughter.”
“She will be the Bennett family’s only daughter—Sophie Miller.”
She turned and left, as if even one more glance at me was revolting.
The door locked behind her.
Moments later, Sophie’s voice floated through the wood, sickly sweet.
“Thank you for making this possible, sister. From tomorrow on—your parents, your room, everything that was yours… it’ll all be mine.”
At dawn the next day, the door burst open.
Several burly maids entered, holding a blood-red wedding gown in their arms.