Chapter 2

“Lynette!” 

I break into a smile, warmth flooding through me as I drop to my knees, arms open for the only person who truly matters here—my nephew. Evan, my sweet boy. His father may be my eldest brother, but Evan feels like my own, a connection promised and sealed on the day his mother passed, just after bringing him into the world. I swore to her that day I would look after him. 

“Evan, my boy,” I murmur, hugging him tight, rocking us both as if it could stop time. “How have you been? I’ve missed you so much.”

He hugs me back, his small arms locked around my neck. “I’ve been good! I missed you too.” His eyes shine with that pure, eager love I almost forgot existed. He must’ve been waiting by the window all day, knowing I was coming. My emails to him were the only letters that mattered.

“How’s your new mom?” I ask gently, brushing back a lock of his sandy hair.

“She’s amazing, Lynette!” he beams. “She’s nice and gives me lots and lots of sweets.” His eyes flick to his father, then back to me. “Way better than my real dad.” 

I catch my brother’s face out of the corner of my eye as his smile falters, but Evan’s innocence is more important than sparing his father’s pride.

“That’s wonderful,” I say, my voice soft. “Did you gather the things I asked for?”

He nods, a serious look crossing his young face. “Yes. I hid them for you.”

“Good,” I smile, ruffling his hair. “But first, like I promised, I’m all yours.”

“Yes!” His face lights up, and he grabs my hand, tugging me toward the stairs. “Come on! I have to show you my new dog. Mommy got him for my birthday last month. You missed it, but I saved you some cake!” He chatters excitedly, pulling me toward his room, his small fingers curling into mine, grounding me in a moment of pure love. For a brief time, I forget where I am, who I’m with. Here, with Evan, I am free.

“Lynette,” my mother’s voice calls out from behind us, shattering my moment. Her voice is like a faint echo, trying to pull me back. But I ignore her, pushing away the familiar pang of her disappointment as Evan and I disappear down the hallway together.

***

Three hours later, after laughing, playing, and catching up with Evan in his room, I know it’s time. His new mother, warm and kind, helps me carry my bags to the car, her smile gentle and understanding. In her, I glimpse the same softness Evan’s own mother once had. She’s a good woman; at least that much has changed in this family.

But then, they follow us out—my mother, Cheryl, and Matthew, each face painted with surprise as they realize I’m leaving.

“Hey, Lee, where are you going?” Cheryl calls, clutching a child on her hip—a toddler with wide, curious eyes. It takes a second before I remember: Cheryl was pregnant when I left. She’s either from that pregnancy… or another. “Lynette?”

I meet her gaze coolly. “I’m going home.”

Mom steps forward, flashing a practiced smile—the one she used to manipulate me into pleasing her, time after time. “Honey, this ‘is’ your home,” she says, inching closer.

But her charm has lost its power. “Home is where your heart is, where the people you love and who love you live. This place? It’s the opposite.”

“Lynette…” Cheryl’s voice is a whisper, her eyes pleading. “Are you still angry about what happened before you left?”

I let out a cold laugh. “Angry? No. I’m disappointed. Betrayed.” I let my words cut through the air like a blade. “I’d rather be alone than stay here, with deceitful, selfish, heartless people who pretend to be my family. Matthew, I know you meant well; I know your heart isn’t as twisted as theirs. But that doesn’t change the fact that the rest of you—my parents, my brothers, my so-called cousin and ‘best friend’—have only ever cared about yourselves.” I pause, taking in their stunned faces. “I won’t sit here anymore and pretend this house is anything more than a gilded cage.”

Cheryl’s face crumples, tears brimming in her eyes. “But… at the airport, you hugged me. I thought… I thought you forgave me.”

I stare at her, unmoved. “I hugged you goodbye, Cheryl. Not hello. Not ‘I forgive you.’” I step toward the waiting car, my voice soft but unyielding. “I can’t forgive someone who gets off on being my parents’ favorite, who throws it in my face time and time again. This isn’t a reunion. It’s a farewell.” I turn to my manager, Elliott, who’s holding the door open. “Let’s go.”

As I settle into the car, I see them in the rearview mirror—staring after me, their mouths slightly open. The shocked silence feels like my first real victory.

Elliott glances at me as he pulls out of the driveway. “Are you sure about this, Lynette?”

I nod, my resolve solid. “Yes. Did you secure that appointment?”

He nods. “For tomorrow.”

I exhale, sinking back against the leather seat as the car speeds away from the family I never truly belonged to. The past is behind me now, exactly where it belongs. Only one person draws me back to this city.

Once, Rowan was my best friend, the one who helped me see that I would never find what I wanted in my family’s approval—even after I became famous, even after I broke into Hollywood to prove myself. For them, I became an actress, a model—traded in my love of art to fit their narrow definition of success. I thought maybe, just maybe, it would be enough to make them proud. But it only made things worse.

For them, my art was just another kind of rebellion, a threat to the family legacy. They couldn’t see it for what it was—something beautiful, something mine.

Rowan saw it. And now, I’m here to remind him of who he used to be.