Chapter 0002

My mother advanced, closing in on me until she loomed over me. Then she slapped me across the face. “You ungrateful brat! How dare you?” she screeched.

I stared at her, stunned and unable to comprehend her ire.

“Selena, calm yourself.” My mother-in-law, Clara, shot my mother a hard look. “We’re in public. Lower your voice.”

My mother shrank back. She had always cowered under Clara’s authority, largely because Clara embodied everything my mother wasn’t.

“Elaine…” Clara turned to me.

I blinked, my face still stinging from the slap, my pride still wounded.

“I was told you went to a club to drink, even after Caleb specifically warned you not to. How could you ignore him like that?” Clara’s eyes bore into me, cold and hooded.

Caleb had warned me not to go to the club? How did lies like these always get circulated within the family? And if I told them I’d been dragged to that club and forced to drink, would they have believed me? No, they’d sooner have blamed me for any misfortune that came along.

I glanced at the doctor, silently begging for help.

“Ma’am, there’s been a misunderstanding,” he said carefully. “I don’t believe your daughter did this purposefully. When she was brought here, she had bruises on her chin and the sides of her face, suggesting her mouth had been forced open. Her wrists had bruising and a slight fracture, and her knees were scraped. So, you see—”

“Mr. Louis,” Clara interrupted, her gaze slicing over to the doctor. “I don’t recall asking for your opinion on this matter.”

The doctor froze with disbelief on his face. His questioning eyes met mine, but what could I say? I still couldn’t even speak.

“Elaine…” Clara turned her attention back to me. “You’ve brought nothing but shame to this family. Despite being such an empty vessel, Caleb did everything to get you pregnant. Then you lose the baby through sheer carelessness? You ingrate! You should have died with that child.”

I turned to my mother, hoping for some kind of defense.

She simply sneered and looked away.

I gawked at her, disbelief washing over me. I wanted to scream. How could I have been born into a family like this?

“You’re coming home with us,” Clara continued. “Staying here is just… well…” She waved a hand dismissively. “I’m not even sure you’re a real woman. I don’t know why my father insisted Caleb marry you when Emily was right there. You’re manipulative. Do you know that? Emily is a hundred times the woman you are. No problem, though—everything will be fixed soon enough.”

I felt the weight of her words crash over me. Emily. Emily. Emily. That was all I ever heard. I’d never forced Caleb to marry me—he’d made me believe he loved me. By the time I discovered Emily’s existence, we were already married. I was the one who’d been deceived. Yet, they blamed me.

“You can’t take her home.” The doctor stepped closer. “Her body is weak and still needs monitoring.”

Clara shot him a venomous look. “Do you think we can’t care for her, Mr. Louis? This is a family matter, and you have no right to interfere. Selena, take your daughter. We’re leaving.”

My mother obeyed Clara’s command immediately, dragging me from the bed, ignoring my pained wince as she pushed me out of the room.

The doctor followed, protesting, but they ignored his attempts to reason with them.

After a tense car ride, we were home.

“Oh, she must be back,” Clara said, her voice almost cheerful as she stepped out of the car and hurried toward the house.

Who? Who was back? I gasped as my mother yanked me from the car and propelled me forward. I tripped several times, barely able to keep up with her brisk pace. The front door loomed ominously, and I could hear familiar voices inside.

My mother shoved me through the door roughly, and I nearly fell to my knees as it opened. I managed to catch myself, just barely. And then I saw her.

Emily.

She stood at the center of the room, her presence as haunting as ever. Innocent and pristine, she was the woman I’d been endlessly compared to. Bile rose in my throat, and I fought to keep it down as our eyes met.