Chapter 2: The Unwanted Daughter

The Carter household was never quiet, but it was never truly alive either. Within its cold, sprawling walls, Emma Carter lived like a ghost, seen but never acknowledged.

Her mornings always started the same. Emma would rise before the sun, the chill of the old wooden floors biting against her bare feet as she moved quietly through the house. Breakfast preparation was one of her many unspoken duties, despite the existence of house staff. Her father, Richard Carter, insisted she earn her place in the family, a bitter irony, considering it was a place she’d never truly had.

She placed the last plate on the long dining table just as her father and siblings arrived, their polished shoes clicking on the floor like a metronome.

“Emma,” her father said, barely glancing at her, “coffee.”

She moved without hesitation, pouring a cup and placing it in front of him. He didn’t thank her. He never did. Her brother, Jason, smirked at her as he spread butter on his toast.

“Don’t you have any other purpose in this house besides being an unpaid servant?” he asked mockingly.

“Enough, Jason,” her mother, Lillian, said, though her tone was more perfunctory than protective. Her eyes flickered over Emma with barely concealed disdain. “Emma, you’re excused. Go clean yourself up. You look dreadful.”

Emma bit her lip, swallowing the sharp retort that burned at the back of her throat. She didn’t bother responding as she turned and left the room, her heartbeat heavy in her chest.

Upstairs in her small, sparsely decorated bedroom, Emma stared at herself in the cracked mirror above her dresser. Dreadful. The word echoed in her mind. It wasn’t the first time her mother had said it, and it wouldn’t be the last.

Her reflection stared back at her, unremarkable but not unattractive. Her brown eyes were sharp, her features delicate but hardened by years of neglect. She was plain compared to her younger sister, Vanessa, whose beauty had always been the Carter family’s greatest pride. Where Emma had inherited their mother’s sharp cheekbones and solemn demeanor, Vanessa radiated warmth and charm.

And charm, Emma thought bitterly, was currency in this house.

The day Vanessa came home from her latest overseas trip, the house came alive in a way it never did for Emma.

“Oh, Vanessa, darling, you look stunning!” Lillian gushed, her arms outstretched as her youngest daughter swept into the room in a flurry of expensive perfume and designer heels.

“Mom!” Vanessa squealed, throwing her arms around her mother. “I missed you so much!”

Richard rose from his seat to kiss Vanessa on the cheek, his stern face softened by pride. Even Jason set aside his usual aloofness to greet her with a warm smile.

Emma stood at the edge of the room, watching the reunion like a spectator at someone else’s play. No one noticed her.

“Well,” Vanessa said, tossing her honey-blonde hair over her shoulder as she plopped onto the couch, “you’ll all be happy to know the modeling gig in Paris was a huge success. My agent said I might even land a spot in Vogue next season!”

“Of course you will,” Lillian said, beaming. “You’re a star, darling.”

Jason chimed in, “Unlike some people who just loiter around the house all day.”

Emma’s fists clenched at her sides, but she refused to take the bait. It was Vanessa’s triumphant return, there was no room for her in the spotlight.

That night, Emma was called into her father’s study. She entered cautiously, her nerves heightened by the rare summons.

Richard Carter sat behind his mahogany desk, his expression as unreadable as ever. Vanessa and Lillian were seated on the couch, their faces unusually serious. Jason leaned against the wall, smirking.

“Sit down, Emma,” Richard said.

Emma obeyed, her stomach twisting with unease.

“There’s been an... opportunity presented to us,” her father began, his tone businesslike. “The Johnson family has approached us with a proposal.”

“The Johnson family?” Emma echoed, confused.

“Ethan Johnson,” Vanessa interjected, her voice dripping with contempt. “The disabled one.”

Emma’s eyes widened. “What does this have to do with me?”

Richard leaned forward, folding his hands on the desk. “They want a marriage alliance. You will marry Ethan Johnson.”

The words hit her like a slap. Emma’s mouth fell open, but no sound came out.

“Why me?” she finally managed to ask, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lillian scoffed. “Who else would it be? Vanessa has a promising future ahead of her. She can’t be tied to someone like him. And Jason, of course, is out of the question.”

“So I’m just... expendable?” Emma said, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

“Don’t be dramatic,” Richard said dismissively. “This arrangement benefits everyone. The Johnsons need someone to keep their son in line, and we need their support to secure the expansion deal for Carter Enterprises. It’s a simple transaction.”

“A transaction?” Emma repeated, the word tasting bitter on her tongue.

Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Oh, stop acting like this is some grand tragedy. You’ll get to live in a mansion, wear designer clothes, and have access to all the luxuries you could ever want. Honestly, it’s more than you deserve.”

Jason added with a smirk, “Yeah, you should be thanking Dad for finally giving you some purpose.”

Emma’s hands shook as she stared at the faces of her so, called family. They weren’t just throwing her under the bus, they were doing it with smiles on their faces.

“What if I say no?” she asked, though she already knew the answer.

Richard’s eyes hardened. “You won’t. I never asked for your opinion.”

Back in her room, Emma paced the floor, her mind racing. Her life had always been a series of compromises, a constant struggle to find scraps of worth in a family that didn’t care about her. But this? This was beyond anything she could have imagined.

She had dreamed of escaping the Carter household, of pursuing her goal of becoming a doctor and leaving this life behind. But not like this. Not as someone’s pawn.

Her gaze fell on the stack of medical textbooks on her desk, their spines worn from years of use. Becoming a doctor had been her one true ambition, the light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

Now that light seemed impossibly far away.

But as the hours dragged on, a new thought began to take shape in her mind. Perhaps this marriage wasn’t just a prison, it was an opportunity. An opportunity to finally break free from her family’s control, to carve out a new life for herself.

She didn’t know much about Ethan Johnson, but she knew one thing: he had been cast aside, just like her.

If anyone understood what it felt like to be unwanted, it was him.

The next morning, Emma stood in front of her father’s desk, her chin held high.

“I’ll do it,” she said.

Richard raised an eyebrow. “You’re agreeing to the marriage?”

“Yes,” Emma said firmly. “But on one condition.”

Her father leaned back in his chair, intrigued. “And what’s that?”

Emma met his gaze, her voice steady. “Once the contract is signed, I’m no longer your responsibility. I’m done with this family.”

For the first time, Richard looked surprised. But before he could respond, Emma turned and walked out of the room, her heart pounding.

She had made her decision.

Now, there was no turning back.