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Chapter 23: Twisted Lies

Author: Artemis Z.Y.
last update Last Updated: 2024-12-27 22:28:08

**Mia's POV**

My father hadn't changed. Not one bit.

He stood in the center of what used to be our living room, every inch the successful businessman in his tailored charcoal suit. The same rigid posture, the same cold eyes, the same air of perpetual disappointment when he looked at me. Only the silver threading his temples hinted at the passage of time.

The room itself had transformed completely since my childhood. Mom's beloved watercolors had been replaced by expensive abstract pieces that Taylor's mother preferred. The warm, comfortable furniture was gone, exchanged for sleek leather and chrome that matched their sophisticated tastes. Even the air felt different – no longer the subtle scent of Mom's favorite jasmine tea, but something artificial, designer, chosen to impress rather than comfort.

Taylor perched on the arm of Dad's favorite leather chair, the same chair where Mom used to read me bedtime stories. Her Louboutin heels crossed elegantly at the ankle, her cream designer d
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