“Don’t overthink it. Scarlett had too much to drink. It wasn’t safe for someone like her to walk home alone at night, so I brought her back here. She’s your sister, after all. It’s only natural for me to look out for her. Besides, she’s a considerate girl. She insisted on leaving early because she didn’t want you to misunderstand when you came back.”
Ambrose, usually a man of few words, suddenly became a fountain of excuses when it came to Scarlett. Every sentence seemed to be a defense, a justification for her actions.
Hazel stared at him, the man she had known for over twenty years, and felt as if a stranger stood before her.
They had grown up together, childhood sweethearts through and through. She had been by his side, supporting him through the grind of building his career. How had she ended up as nothing more than a placeholder?
The question lingered in her mind, but she didn’t want to seek an answer anymore. In seven days, she’d be gone.
She no longer had to endure it for the sake of "family harmony."
Hazel’s eyes locked onto Scarlett, and the words she had kept buried for over a decade finally slipped free, tumbling from her lips like a long-held breath.
“She’s not my sister. She’s the daughter of a mistress, and now she’s a mistress herself!”
The words hit like a thunderclap, shaking the room. Scarlett didn’t flinch, but Ambrose’s face twisted in fury.
The word “mistress” seemed to strike a nerve, unraveling his calm facade. He surged toward Hazel, his voice a roar that shattered his usual composure.
“Hazel! What nonsense are you spouting? Apologize to Scarlett right now!”
“Fatherless, motherless, no wonder your parents couldn’t stand you. You’re a bitter, vile person, and no one will ever love you. You deserve this!”
For ten years, Ambrose had never raised his voice at Hazel. But for Scarlett, in the span of one day, he had shouted at her twice.
Every word he spat was like a blade cutting deep into the rawest parts of Hazel’s soul.
Every word felt like a dagger, cutting deep and leaving scars that would never fully fade.
For a moment, Hazel thought she had misheard, her mind struggling to grasp the weight of what Ambrose had just said.
How could such cruel, venomous words come from his mouth? The man she had loved for so long.
She lifted her gaze, only to find Ambrose standing there, his body shielding Scarlett.