But my brother wasn't born disabled. He'd fallen and hit his head as a child. His reactions were a little slow—that was all. It wasn't genetic.
A sharp, twisting pain spread through my chest, like a blade lodged sideways between my ribs.
Around me, my former classmates chattered on without restraint.
"Congratulations! Push out the old hag and you'll be the real lady of the house."
"Your benefactor's ruthless, though. Taking care of a 'problem' before it even became one? That was his own flesh and blood."
"Honestly, I wouldn't let the first wife have kids either. What if the baby really was defective? Can't abandon it, can't raise it—nightmare. He made the smart call."
"Exactly. Everyone wants a healthy, beautiful child. With Fiona's genes? If I were him, I'd want her to be the mother too."
Fiona basked in the flattery, her posture growing more regal by the minute, like a woman already crowned.
The door opened. A server approached Fiona with exaggerated courtesy.
"Ms. Lawson, Mr. Rivera has already covered the bill for this table. He also asked me to deliver this jade bracelet to you."
The moment I saw it, my pupils contracted sharply.
My entire body went rigid.
That was Wilfred's family heirloom—the jade bracelet.
The same one I'd shattered just yesterday.
Why was it here?
Fiona's face lit up with delight as she slipped the bracelet onto her wrist without hesitation.
"You have no idea—this is my sugar daddy's family heirloom jade bracelet. I kept pestering him for it, so he had a fake one made with tiny cracks all over it. His wife barely tapped it and it shattered."
"She felt so guilty she handed over their last property as compensation. He signed it right over to me."
I felt flash-frozen, my blood turning to ice in an instant.
Wilfred's promise from seven years ago echoed in my ears.
"Athena, this jade bracelet is something my grandmother protected with her life. Wear it, and you'll be my woman forever."
"I'll love you for the rest of my life. If I ever break this vow, I'll walk away with nothing..."
He'd even signed an agreement to that effect.
Not that it stopped him from keeping a mistress on the side.
So his "forever" only lasted seven years.
My body refused to obey me, locked rigid in place.
Even my tongue felt tied in knots.
The chatter around me grew more grating by the second.