Ethan recoiled, his hand tightening around mine. Anger flared inside me, hot and wild. I wanted to rip that arrogance from his lips, but Marina’s soft, poisonous voice stopped me.
“Asher, go to your room,” she said smoothly.
He sauntered upstairs, satisfaction in every step.
The maids passed, their eyes flickering to me but never meeting mine. Whispered words, sharp as knives, filled the hall.
“Everything’s been moved… Madam Vivienne’s belongings are now in the maid’s quarters.”
I swallowed hard, forcing my tears down. Marina pressed a hand to her chest, feigning concern.
“Oh, Vivienne… Dominic told me to stay here with Asher. I didn’t expect your things to be moved. Please, don’t misunderstand me.”
Honeyed words. Eyes laughing.
I clenched my jaw for Ethan’s sake. Taking his hand, I led him to the maid’s quarters.
Inside the cramped room, his resistance broke. He wept into my sleeve, small tears soaking my clothes.
“Mama… why does Papa treat us like strangers?”
I held him close, rocking him gently. “Don’t cry, baby. Soon, very soon, we’ll leave this place. You’ll never have to bow your head for anyone again.”
---
That night, the villa glowed with lights, music drifting from the dining hall. Dominic hosted another dinner for his business partners, and I was relegated to the far end of the table, an uninvited shadow in my own home.
Marina sat at his side, hand brushing his arm, claiming her place as if she were already queen. Her smile was serene, sweet, and the men at the table admired her like she was some untouchable goddess.
One of them glanced toward me. “And who is she?”
Dominic curled his lips into a smug grin, lazily swirling the wine in his glass.
“She’s only here because appearances demand it,” he said casually. “Marina has always been the woman in my heart. And this boy—Asher—is my rightful successor.”
Asher stepped forward with the ease of someone who had never been denied anything. He sat at the piano and let his fingers dance across the keys, confident and polished. The melody filled the dining hall, flawless and rehearsed. Applause erupted around the table.
Beside me, Ethan went completely still.
His eyes shimmered with tears as he stared at his bandaged hands, his fingers twitching faintly, as if the memory of pain still lived in them.
Marina inclined her head, her voice coated in syrupy sympathy.