“Margot is kind and forgiving, but I’m not going to stand by while she’s treated unfairly. You stole her work and caused all this drama. Isn’t an apology the least you can do?”
My heart clenched slowly. His eyes were cold and mocking.
Under the glare of a hundred camera lenses, my head throbbed painfully.
All I wanted was to run. To get far, far away from the flashing lights, from this scene, from him.
“Regina,” he said again, “just because you’re my stepsister doesn’t mean I’ll protect you. If you did something wrong, take responsibility.”
“What, do you think you can just deny it and pretend nothing happened?” he snapped.
I bit down hard, holding back the pain, and shoved my way out as fast as I could.
I wouldn’t apologize. I didn’t do anything wrong. Why should I say sorry?
The mix of anger and hurt churned in my chest, but slowly… it started to fade into something else.
Resignation.
Maybe this was how it ended. Maybe that was okay.
Outside the window, the city blurred by. Another sharp wave of pain hit my skull.
My phone buzzed. A message from my doctor popped up.
[Miss Macy, the tumor has already spread. Please think carefully about your next steps.]
I didn’t hesitate. I typed out my reply.