Lauren’s face went pale, not from fear of losing me but from the thought of losing the attention and prestige my accomplishments had brought them.
“Aliyah,” Lauren’s voice softened as she approached, her eyes brimming with false tears. “If you hadn’t upset me, I wouldn’t have reacted this way.”
I stared at her, feeling numb. Upset her? I was just trying to protect what was mine. How could that be upsetting?
I realized Lauren had never seen me as a daughter, never cared for me beyond what I could provide. Despite our blood ties, I had always been an outsider in my own home.
When Adrian arrived, he immediately sensed the tension and instinctively blamed me for being unreasonable.
My head buzzed, my thoughts spinning, but I didn’t respond. My silence only fueled Adrian’s anger. Without warning, he shoved me hard, sending me crashing into the corner of a table. A sharp pain shot through my back, and a cold sweat broke out on my skin.
“Maddy just wanted something from you, but you’re acting like a spoiled brat, threatening to leave. Tsk. You’re nothing but a miserly pauper,” Adrian sneered, his words dripping with disdain.