He’d never liked Hunter. Always said he was frivolous and unreliable.
“Stay away from him from now on,” Tucker said coldly.
I looked at him and asked quietly, “Why?”
“He’s like a brother to me,” I said. “We’re completely innocent.”
I returned his own words to him exactly as he’d said them.
He clearly froze, like something had gotten stuck in his throat and he couldn’t respond.
I didn’t wait for him. I pulled my hand free and went back to my room.
He seemed distracted after that. He didn’t even hear Kelsey calling him.
After she moved in, she never once mentioned leaving.
She always had a reason.
She said my family’s house was too big and unfamiliar, that it scared her.
She said San Antonio made her feel unsafe.
She said she could only sleep if she stayed by Tucker’s side.
Our two brothers felt sorry for her and indulged her in everything.
For days in a row, gifts kept arriving at the door.
Designer bags, jewelry, supplements—one after another.
When the servants collected them, they’d instinctively glance at me, then quickly look away.
Not a single item was meant for me.
This was their “punishment.” But I no longer cared, and it didn’t hurt anymore.
Because I knew my mother was innocent.