Chapter 2

I packed a few changes of clothes, took Wren by the hand, and went back to the Sterling estate.

Every other time I'd come home, Mom and Dad would rush to the door with smiles before I'd even stepped through it.

This time, my mother didn't even try to hide the disgust in her voice.

"What are you doing here?"

"Mom… I don't have anywhere else to go. I just want to stay one night with Wren."

She let out a cold laugh. "The Sterling estate is not a homeless shelter. Don't bring your bad luck into this house."

Something heavy sat in my chest.

Wren peeked out from behind me, small and timid.

"Grandpa! Grandma!"

Her voice was soft, hopeful — waiting, like she always had, for her grandparents to sweep her up in a hug.

Their faces stayed cold, hard as stone.

"Don't call us that. We don't have relatives like the two of you."

It felt like someone had hit me across the head. I just stood there, dumb.

A few days apart, and we'd gone from mother and daughter to something less than distant relatives?

I could still remember my father hoisting me onto his shoulders as a child, laughing, calling me the jewel in the Sterling family's crown.

My mother, so proud, telling anyone who'd listen how brilliant her daughter was.

But the moment Vivian came back, all that love vanished overnight.

One by one, my projects had been stripped from me.

The network I'd spent years building — piece by piece, quietly transferred to Vivian's name.

Back then, I told myself Vivian was their long-lost daughter. It was only natural for them to want to make it up to her.

Now, though, I saw it clearly.

They hated me.

They hated me for taking Vivian's place — for stealing more than twenty years of her life.

Marcus's cruel words still echoed in my ears.

To give Vivian her revenge, they'd stood by and let that whole charade unfold. They'd ground Wren and me under their heels without a second thought.

The thought settled in my stomach. I pushed my emotions back down and tested the waters.

"What if… that paternity test was wrong? What if the results were falsified?"

My mother paused for just a beat.

"The evidence is right in front of you. You're still trying to talk your way out of it?"

My father stared me down, his eyes flat and cold.

"There were dozens of people watching that day. You've dragged the Sterling name through the gutter."

"A paternity test isn't proof enough for you? What do you want — someone to catch you in bed with him before you'll admit it?"

A chill crept through me, bone-deep.

They knew. They knew all of it was a lie.

And still, in this moment, they spat these words at me — pinning me to that pillar of shame as though it were nothing.

My father knit his brow, his voice dropping into a tone of grim generosity.

"Fine. If you really want to stay here, then tomorrow morning you'll release a public statement."

"You'll admit publicly that you were unfaithful in your marriage. You'll admit Wren isn't Marcus's child."

"And you'll step down from your position at Sterling Group and transfer your shares to Vivian, unconditionally."

I could barely believe what I was hearing. My voice trembled.

"You want me to admit what? Wren is not a bastard!"

My mother didn't even bother to look up.

"A fake can only breed a fake. What else would she be?"

Something roared in my head, and something inside me broke, completely.

Just then, footsteps came down the stairs.

Vivian appeared, red around the eyes, playing the shaken little dove.

"Dad, Mom, don't be like this…"

She turned to me, her voice honeyed.

"Claire, I know you're hurting. But Mom and Dad are getting older, and the Sterling family has its reputation to think about."

"You can't let your personal life drag the rest of us down with you."

"Just admit fault. Once this dies down, we'll be family again."

Then she looked down at Wren, all careful, staged sympathy.

"As for whether she's really Marcus's daughter…"

"Marcus is such a good man. He wouldn't hold it against you."

I opened my mouth to speak, but my parents had already run out of patience.

My father ordered the housekeeper to throw my things out.

"We raised you for twenty years. We were even willing to leave you some dignity."

"But since you won't admit fault, don't ever set foot in this house again."