Chapter 31
I felt as if I had just heard the joke of the century-Jack made me so angry that I almost laughed.
He lounged on the couch, clouds of smoke swirling around him. Initially, he seemed to be deep in thought. Then, he made up his mind.
He took a long drag of his cigarette and blew out a thick ting of smoke. His eyes bore into me, cold and calculatingUpstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g
"Remember, my blood runs through your veins, and you carry the Wiley name. It's about time you pulled your weight around here.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Surely you're not expecting me to hold your hand and guide you through this!"
It dawned on me that he really did see me as something that could be bought and sold at will. couldn't help but wonder if I was nothing more than a plaything to him.
Aburninganger rose in my chest. I should've known that I didn't have a home anymore. I lost everything the moment my parents got divorced.
Teouldn't call my father's place home because he had his own daughter and wife. I couldn't call my mother's place home either because there was no room for me in her blissful life. leouldn't bring them happiness, so I couldn't be the burden that hindered their pursuit of it.
All these years, Jack didn't raise me out of love he was simply grooming me as a pan, something he could trade away whenever it served his interests or to secure deals and
was wealth.
It was foolish of me to think I could still find warmth in this family. I chuckled dryly, realizing that the three people I had
And with for years now felt like complete strangers.
Perhaps I had settled down and fallen in love early in my previous life because I was yearning for someone to fill the void in my heart
"Why should I be the one to pay for her mistakes? Did you raise me all these years just to marry me off to the Grayson family, or, if that didn't work out, to the Tyler family? Am I nothing more than just a bargaining chip for you?" My independence and financial stability were the only things keeping me going then.
Jack stubbed out his cigarette and glared at me, "Who do you think you are talking to me like that? You've got some nerve!"
He appeared to be genuinely furious, possibly because his deal had fallen through
"since you're so kren on protecting her, let her negotiate the deal I'm not going to clean up the mess she made!
This cold, loveless house made me feel suffocated. I couldn't stand being around these three hypocritical, ugly people
"If you refuse to do as I say today, then get the hell out of this house! And don't even think about stepping foot back in here!"
jack tried to threaten me as if I was some helpless child who needed him to survive. He tried to browbeat me into changing my mind, but all he got in return was a cold chuckle.
I realized then that my heart had been dead for so long that I no longer felt any pain. In fact, Leven felt an inexplicable sense of elation
"couldn't ask for anything better!" I laughed manically, my smile as vibrant and untamed as a wild rose growing along the roadside.
Fortunately, I had been planning for this moment, so I could leave this place without a hitch. Once I broke Tree from this place, I would no longer be a canary in a gilded cage. "I won't ever step lost in this house again-not even if you Breaking free from this parasitic relationship was something I had longed for in my previous life, and now I'd finally taken the first step
Jack was caught off gund by my deflance. He was so enraged that he clutched his chest, and his face was contorted. He pointed at me, butt spun on my heel and left without a backward glance
I returned to my place with just a suitcase. Since it was summer break, I decided to take on a part-time job as a children's dance instructor. It would be a piece of cake for teach children to dance given my background in dance
After aching at the dance studio, I changed into my fitted dancer. A big smile spread across my Lace as I welcomed my students at the entrance.
pest then, a tall figure appeared at the doorway. Ethan was leading a little girl by the hand with a gentle expression on his face. Their figures were bathed in satt sunlight When our erpes imet, his breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened in surprise, perhaps because he hadn't expected to run into me here.