Chapter 3

I cast one last look at the home that had been mine for twenty-two years—the Knowles household.

A place where I had spent my entire life trying to belong. Trying to earn a family I could truly call my own.

Today, I was leaving it all behind.

Every memory—good and bad. Every silent hope. Every effort that had gone unseen.

Not because I had finally graduated and wanted to explore the world. Not because I was brave enough to choose freedom.

But because I had been thrown away. Disowned by my own father.

“What now, Cassie?” I whispered to myself as I turned toward the empty road ahead.

The familiar path stretched before me—the same one I had walked countless times, the one that always led me back home. The sight of it only made the weight in my chest grow heavier.

Will I ever walk this path again?

The answer came before I could finish the thought.

No.

A painful lump rose in my throat, tightening until it hurt to breathe. I let out a long, shaky sigh, filling my lungs with fresh air. Then, with trembling resolve, I took my first step away from the only home I had ever known.

Unlike every other day, I wouldn’t be coming back when night fell.

This time, I was leaving with nothing but an uncertain road ahead—and empty pockets to match.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips as I followed the path forward, my vision blurring once more. Tears spilled freely from my already swollen eyes, streaking down my cheeks no matter how hard I tried to stop them.

“Will you stop already?” I muttered to myself, scolding my tears with a broken little chuckle.

I didn’t want to feel miserable. But standing there—abandoned, alone, and walking away from everything I had ever known—I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t.

I had been walking for so long that the road felt endless—either it truly stretched farther than it ever had before, or my steps had simply grown too heavy to carry me forward without effort. Each movement felt like wading through invisible weight, my legs aching, my chest tight.

I was so lost in my misery that I startled when a figure suddenly appeared in front of me. I stopped short, nearly losing my balance as my feet skidded against the pavement.

For a moment, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.

I had begged him earlier—pleaded for just a conversation—but he had brushed me off without a second glance. And yet here he was now, standing in my path, wearing the same cold, unreadable expression I had come to know too well.

“At last, you left,” he muttered, his gaze dropping briefly to the suitcase I was dragging behind me.

I smiled—or at least, I tried to. It must have come out as bitter as everything else I felt inside.

“I know I’ve done something unforgivable,” I said softly, the words scraping my throat as they came out. “But I was hoping… maybe you’d reconsider helping me. Just this once. For the sake of our friendship.”

“I don’t want to help you.”

He shrugged, casual and detached, as if my world hadn’t just collapsed.

That nonchalance hurt more than his words ever could. It felt like a final confirmation—that whatever we once had, however small it was to begin with, meant nothing now.

“I’ve learned that already,” I nodded, forcing my lips into something that barely resembled a smile. My face felt stiff.

"But still… I believe I owe you an explanation.”

I drew in a deep breath, forcing air into my lungs, trying to ease the crushing weight in my chest.

This was the man I had admired from a distance for so many years—the one I had never dared to hope for. I had been content with the smallest scraps of his attention, the brief glances and passing words he offered whenever he visited Mirriam. Back then, that had been enough.

Now, all I saw was cold distance in his eyes as he looked at me.

Hatred. It pierced straight through my soul.

“No need,” he dismissed flatly.

I had no reply. I bit down on my lip, hard, holding back the tears I had fought so desperately to keep at bay.

I was a victim too—I had lost my innocence to someone who couldn’t even look at me now without hatred burning in his eyes. Yet no one could see that. To them, I wasn’t the one who had been hurt or betrayed.

I was the villain in my half-sister’s love story.

“It’s enough that you’ve already left the Knowles household,” he went on, his gaze drifting past me—back toward the direction I had come from, as if I were already irrelevant. “That’s all that matters.”

Then he looked at me again, his eyes sharp and merciless.

“You’re pathetic,” he said coldly. “Kissing Mirriam’s feet. Begging for a chance to stay.”

Disdain twisted his expression. “You really don’t know how to value your pride.”

The words struck like lightning, each one burning as it hit.

I bowed my head and closed my eyes, unable to bear the sight of him anymore. His insults seeped into me slowly, lethally, unraveling what little strength I had left.

Worse than the pain was—I couldn’t refute a single word. Because everything he said was true.

Silence stretched so long that I thought he had already left. Then—

“Here. Take this.”

Startled, I looked up slowly and found him still standing there.

His hand was extended toward me, a card pinched between his fingers. For a moment, I could only stare—first at it, then at him—confused, disoriented, unsure whether exhaustion and grief were finally playing tricks on my eyes.

“That should be enough to last you a few months,” he said casually when I didn’t move.

My fingers curled tightly at my sides. Pride screamed at me to refuse, but reality was louder. More than my dignity, I needed the money he was offering.

“Consider it a severance f*e,” he continued coldly. “And don’t show your pathetic self in the Knowles household again.”

The words cut deep. Still, I didn’t reach for the card.

“Well?” He raised an eyebrow, a flicker of impatience crossing his face. “What are you waiting for?”

When I remained frozen, his lips curved into something sharp and mocking.

“You were willing to swallow your pride and kiss Mirriam’s shoes,” he said, sarcasm dripping from every syllable, “but you won’t accept money that could keep you from ending up on the streets?”

The cruelty of it made me flinch.

“You can think of it as a loan,” he added dismissively. He stepped forward and placed the card on top of my suitcase, as if finalizing a transaction.

Then he cast me one last glance and turned away, heading toward his car.

The question burned in my chest, refusing to stay buried.

“Why are you helping me this time?” I asked before I could stop myself.

He halted mid-step. For a heartbeat, the world seemed to hold its breath—but he didn’t turn around.

“I’m not,” he muttered. Without looking back, he added flatly,

“I’m just making sure you won’t ever come back to the Knowles household.”

The words settled heavily between us.

I smiled—if the hollow curve of my lips could even be called a smile. I could taste the bitterness of it, sharp and unforgiving.

“I’ll repay you,” I said quietly. My gaze flicked to the card resting on my suitcase, my jaw clenching as I struggled to hold on to what little dignity I had left.

He didn’t stop.

“Suit yourself,” he muttered mockingly, already walking away, not sparing me a single glance.

And just like that, he was gone—leaving me with nothing but a borrowed lifeline and the echo of his indifference.

Tears welled in my eyes once more, stinging far worse than before. They tasted sharper, more bitter.

****tbc****