LEAVE.

My hands were shaking, and my heartbeat could be heard pounding from a mile away. My eyes were glued to the devil standing before me whose expression didn't change one bit.

“What do you mean?” 

“How would you know? How would you have known that while you were out here frolicking with your whore, I was out there hurting?”

Before I could say another word, Mandy called out in a chippy voice and gasped. “Did you hear that? Dyson, she just called me a whore.”

I expected Dyson to have been aware of his fault, to pull me close and apologize. Instead, he looked up at me and in a dark, vibrating tone, “You need to apologize to her right now, Alexis.”

“What?” I murmured. “You can't be serious.”

“That's right!” Olivia chimed in from atop the staircase. “How can you just come in here and start insulting everyone?”

Denise snorted loudly from the background where she'd been enjoying the drama initially. “If you think you can just come here and kill the legal heir to this family, you're sorely mistaken, Alexis.”

“Touch her again, and you'll regret it.” Clarissa's voice carried a malicious undertone that made me feel as though I was in hell. 

“Have you all gone crazy? Dyson,” I moved closer until I was one inch away. Mandy whimpered as if she didn't like that I was close to him, and so she immediately grabbed his arm. “We used to be in love. It used to be just us. Until now. What happened to us?”

“Maybe I just grew tired of your whining,” he said, to her utter surprise. “Maybe if you had kept quiet and stopped being immature, none of these would have happened…”

“Immature? You call me immature? You're the one who went out and brought in another woman!”

“If you didn't like it, you could have left,” Mandy said in a soft voice while running her hand over her belly. 

I looked around at the house that had once received me with warmth. That same house had slowly grown cold while leaving me with the brutal aftermath of an emotional frostbite. I looked at the three sisters, not missing the snickering and evil smirk on their faces. 

Then, I looked back at Dyson, at the same handsome face I used to love and cherish. I squeezed the paper in my hand with all the anger welling up inside me.

“I did not come to fight anyone; I just simply want you to sign the papers.” 

“Over my dead body, Alexis.”

“You should sign it, brother. Maybe then we can have some peace in this house,” Clarissa fumed from where she stood. 

Denise laughed as she walked down to where she stood. “You're right. All that stomping with her heavy self would be gone if only brother would sign the papers.”

“You're right, Denise. For once, you're showing signs that you have more than one brain cell.”

Denise's eyes widened in an instant, but as she made to speak again, Clarissa interrupted. “The nerve you have to even speak when you look like that. I wonder what your child must look like.”

“That's right. It's a good thing she didn't bring that bad luck into this house.”

Their words rendered my heart into pieces and broke what little composure I had left. Not only did they keep chipping away at what little I had left of my esteem, but they were saying horrible things about my baby who passed on. 

I clutched the hem of my gown with all my strength even though I could hear my knuckles pop. 

“Maybe bringing the baby would end all of our skepticism when we see how ugly it is. Definitely not from this family.” Clarissa continued to add salt to injury. “I mean, have you seen what a legitimate baby does to the mother? Mandy is a good example of that.”

Mandy smiled, but quickly masked it with mock seriousness. 

“You guys need to stop bullying her. She's human too. She may be ugly, but I'm sure her baby will be an angel.” 

I shook my head and looked up, unable to take the abuse anymore. “Say one more word about my baby, and I swear, I'll kill you, bitch!” 

Before I could move forward, Clarissa came close and nudged me with her elbow. The world was a blur as I caught her hand raising it in the air and approaching with full force. A part of me wanted to cower in fear and curl up into a ball, but the other part of me took over. Her hand never descended. 

Gripping her wrist with sheer force, I hit her face with my other hand, feeling my nerves fire up with satisfaction at the whack sound.

Every living soul in the house gasped. But I wasn't in the mood to analyze how anyone felt. 

So I picked up the file from the floor, moved close to Dyson and slammed it on the table behind him. Mandy flinched beside him, but Dyson remained transfixed. 

There was no doubt, his eyes held disbelief and shock. Nothing could be more hurtful and satisfying. 

I turned around without saying a word and left the mansion with my things. They could all go to hell for all I care. I held myself together like a giant, pulling two broken worlds together.

It only lasted until I got behind the door to my room. Then I let the dam loose. Not just for Dyson and all the things I hoped we could become, but for the things I endured for love and the loss of my child. Everything came together in a whirlwind of emotions until I couldn't keep it bottled up any longer.

I screamed the loudest I had ever been and let the tears flow free. Three hours later, I was done crying and sulking. 

I moved to the bathroom and grabbed a pair of scissors before looking into the mirror. 

I would work on myself and live in a world Dyson could only dream of. I would forget about going back and only think of moving forward henceforth. That starts with going back to my father's company where I belonged, where I could rule like a queen without being apologetic about it.