CHAPTER 2: Lynn

I wiped my tears and lifted my chin. Grief burned to ash, leaving only fury.

“You know what?” My voice cut through the air, sharp and cold. “You… Bianca… that snake you call mother… and everyone tied to this rotten house… may you all drown in your own misery.”

I pointed at each of them. “Celebrate your lies. Cling to your wickedness. I will walk away today… but you will remember me. You will choke on regret.”

I turned and walked out. My chest felt heavy, my heart a knot of anger and pain. My steps were stiff, but I kept going until I saw the gate.

The gateman noticed me and quickly opened it. He kept his head down and said nothing. I walked past him without looking back. When the gate closed behind me, I leaned against the wall, struggling to breathe. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks.

I bit my lip hard. How did it end like this? How did I become nothing to him? I thought Tyler loved me. I thought I mattered.

I believed we were building a future. Yes, I knew his grandmother forced him to marry me, but I hoped things would change. I hoped he would grow to love me. The doctors said we would have a baby one day. I believed them.

But here I was—broken, alone, betrayed. Tyler did not just leave because I could not have a child. He cheated with the one person I trusted most.

Bianca. My best friend. I cried to her about his mother’s insults, not knowing she was sleeping with my husband. Those business trips he sent me on… they were just ways to keep me away while they enjoyed each other.

I wiped my tears and stood straight. There was no point crying anymore. Tyler had made his choice. Bianca carried his child. Nothing would change that. He would never come back to me.

I called a cab. When it came, I got in and told the driver my parents’ address. The ride felt short, but every street we passed made my chest hurt more.

The cab stopped in front of the house I once called home—a place that always felt like a cage. My parents, who treated me badly for years, only acted kind after I married into the rich Black family. To them, I was nothing more than a way to get money and respect.

I knocked on the door. After a short wait, Miranda opened it. Her lips twisted into a wicked smile. “Well, look who it is… the barren whore,” she said before moving aside to let me in.

Her words stung more than I could explain. I stood frozen for a second, staring blankly at her. First barren, now a whore?

Since when? I wondered. I met Tyler a virgin, and no man had touched me during my marriage. But I forced my legs forward. This was my only family, cruel or not.

"Good day, papa," I said quietly and headed towards my old room. My brother blocked my way, his arms crossed, smirking.

"Where do you think you’re going?" he asked, his voice dripping with mockery.

I swallowed hard and replied, "To my room."

He laughed. "Your room? Did your father build you a room here?"

Confused, I looked around. "Ben, what are you saying? This is my house too. Can't I stay here and find peace with my family? Dad always—"

"Who are you calling your father?" my so-called father barked from across the room, his words slicing through me like knives.

"But—" I tried to explain, but he cut me off sharply.

My father slammed his fist against the table, making me flinch. His glare cut through me like a blade. “You want to know the truth? You were never my daughter. We picked you from the gutter—an abandoned brat left to rot in some filthy orphanage. We fed you, clothed you, and what did we get in return? Disgrace! You threw yourself at Tyler, tricked him into marrying a useless, barren woman,” he snarled.

My knees almost buckled, but I forced myself to stay upright. My chest tightened so badly it hurt, but I stood my ground. My throat burned, but I swallowed every single tear threatening to escape. I refused to let them see me crumble. I refused to fall apart in front of them, no matter how badly I wanted to collapse.

I took a deep breath and steadied my voice. My fingers curled into fists by my sides. “And who told you I slept with anyone?” I asked, my words sharp but low, like a knife slicing through the thick air.

My foster mother let out a bitter laugh, folding her arms across her chest like she was proud of herself. “Who else?” she said with a mocking grin. “Bianca told us everything. She’s pregnant with Tyler’s child now. She’s his future, and you… you’re just a mistake. We’re done wasting our time on you.”

Bianca.

Her name slammed into me like a punch to the gut. My breath caught in my chest. My heart dropped like a stone sinking into deep water. She had not just betrayed me. She had destroyed me. She stood in the dark corners of my life and gutted me with a smile on her face.

I felt my lips twitch before curling into a smile. It was not a happy smile. It was empty and cold. 

A broken smile. Then came the laugh. Dry and hollow, it left my mouth and filled the room. My laughter bounced off the walls like a mockery of the pain boiling inside me.

They stared at me like I had lost my mind. They waited for me to break down. 

I thought about everything I did for Tyler. All those nights I stayed up fixing his problems, all the business deals I secured, all the debts I helped him pay off. I made sure his company stayed strong, yet here I was, tossed aside like I meant nothing.

My father stood up and threw an envelope at me. It dropped at my feet. “You were only useful when you were a Black. Now you’re nothing. Sign these papers and leave.”