Chapter 5

Edmund rushed to the fountain. The second he saw Laura struggling in the water, he threw off his jacket and jumped in.

He lifted her out and held her close.

Laura shivered in his arms, sobbing. "Edmund... I was so scared... I was just talking to my sister, and she just... she pushed me... I almost drowned..."

"It's okay, you're okay," Edmund soothed, rubbing her back. Then he whipped his head around to face me, his eyes burning with rage. "Alessia! Are you insane?"

I watched them, my face a blank mask. "She had it coming."

"What did you say?" he stared at me, his disappointment absolute. "I thought you were just spoiled. I didn't realize you were completely unhinged."

"Apologize to Laura. Now."

I met his gaze and said flatly, "Not a chance."

That sent him over the edge. "Fine. Then I guess it's time I taught you what our family's rules really mean."

He gently set Laura down on a nearby bench and pulled out his phone. "Bring all the paintings from Alessia's room. Now!"

My heart stopped. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see," he said, his voice like ice.

Ten minutes later, several of his men carried all the paintings from my room out to the terrace. They were my mother's work, the last things I had of her. The most precious things I owned.

"Edmund, you can't touch them!" I panicked, my voice trembling.

"Scared now?" he looked at me coldly. "I'll ask you one more time. Apologize to Laura, or..." He motioned for a guard to take one of the paintings to the lit fireplace nearby.

"No! You can't burn it!" I lunged forward, but his men held me back.

"Then apologize," Edmund said, his face unreadable.

I bit my lip so hard I could taste blood, but I said nothing. I would not apologize to the woman who insulted my mother.

"Very well," he nodded to the guard. "Burn it."

"No—"

I watched in horror as my mother's painting was tossed into the fire, instantly consumed by the flames. The orange glow lit up my pale face. My body trembled, but I held my ground.

"Still not apologizing?" Edmund asked.

I kept my mouth shut.

"Continue."

A second painting went into the fire. Then a third, a fourth... Each one felt like a knife in my heart, but I clenched my jaw and refused to give in.

Laura, still "weakly" shivering on the bench, had a look of vicious pleasure in her eyes. This was what she wanted: to see me break.

"This is the last one," Edmund's voice was still cold as stone. "If this one burns, there will be nothing left."

A guard held up the final painting. It was my mother's self-portrait, the one I treasured most. In it, she was smiling gently, just as she used to smile at me.

Seeing it, my defenses finally crumbled.

"Wait..." my voice was a raw whisper. "I... I'll apologize..."

"Louder. So everyone can hear," Edmund ordered, looking down on me. The crowd of guests that had gathered was watching the whole spectacle, whispering among themselves.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly bowed my head. "I'm sorry... Laura... It was my fault..."

"It's okay. How could I ever stay mad at my own sister?" Laura said weakly, but the triumph in her eyes was unmistakable.

Humiliation, rage, despair... it all washed over me at once. A wave of dizziness hit me, and the world went dark.

The last thing I heard before I passed out was Edmund's cold voice from above.

"This is a small punishment for your disobedience."

Then, I collapsed in front of everyone.