Chapter 4.

Alexa.

Saturday, December 24th. Morning…

The morning after is worse. Despair still overwhelms me. My heart is overtaken by mixed feelings as I lay on the bed. The vacuum groans as Stella cleans my room.

“Miss Alexa, you don’t look well. Should I call your mum for you?” Stella’s worried tone distracts me.

“No, Stella. I will be fine.” I grumble inside my pillow.

Reluctant to wake up.

“But...”

“I’m fine.” My tone is clipped.

I’m anxious. Scared. My head is throbbing hard.

“Sorry Miss.” Stella mutters.

I barely register her apology. I’m considering not going for breakfast. But grandma would worry if I don’t.

‘You need to eat, Alexa,’ she always says. ‘I don’t want you skin and bones like Ashley.’

How do I face my family now that I’m awake? How do I erase what happened last night? How do I avoid all the harsh words that will sting the moment they’re thrown at me.′

These are the thoughts that race through my mind as I finally descend the stairs slowly, each step heavier than the last. I wish I was dead. Perhaps I wouldn’t have to face my family right now. But I have to face them. I can’t stay in my room forever.

I dressed up distractedly earlier. My mind reeling with thoughts. I didn’t sleep much—not after the humiliation, not after Jon. I’d hoped to wake up and realize last night was a nightmare. It wasn’t.

Laughter trickles from the dining room. Laughter and clinking cutlery. I pause just before the doorway, adjusting the sleeves of my sweater like it might armor me. It doesn’t.

As soon as I enter, the room shifts. Silence. Forks pause mid-air. My parents and Ashley look up, their smiles dying in place.

I walk to my seat, ignoring the ice in their eyes. My plate is already waiting: toast, bacon, eggs. Steam spirals from a fresh cup of coffee. I lift my fork with trembling fingers. I know what’s coming.

Further humiliation.

“What do you have to say for yourself after last night, Alexa?”

Dad’s voice cuts across the silence like glass.

I keep my gaze on my plate. My fork trembles slightly.

“Your father is speaking to you,”

Mum’s voice is colder—disappointment wrapped in disdain. Not a hint of care for her youngest daughter.

“She has nothing to say, Mum,”

Ashley chimes in, her tone smug. I look up and meet her eyes. She’s flawless this morning, wrapped in silks and smugness, not a hair out of place. A walking magazine spread. Envy and anger knot inside me. Tears burn my eyes. I clutch my fork tight, opening my mouth—to say something, anything—but Grandma beats me to it.

“Enough!”

Her voice slices through the room like a warm knife through butter. Everyone turns to her. My heart lifts. A watery smile climbs my face.

“Let her eat in peace. Alexa didn’t do anything any of you couldn’t have done.”

She looks at me then, eyes soft. Her gaze is the only motherly thing I’ve felt all day.

“This is her home too. She didn’t embarrass anyone. And frankly, those pompous guests last night embarrassed themselves more than she ever could.”

“Mother…”

Dad tries to speak.

“Don’t you ‘Mother’ me, Richmond,”

Grandma says sharply, her tone steel.

“You of all people should treat her with more care, especially given how she came into this world… struggling to breathe...”

“And is that the excuse we’ll keep using every time she ruins our image?”

Ashley snaps, crossing her legs like a queen.

That’s it.

I turn my gaze to her, my voice low and controlled. Anger spreading inside me.

“And you think you’re the picture of perfection?”

Silence.

Everyone’s eyes turn to me, stunned. Even Grandma.

“Do you really want to talk about ruining images, Ashley?”

I set my fork down with a loud clank.

“Because I can ruin yours in two seconds.”

She scoffs, clearly not expecting me to bite back.

“You act like you’re so pure. But I heard you, Ashley. You and Danny’s argument on Dad’s accountant.”

I pause, watching the color drain from her face. I smirk inwardly.

“You slept with Dad’s accountant. Just so you could get into Dad’s bank accounts.”

The gasp is sharp. Collective. Like wind sucked from the room.

“Alexa!” Mum’s voice is a mixture of shock and disbelief.

But I don’t look away. I hold Ashley’s horrified stare.

“So don’t talk about who deserves to be in this family, Ashley,”

I finish. My voice is steel.

“Because if anyone doesn’t belong here… it’s the snake in designer heels sitting across from me.”