Chapter 3

—Two Years Later—

"I told you I don't want to eat vegetable soup!" Zendaya screamed, as she violently shoved the bowl away. The hot liquid splattered across the table, scalding Cyan’s hand.

Cyan squeezed her eyes shut against the stinging pain. When she opened them, she found Zendaya staring back at her—defiant and cold. There was no remorse in her niece’s eyes, not even an apology. Instead, she looked proud of the damage she had caused.

Two years…

It had been two years since she married Zach, yet in all that time, nothing had changed in the way the father and daughter treated her. Zendaya’s animosity remained as sharp as ever, while Zach remained a wall of ice. But she stayed. She endured because she had to, even though she was exhausted down to her very soul.

She had tried to defy her father's wishes once, but that same day, Don Sebastian had her parents intercepted to be thrown in jail. She soon discovered that beyond her father’s initial gambling debt, he had continued to borrow money throughout Zach and Chloe’s marriage. He was still addicted to gambling, giving Zach’s grandfather the ultimate leverage to crush them.

If it were up to her, she would have let her father rot in prison to learn his lesson. But her mother had begged for her help. Cyan wasn't heartless enough to turn her back on the people who gave her life.

"What happened here?" Zach’s frigid voice cut through her thoughts.

"It’s her fault, Daddy! She’s forcing me to eat vegetable soup even though I don't want it!" Zendaya complained, immediately playing the victim.

Cyan said nothing. She knelt down to clean the mess on the floor, picking up the shards of the broken bowl. Zendaya had just recovered from a fever, and Cyan had prepared a nutritious meal to help her regain her strength.

But she offered no explanation. She didn't bother to scold Zendaya in front of Zach, it would only lead to another argument she was destined to lose.

She was his wife on paper and had been Zendaya’s mother figure for two years, but she was never treated with the respect she deserved. In this house, she had no rights. To them, she was nothing more than an unwanted substitute.

Once she returned to the table, Zach let out a long, heavy sigh before looking at her. "You’ve been in this house for two years, and you still don't know how to properly care for my daughter. You truly can't do anything right in this home," he said coldly before taking his seat.

"I'm sorry," was all she could manage as she began to serve them.

Even though they had a full staff of maids, Cyan handled their needs personally. Zach insisted on it, claiming that was how Chloe did things when she was alive. Since she had taken her sister's place, he expected her to fulfill every one of her sister's roles.

Her life had changed completely the moment she said "I do." She had abandoned her glamorous career to become a full-time housewife for a family that despised her. Whenever she looked in the mirror, she no longer recognized the woman staring back at her.

She startled as the two of them stood up. She quickly composed herself to follow them out, but Zendaya turned around, her eyes narrowing with spite.

"You're not going with us today. Aunt Laureen is coming, and she and Daddy will be the ones taking me to school."

Cyan swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump in her throat. Throughout the two years of her marriage, Laureen had always been there, hovering by Zach’s side. She was her late sister’s best friend, but now, she had essentially become Zach’s mistress in all but name.

Before Cyan could respond, Laureen’s melodic voice rang through the living room, calling out for Zendaya.

"Zendaya..."

The little girl’s eyes lit up instantly as she ran to embrace the woman. "I missed you, Aunt Laureen! Did you buy me a gift?"

Laureen smiled sweetly. "Of course I did, sweetie!" she said, handing Zendaya a shopping bag before turning her attention to Zach.

"Hey, I’m sorry if it took me a while to get back?" she said affectionately, sliding her arm through Zach’s. Cyan did not miss the mocking, triumphant glint in Laureen’s eyes as they landed on her.

"It’s okay, as long as you enjoyed your vacation," Zach replied, leaning down to kiss the top of Laureen's head.

Cyan looked away, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. The feelings she had for Zach in her youth had resurfaced since they began living together. They hadn't just returned; they had deepened, despite the frostiness of his heart.

He barely let her get near him. He avoided her as if she carried a contagious disease. Once, she had asked him why he hated her so much. After all, it wasn't her fault—she hadn't asked for this forced marriage—but Zach never gave her a straight answer.

"Maybe next time the three of us should go together. Would you like that, Zendaya?" Laureen asked Zendaya.

Zendaya’s face brightened. "Of course!"

The reason she loved Aunt Laureen so much was that Laureen knew exactly how to make her happy. She was the polar opposite of Aunt Cyan. Cyan was strict, which made Zendaya resent her. Aunt Laureen, on the other hand, let her do whatever she wanted and gave her everything she asked for—just like her mommy used to do.

"Let’s go. Zendaya will be late for school," Zach urged, leading Laureen toward the door.

Zendaya took Laureen’s hand, and the woman remained clung to Zach’s arm. The three of them walked out of the mansion looking like a perfect family, while Cyan remained behind, a mere shadow in the corner.

She took a deep breath to ease the heaviness in her chest. She wanted to laugh at her own expense. This was a scene she witnessed almost every day, yet why did it feel like she could never get used to it?

"Are you sure Cyan is really okay with our relationship, Zach? What if one day she suddenly snaps and tries to ruin me?" Laureen asked, her voice tinged with a delicate layer of fear.

Zach shifted his gaze from the road to the woman beside him. She was always like this whenever she visits the mansion. A gentle smile touched his lips.

"Don't worry. Cyan won't do anything to harm you, Laureen," he said with absolute certainty.

In two years, he had never heard a single complaint from Cyan regarding his relationship with Laureen. Their only friction came from how to handle his daughter.

Cyan was strict, while he and Laureen preferred to spoil Zendaya. He had grown up under his grandfather’s thumb, where every move was controlled. If he did anything the old man disliked, he was scolded and punished.

That was the one thing he refused to let Zendaya experience. He wanted her to be free, unlike him. In that regard, he and Laureen were perfectly aligned. His daughter adored Laureen, and if it weren't for his grandfather, Cyan would have been out of their lives a long ago.

To him, Laureen was the much better choice to be Zendaya’s mother. He felt much more at peace whenever she was with them…