I stepped out of my bedroom, my gaze immediately landing on Amanda, sprawled on the living room sofa below. Her hand, barely scratched, was wrapped in thick bandages as she sobbed softly in my father’s arms.

Across from her, William’s face was a mask of irritation, his brows furrowed with displeasure.

My father gently patted Amanda’s shoulder, his voice laced with false comfort.

“Alright, enough with the tears. I’ll have your sister apologize.”

Beside him, my stepmother wore a look of righteous indignation, her eyes shining with fake sympathy as she accused me.

“Your daughter just can’t stand us. She’s trying to force us out of this house.”

“That won’t happen,” my father shot back, his tone heavy with authority. “This house isn’t hers to control.”

With a quick glance at William, he added, “William, why don’t you talk to Avery and get her to come down and apologize to her sister?”

William nodded stiffly, turning toward the stairs.

When William noticed the wound on my forehead, a flicker of discomfort briefly crossed his face. His hand reached for mine, his voice laced with feigned concern.

“Avery, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were hurt, too.”

I couldn’t help but sneer inwardly at the man before me, a hypocrite through and through.

He wasn’t unaware of my injury; he simply thought Amanda’s tiny scratch deserved more sympathy than my actual pain.

“Avery, since you pushed Amanda, go downstairs and apologize to her. Let’s just put this whole thing behind us.”

I remained silent, the bitterness welling up inside me.

This man could be just as heartless as the trio downstairs.

I offered him a faint smile, then said, purposefully reminding him of the truth he wished to ignore.

“William, I had six stitches. Savannah said there’s a good chance it will scar.”

Only then did he take a proper look at the gash on my forehead?

But after a fleeting moment of pity, his scolding began.

“If you hadn’t pushed her on purpose, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Besides, Amanda’s hurt too.”

“It’s just a bracelet. Was it really worth pushing her over? You’ve had everything for so long, more than enough. There’s no need to compete with her over every little thing. You should learn to let her have her way.”

A bitter laugh escaped me, the taste of it better than the words I wanted to say.

What did he mean by saying I’d been a wealthy young lady for so many years?

The Kennedy family’s current wealth was built solely on my mother’s dowry.

While she worked tirelessly to support us, my father had been secretly tending to another family.

A year ago, my mother’s unexpected death left a gaping hole.

Her grave hadn’t even cooled when my father brought his mistress and her illegitimate daughter into our home, calling it a “reunion.”

Ever since they arrived, I no longer had a place in this house.

Amanda took everything, everything, including the man who was supposed to be my fiancé.

William knew all of this but still dared to speak to me in such a way.

It was clear where his heart now lay.

But then I remembered I had already agreed to another man’s proposal.

The anger that had burned in my chest evaporated as quickly as it had come.

I smiled at William.

“William, I’ll apologize to her, but there’s one condition.”

“What condition?”

“Next Saturday is my mother’s death anniversary. I want you to come with me to visit her.”

“Alright, no problem.”

To him, visiting a grave was just another task, no big deal.

With a pounding head, I rose and made my way downstairs.

Standing before the trio, I offered my apology to Amanda.

“I’m sorry.”

Amanda immediately curled into my father’s arms, acting like a frightened rabbit. Her voice was sweet, but it lacked sincerity.

“Sister, I forgive you. Let’s get along from now on, okay?”

Get along?

I didn’t need that.

William’s gaze flickered between the two of us, his expression softening just a touch.

“Avery, Amanda is still young. It’s natural for her to be a little spoiled and headstrong. Once we’re engaged on the 9th of next month, I’ll take you away from all of this.”

The 9th of next month.

It was a date I had been looking forward to, though I never let it show.

I gave him a soft smile.

“Alright.”

That evening, Amanda flaunted the bracelet in front of me.

She waved it around as though afraid I might miss it, circling me several times before speaking.

“Sister, you’re not mad at me, are you? I didn’t expect William to listen to me so well. Not only did he make you give me the bracelet, but he also had you bow and apologize in person.”

After showing off the bracelet, she leaned closer, her eyes scanning the wound on my forehead with a mocking smile.

“Sister, is that a scar? What will you do about the engagement ceremony next month? Will it have to be canceled like today’s birthday party?”

I ignored her.

Let her have her moment, it wouldn’t last much longer.

But she arrogantly blocked my path.

“Sister, I heard you want William to accompany you to visit your mom?”

I stopped in my tracks and fixed her with a cold stare.

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying that William won’t go with you because he doesn’t love you.”

“He’ll go.”

I still trusted William despite everything. After all, my mother had been good to him for years. A visit to the cemetery wouldn’t take more than two hours.

Amanda kept pushing, pretending to be hurt as she drew closer to William.

He thought I didn’t know.

But what he failed to realize was that Amanda had been sending me photos of them together every time, each one designed to provoke me.

I never responded to her. I simply saved the photos quietly for the day I would need them.

On the day of my mother’s death anniversary, William finally acted like a decent man.

Not only did he show up, but he also brought lilies, my mother’s favorite flowers.

As we arrived at the cemetery, his phone buzzed with a message.

He glanced at it, and his face instantly hardened.

Taking my hand, he looked at me with an apologetic expression.

“Sorry, Avery. There’s an urgent issue at work. I need to leave.”

Even though I knew the message had come from Amanda, I still clung to a tiny thread of hope, pleading with him.

“William, today is my mother’s first death anniversary. Can’t you postpone work for just one hour?”

Before my mother passed away, he had been one of the few people she worried about besides me.

“Sorry, Avery. This is really important.”

His gentle tone hid a quiet firmness, and before I could say another word, he was already walking toward the gates, phone pressed to his ear.

Not long after, I received a message from Amanda. [I told you I won’t let William visit a dead woman.]

I turned off my phone, closed my eyes, and tried to suppress the anger threatening to overwhelm me.

Alone, I placed the lilies on my mother’s grave, my eyes fixated on the smile that seemed to forever rest on her face, etched into the tombstone.

Tears began to fall without warning.

I wiped them away and whispered softly, “Mom, on the 9th of next month, I’ll be leaving Franklin City.”

“I probably won’t come back. Please don’t blame me.”

My mother had loved me beyond words. I believed she would understand.

I stayed at the cemetery, lost in conversation with her for what seemed like hours before finally leaving.

Next, I headed to the bank, where I retrieved the diamond bracelet I had hidden away.

This bracelet, a precious heirloom passed down from my grandmother to my mother, was something my mother had entrusted to me before she left.

It was the only keepsake my mother had left me, and since I wouldn’t be coming back to Franklin, I knew I had to take it with me.

As I passed through the garden on my way home, I saw Amanda clutching her puppy, tears streaming down her face.

“William, thank goodness you went with me to take my dog to the vet. Otherwise, it would’ve died,” she sobbed.

“Don’t cry. The dog will be fine,” William reassured her softly.

A sharp sting of sadness swept over me. In his eyes, my mother meant less than a dog.

I ignored them both and headed straight upstairs.

After placing the wooden box on my dressing table, I grabbed a fresh set of clothes and went to the bathroom for a shower.

When I returned, I froze at the sight of Amanda, who had been playing with her dog, now standing by my dressing table.

She was trying my diamond bracelet on the puppy’s leg.

A surge of panic gripped me, and without thinking, I shouted, “Amanda, what are you doing?”

She spun around a bright smile on her face, waving the bracelet at me. “Sister, this bracelet is so pretty. Can I borrow it for a couple of days to let my dog wear it?”

“Amanda put it down!”

I held my breath, fury flashing in my eyes, terrified she might drop it.

Amanda pouted, her lips curling in mock innocence.

“Don’t be so stingy, Sister. I know this was your mom’s, but my dog will only wear it for two days before giving it back.”

Knowing her manipulative nature, I mixed a plea with my warning.

“Amanda, you can have William and the bracelet, but this is the only thing my mom left me. Please, just give it back to me.”

Her eyes gleamed with feigned surprise.

“Really? It sounds so precious.”

She looked down at the puppy, speaking sweetly, “Baby, maybe we should return it to her.”

Slowly, she removed the bracelet from the dog’s leg, holding it out to me.

Just as I reached for it, she let it slip through her fingers.

“Oh no, sorry, I didn’t hold it properly!”

The diamond bracelet crashed to the floor, shattering into jagged pieces.

A wave of shock swept over me, my vision blurring as rage coursed through my veins.

It felt as though every drop of blood in my body surged to my head, clouding my thoughts.

I couldn’t stop myself. In an instant, I lunged at her.

She screamed, twisting around and running out of the room.

“Help! My sister’s trying to kill me!”

I was relentless, catching up to her and grabbing a handful of her hair. With a swift motion, I slammed her head against the door.

She howled in pain, clutching her head.

“It hurts! Sister, please don’t kill me!”

I didn’t care that I was barefoot or that I could hear the frantic footsteps racing up the stairs.

All I cared about was teaching this brat a lesson.

I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

The sting of the slap was nothing compared to the fire burning inside me.

The door burst open, and William froze for a heartbeat before rushing toward me.

He grabbed my hand mid-air, his other arm swiftly wrapping around Amanda like a shield.

“Avery! What on earth are you doing?”

Amanda flung herself into his arms, her tears flowing freely as she cried, “William, the dog broke Sister’s bracelet by accident, and she said she was going to kill me and the dog... sob, sob…”

William’s eyes locked onto mine, as cold and emotionless as ice.

“Avery, I’ll buy you another bracelet. Don’t hurt her.”

“William, get out of my way!”