Her heart skipped a beat. She whipped around, eyes red as she locked onto Stephanie. "Where’s Skippy?"

Stephanie didn’t even blink. She pointed at the rosebush next to her with a smile. "That dog was such a pain. Do you know how annoying he was? He crushed a bunch of my roses. Do you realize how expensive they are? Lionel gave them to me, airlifted straight from Windvale."

She finished with a shy smile, cheeks tinged pink, like she had just done a favor. Kayla’s gaze was ice-cold. "Where’s my Skippy? What did you do to him?"

At the sound of Kayla’s voice rising, Stephanie’s tone softened. "I…"

Lionel looked up, his eyes briefly meeting hers. For a split second, she saw panic flash across his face before he quickly recovered, lifting his chin. "Kayla, come on. It’s just a dog. No need to yell at your sister. Stephanie’s just being nice. She gave your dog to someone else."

"Someone else?" Kayla’s teeth ground together. “That’s my dog! I raised him for five years, he’s family!”

Skippy was the last gift her mom had given her before she passed, her 20th birthday present. She still remembered her mom’s last words, "Skippy will stay with you, even if I leave."

During those five years in prison, she had worried about him constantly—whether he was eating, sleeping, or doing okay. Lionel knew how much she cared, yet he let Stephanie give him away like he was nothing.

Just like when the account books went missing—no matter how many times she told him she wasn’t responsible, he never believed her, just left her with cold words, "You go in and fix yourself. I’ll be there when you get out."

The thought hit her like ice. Kayla took a deep breath, forcing herself to speak with forced calm. "You knew that was Mom’s last gift to me. Why would you just give him away without even asking?"

A loud voice echoed from inside the mansion. "Enough already! Is this ever going to stop?"

Kayla turned to see her father, Ferris Sutton, standing in the doorway. He looked serious and over the past five years, he’d become a lot more polished.

His gray hair looked untouched and that same disgusted look never left his face. As soon as Stephanie saw him, she dashed over to his side.

"Dad! It’s all my fault! If I hadn’t gotten rid of Skippy, she wouldn’t be so mad at us," she said, practically clinging to him. They looked like the perfect father-daughter pair. It was almost comical to Kayla.

"It’s just a dog. If she wants another one, buy her one. You’re already yelling the moment you come back? How embarrassing! Can’t you learn something from your sister?" Ferris snapped.

Kayla didn’t respond. She just looked at him with a blank expression.

The truth was, even though she and Stephanie were sisters, they couldn’t have been more different. One was adored by everyone and the other was the illegitimate daughter.

Kayla had once been the CFO of her own company, while Stephanie was just a small-time clerk Ferris had put under her. Stephanie acted all innocent, but Kayla knew she’d always wanted her position.

But now, she knew it was too late.

Kayla never thought her own father would turn against her. The moment she found out the truth, she was done with this family.

But the house was her mother’s gift to her and those people were the ones who should leave.

Kayla walked past him without a word and headed upstairs. The room that used to be hers had been completely redecorated, now drenched in the pink she could never stand.

Kayla stood there, staring at the photo on the wall and it finally clicked; this room wasn’t hers anymore.

Stephanie's voice broke the silence. "You must be used to smaller spaces from your time in prison, right? I thought you might struggle with a bigger room, so I moved here. Hope that’s okay with you," she said, smiling sweetly.

Ever since Stephanie had joined the family, she had always had her eye on Kayla’s room. However, back then, Kayla had been the one in charge and even their father never dared to say no to her.

"Just go ahead and sleep, Kayla won’t mind," Lionel added with a smile, stepping in. He hadn’t smiled at her once since she got out of prison, so it felt strange now, like a jab to her chest.

She didn’t even bother to respond, just gave him a quick glance and felt a sharp ache in her heart. It was clear no one here was happy to have her back—not even Lionel.

Later, after getting some sleep, Kayla woke up, but it wasn’t the same. The bed at home felt too soft after years on a hard mattress and her back ached.

She headed downstairs and found the food already half-cold on the table.

"Kayla, that’s just leftovers. It's probably better than whatever they fed you in prison, though. You can eat it," Stephanie said, snuggling into Ferris’s side, her smile all sweetness.

Kayla looked at the half-eaten food, the mess on the table and then met Lionel’s eyes. For a split second, their gazes locked before he quickly looked away.

It stung. He had learned how to turn a blind eye to her.

Suddenly, she lost all appetite and walked out into the backyard, heading straight for the tree her mother had planted before she passed.

Kayla stood frozen, staring at the barren backyard. The tree her mother had planted was gone and all that remained was a wasteland.

She slowly walked toward the stump, her eyes catching something that made her stomach drop—white bones carelessly tossed aside. Her hand shook as she picked one up. It took a moment for her to process what she was holding.

It was a dog’s bone. Skippy. Her beloved dog had starved to death here.

Her breath hitched and tears filled her eyes as she clutched the bone. "Skippy... I’m so sorry."

Before she could collect herself, she heard footsteps approaching. It was Stephanie, looking at her with a smirk. "It’s just a dog. What’s the big deal? It ruined my flowers, so it got what it deserved."

Kayla’s lip curled in disgust. Apparently, flowers were more valuable than a life.

She gently laid the bones back in place and turned to head upstairs.

Lionel was waiting at the top of the stairs, his gaze fixed on her. He followed her as she walked into her room, catching her just as she pulled out her phone.

"Hello, police? I—" she started, but Lionel grabbed the phone from her hand.

"What do you think you’re doing?" he snapped.

Kayla met his eyes, her voice thick with emotion. "She killed my dog."

Lionel paused, his expression unreadable, before he hung up the phone. "It’s just a dog, Kayla. She’s your sister. Are you seriously calling the cops on her? Stop making a scene. You’re embarrassing yourself."

Kayla stared at him, her heart sinking. For the first time, the man she had loved felt like a stranger.

Embarrassing? When he had nothing, she had never once judged him for it.

"Did you know about this all along?" Kayla asked, her voice sharp.

Lionel tossed the phone on the bed, his tone softening. "Stephanie didn’t mean it. She’s young, she didn’t understand. It’s over now."

‘Over?’ Kayla’s heart pounded. ‘Skippy was my family for five years!’ She stared at him, her anger and pain rising in her chest like a tidal wave.

"Whose side are you on, Lionel? You knew I was wronged, but you didn’t even care to hear me out. Is everything for her?" Her voice cracked as he turned and walked out, leaving her alone with the mess of emotions swirling in her mind.

She sank back into the past, her memories crashing into her like a storm.

Back in college, Kayla was something of a legend. Smart, beautiful—everyone thought she was untouchable. She could’ve had anyone, but she wasn’t interested in the rich, entitled boys trying to impress her.

She had bigger dreams. Even with offers to study abroad, she stayed. Kayla had promised her mother she would join her company and she did. She created something that made waves in her industry.

People said someone like her would never settle down, but then she posted her engagement photos. She had it all—except, apparently, someone who truly had her back.

And then there was Lionel. He wasn’t just the guy who saved her life after that car crash.

He was the guy who pulled her from the wreckage, just before the car exploded. After that, they really got to know each other.

Turned out, they had more in common than she realized—he had been a student at her school too.

Lionel was always there, showing up every morning with breakfast for Kayla, no matter how cold or stale it was.

He knew exactly what she liked and made sure to be by her side, day and night. Slowly, they fell for each other and decided to build a life together. But five years later, he wasn’t the same person anymore.

On the morning of her mother’s death anniversary, the rain drizzled outside the mansion.

“Who bought this white lily? It’s bad luck!” Stephanie sneered, tossing it aside.

Kayla walked downstairs, expressionless, giving it a quick glance. “It’s mine.”

Ferris appeared from the side, frowning. “What? Are you hoping I’ll die or something?”

Kayla shrugged. “You forgot today’s my mom’s death anniversary.” She didn’t feel like saying more and turned to head back to her room.

Just as she was about to leave, Stephanie was already packed and ready. “I’ll go with you to see your mom. Can I come?”

Kayla shot her a quick look. “No need.”

Lionel, though, ignored Kayla’s words and took the bag from Stephanie’s hand. “Let’s go then. We’ll go together,” he said, not caring at all about Kayla’s refusal.

It wasn’t surprising to her—he knew how much today meant to her, but still treated it like it was no big deal.

The drive wasn’t long, just half an hour.

When they got to the cemetery, Kayla immediately noticed her mother’s grave. It was covered in dust, with weeds growing all around it.

Compared to the others, it looked abandoned, like no one had been here while she was away.

Before Kayla could say anything, Stephanie started crying. “I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t take care of Kayla. She ended up in jail and we haven’t visited you in five years. You always taught us to be good people and even though Kayla’s made mistakes, we won’t forget her. Don’t worry.”