Chapter 2

"Phillip," I said with an icy glare. "Say that again."

"Mother." Joe jumped in, impetuous and blunt, more so than his father. "Dad is right. Juliette is the only sister I'll ever respect.

"She taught me my books, trained me in the sword, and no one in Kinsmor comes close to her."

He jabbed a finger at Alena, raising his voice. "Just look at her. All shy and awkward, and she's got this weird smell. Are you really going to introduce her to others?

"Do you want everyone in Kinsmor to laugh that the Riggs family took in some low-born girl as a lady?"

The room went dead silent. I could feel my blood rushing to my head, hot with anger.

I slowly let go of Alena's hand and walked right up to Joe.

He was taller than me, looking down with his chin up, eyes blazing with defiance.

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

The sharp smack pierced the dead silence of the room.

Joe was left dumbfounded, holding his face and staring at me in utter disbelief.

Juliette let out a scream and darted over. "Mom, how could you slap Joe? He was just thinking about the Riggs family."

"Really?" I turned to glare at her. "Juliette Weber, you're the daughter of that servant who stole my child. I'm not your mother."

Juliette's face went pale, and tears started to fall. "What are you saying? I am your daughter."

"My daughter?" I grabbed Alena and pushed her forward. "Take a good look. This is my daughter. Everything she's suffered these past fourteen years is all because of you and your scheming mother.

"While you were living in luxury at the Princess's Manor, she was starving and freezing. While you were learning music and art, she was out there feeding pigs and herding cattle."

The more I spoke, the more my voice shook with rage. "Now you want to talk to me about family, huh? Are you seriously bringing this up after what you did to my kid?"

Phillip finally lost his temper. "Gwen, have you gone mad? Are you going to destroy the Riggs family for a girl nobody even knows where she came from?"

I whipped around to glare at him. "Phillip, say that again."

He choked on his words, momentarily speechless.

"It's been confirmed," I said, each word sharp and deliberate. "Leila confessed everything. Fourteen years ago, while I was unconscious, she swapped her newborn daughter with mine.

"Her daughter became the heiress of the Riggs family, while mine was sent away to suffer in a remote town."

I slammed the confession papers the guards handed me right in Phillip's face. "It's all written down, signed, and sealed. Want to see it for yourself?"

Phillip picked up the papers, his face growing darker with every line he read.

Joe leaned in to read as well, and when he looked up at Juliette, for the first time, there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes, but only the faintest.

Joe said, his neck stiff with defiance, "Even if that's true, it's not Juliette's fault. She was just a baby back then. She didn't know anything."

"So what?" I shot back. "Was Alena supposed to suffer for fourteen years? And was this impostor supposed to keep the title of a princess's daughter, enjoying the life she stole?"

"What do you want then?" Phillip threw down the papers, voice icy. "Are you going to throw Juliette out? How is a fourteen-year-old girl supposed to survive out there? Are you going to let her die?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "She'll live the same way Alena has all those fourteen years."

I turned to Juliette, who was clutching Joe's sleeve, her face streaked with tears.

I said, "Juliette, from now on, you're no longer the princess's daughter. All the privileges you enjoyed were stolen from my child. It's time you gave them back."

I shouted, "Take away everything Juliette has that doesn't belong to her. Haul her off to the guest room in the west wing. She's not allowed out without my order."

Several maids stepped forward at my command.

Juliette shrieked, clinging desperately to Joe. "Joe, save me. Father, help me."

Joe shoved the maids aside. "Don't you dare touch my sister."

He stood protectively in front of Juliette, eyes red with fury as he glared at me. "If you lay a hand on Juliette, I'll—"

"You'll what?" I cut him off. "Stop calling me your mother?"

I nodded, letting the last trace of warmth in my heart die completely.

"Very well." I walked back to Alena and took her hand back in mine. Her hand was icy and still shaking.

I squeezed it tighter. Then I turned to Phillip and to my so-called "good son".

"Look at you two. One of you keeps grudges against your own mother, the other is so proud and selfish." I took a deep breath and raised my voice. "Fine. I'll make sure you get what's coming to you.

"From this day on, I, Gwen Levine, am done with Phillip. We're finished. Princess's Manor was a gift from my father. Only Alena and I will live here."

I spat out each word, cold and sharp, "Anyone who wants to stand with that fake heiress can get out of here right along with her."

When I finished speaking, the room went completely silent.

Phillip was the first to snap out of it. His usually calm, gentlemanly face finally broke.

He stared at me as if I were a stranger, then spat out through clenched teeth, "Gwen, do you know what you're saying?"

"I want a divorce," I repeated slowly and seriously. "Is that clear? Should I write it down for you? There may never have been a princess who dismissed her husband in this dynasty, but I don't mind being the first."

Phillip's face flushed bright red. "Are you going to tear this family apart over that unknown girl?"