Chapter 2

My thoughts snapped back to the present.

Under the dim light of our cramped room, Clive was methodically packing his bags.

He only packed the items connecting him to the Shepherd family.

The clothes and shoes he wore when he was five had been treated like absolute treasures by Grandma, kept safely in a lockbox.

She used to say, "These are the best proof of his identity. When we finally find his real parents, we'll need to show them."

Meanwhile, all his faded jeans and cheap, scratchy shirts were left behind.

Once he finished, Clive bent down and gently tucked a stray hair behind my ear.

His tone was sickeningly tender. "Eleanor, I know you're pissed that I'm not taking you and Grandma to the estate. It's just that elite families are full of toxic drama. I don't want to drag you into it.

"You two are the most important family I have. I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt because of me. You get that, right?"

Family?

On a freezing winter night twenty years ago, Grandma and I found Clive after human traffickers dumped him in a river.

Risking her own life, Grandma dove into the icy water and pulled his dying body to shore.

She rushed him to the ER, nursed him back to health, handled the police paperwork, and brought him home.

He was a scrawny, terrified kid who flinched at everything.

For the first few months, he refused to speak. He'd only eat while huddled in a corner.

The neighborhood kids ruthlessly mocked him, calling him a freak.

I was the only one who knew how amazing he truly was.

He would finish his homework early at school just to take on the heavy chores around the house.

To save us from dealing with freezing tap water, he would secretly wash all our dirty laundry.

And whenever I was bullied, he stepped up without hesitation.

When I was sixteen, he fought off a local creep who tried to assault me.

The teenage boy had pulled me into a tight embrace, his eyes completely red. "Eleanor, don't be scared. As long as I'm breathing, I won't let anyone touch you."

Later, when I got into a bad car crash, he ran to the local church in the dead of night, begging God to take his life instead of mine.

He swore that Grandma and I would always be his priority.

I used to tease him. "If your real parents ever show up, are you gonna ditch us for them?"

He had teared up instantly, his voice trembling. "Never. I'd never abandon you guys. My only fear is that you'll get sick of me."

Fast forward a few years, and he had magically transformed into the wealthy heir of the Shepherd empire.

I never expected that his very first move at the top would be to cut ties with the only family who ever bled for him.

I dug my nails into my palms until they ached to keep the burning tears at bay.

Yet when I spoke, my voice was terrifyingly calm. "Just go. I will take care of Grandma."

I physically pushed him toward the door as the words left my mouth.

A sleek Rolls Royce idled in the driveway, and whoever was sitting in the back seat was clearly losing their patience.

The live viewer comments began flooding my vision in a frantic frenzy.

[Yo, this is the exact scene! The villainess is supposed to grovel at his feet and beg him to stay. Mrs. Helen Shepherd gets fed up, steps out of the car, and then this crazy chick lies about sleeping with him!

[She threatens to cancel the whole Shepherd family online unless they take her too. Mrs. Shepherd caves, but her guilt instantly turns to pure disgust. She only wanted him back to marry off to that real estate heiress anyway.

[With Eleanor pulling this crap, he is basically useless to them now.]

[Do not let his devoted act fool you either. He secretly hates her guts. If she had not clung to him like a leech, his life back at the estate would not have been such a nightmare.]

I shut my eyes, ignoring the glowing text scrolling above my head.

I admitted I loved Clive, but I was not about to gamble my entire future on a guy whose heart had turned to ice.

Clive gripped his suitcase so hard his knuckles turned white.

He furrowed his brows and looked down, clearly convinced I was just playing hard to get.

His jaw clenched, and a stormy rage brewed in his eyes. "Eleanor, my mother is literally waiting outside. Whatever issue you have with this, can it wait until I actually claim my birthright?"

As our gazes locked, I realized his eyes had never looked so freezing cold.

I suddenly remembered that summer when we were eighteen. I never should have let him slip that woven grass ring onto my finger.

If I had just pulled my hand away, I would not have spent years trapped in this massive mistake.