Chapter 3

I stared at the food on my plate, and then I looked up at Claire, whose face was practically dripping with deceit and scheming.

I took a deep breath, about to say something.

"Claire," Ford called out. He set his glass down, his voice calm but filled with unquestionable authority.

He said, "Joyce is our daughter. Her future is hers to decide.

"The Sinclair family is her family. There's no such thing as her marrying off and leaving us. Don't say things like that again."

Claire's smile froze on her face, her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment.

She stammered, "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Sinclair. I didn't mean it that way."

"Let's eat," Ford interrupted her flatly, not even sparing her another glance.

The rest of the meal was so tense.

I knew Ford was standing up for me.

But the more he did, the more hateful Claire's glare at me became.

I knew this wasn't over.

Sure enough, after the family gathering, Claire lay low for a couple of days.

But it didn't take her long to find a new angle.

She started dropping hints to Edward, suggesting it might be "uncomfortable" for me to keep living at home.

She said, "Edward, Joyce isn't a kid anymore.

"Isn't it a bit strange for her to still be living here with you all?

"Girls need their own space, right?

"And after we get married, if your adopted sister is still around... I mean, people might think it's weird, don't you think?"

Edward didn't back her up this time. Instead, he was clearly pissed.

He said, "Joyce isn't my real sister, but she's definitely family. This is her home. Where else is she supposed to go? Don't say stuff like that again!"

I heard they even got into an argument over it.

Claire didn't dare bring it up to Edward again, but she doubled down and made me her main target for all that pent-up resentment.

She started poking her nose into my social life.

She asked, "Joyce, who was that guy who dropped you off yesterday?

"He was driving a sports car, you know. As a girl, you should have some self-respect. Don't let yourself get fooled by some flashy playboy."

That guy was a close friend who happened to be heading my way and dropped me off after the party.

Honestly, I didn't even feel like explaining it to her.

Claire even started making suggestions to Miranda. "Mrs. Sinclair, Joyce is about to graduate. Maybe it's time to set some boundaries for her.

"Like making her come home earlier at night, so people won't start saying the Sinclair family doesn't know how to keep their daughter in line."

Miranda was arranging flowers at the time.

Hearing what Claire said, she snipped off a perfectly blooming lily and replied calmly, "No outsider has any right to talk about the Sinclair family's daughter.

"Joyce has always been sensible. She knows how to behave."

Claire got shut down again.

She seemed trapped in a vicious cycle.

The more desperate she was to prove she was the future hostess of the Sinclair family, the more she tried to put me down.

But the more she tried to put me down, the more Ford and Miranda stood up for me. Even Edward started to think she was going too far.

That made her even more anxious, and her behavior got more and more out of hand.

Finally, after Claire caused trouble once again, "accidentally" dropping and shattering the pendant my real mother left me, I couldn't hold back anymore. All the anger I'd been bottling up finally burst out.

The pendant wasn't worth much, but it was the only keepsake I had from my real mother.

I stared at the shattered pendant on the floor, my whole body trembling.

Claire covered her mouth, looking totally freaked out.

She said, "Oh no. I'm so sorry, Joyce. I swear I didn't mean to. It just slipped.

"Let me make it up to you, okay? Whatever it costs, I'll pay."

But there wasn't a hint of real apology in her eyes, just a warped satisfaction, like she was secretly enjoying it.

I looked up and stared her down.

Through gritted teeth, I said, "Claire, that's enough."

Claire said, "Why are you glaring at me like that, Joyce? Seriously, it's just a pendant. After all, I'm going to be your sister-in-law. You..."

Claire's eyes brimmed with tears, and she put on a show like she was the one who'd suffered some huge injustice.

"Sister-in-law? Really?" I sneered. "Did you even bother to ask Edward? Has he actually said he wants to marry you? And even if he did, do you really think the Sinclair family would go along with it?"

Claire's face went pale. "You!"

I went on, "From the very first day you set foot in this house, you've been targeting me.

"You've tried every trick in the book to shove me out of this family.

"Child bride? Outsider? Marry me off? Claire, is that all your brain is filled with—backwards, dirty thoughts? Is there anything else going on in that head of yours?"

I kept pushing her, my voice icy cold.

I said, "Listen up. My name is Joyce Sinclair. I am the rightful daughter of this family. Living here is my right!

"That pendant you smashed was all I had left from my real mom. You think you can pay me back? With what? Can you even afford it?

"You're always bragging about being the future lady of this house, but you don't even have a shred of basic decency.

"All you ever do is break stuff, talk behind people's backs, and stir up trouble. You're nothing but a gossipy, meddling yenta!"

I'd never used such biting words before.

Once all that pent-up anger and resentment broke loose, there was no holding it back. I totally lost control.