Chapter 4
Emily's smile froze on her face.
"Sara, what's wrong? Don't you like it?" Emily asked.
Linda's face immediately darkened.
"Sara, Emily is being nice. Don't be so ungrateful," Linda snapped.
The guests around them started whispering among themselves.
"Is that the real heiress they found? She's so rude."
"I heard she didn't grow up in a proper household. No wonder she has no manners."
"Poor Zimmer family. They raised such a wonderful daughter like Emily, but their real one is such a letdown."
Those words felt like needles pricking my ears.
I clenched my fists, my nails digging deep into my flesh.
"Like I said, I'm not eating it," I replied.
My voice wasn't loud, but in the noisy living room, it stood out, clear and unmistakable.
The air froze instantly.
Emily's eyes welled up with tears as she looked at me, hurt and vulnerable.
"Sara, did I do something wrong? Did I upset you?" she asked.
"You didn't do anything wrong," I said, looking right at her. "It's me. I'm the one who's messed up."
I was a fool to think this family could be different.
I was wrong to believe blood was supposed to mean everything.
With that, I turned to leave.
But Henry grabbed my arm, stopping me cold.
"Stop right there! You owe Emily an apology," he barked.
He towered over me, easily trapping me in place.
"Why should I apologize?" I shot back.
"Because you ruined Emily's birthday party. You're nothing but a jinx. Ever since you showed up, nothing but trouble has come to our family," Henry snapped.
Henry's words made my blood boil.
I shoved him hard.
He wasn't ready for it and stumbled back a few steps, crashing into the table holding the champagne tower.
The champagne tower came crashing down.
Glasses shattered everywhere, champagne splattering across the floor.
Everyone was stunned.
Emily shrieked in surprise.
Linda rushed over, her whole body shaking with fury as she stared at the chaos on the floor.
"You lunatic! What are you trying to do?" she shouted.
She raised her hand to slap me.
This time, I didn't dodge.
I faced her slap, my eyes cold as ice.
"You want me to leave?" I asked.
Linda's hand froze in mid-air, intimidated by my icy stare.
Richard stormed over, his face dark with anger.
"That's enough. Do you have to keep humiliating us?" he snapped.
He plastered on a fake smile for the guests.
"Sorry for the mess, everyone. My daughter doesn't know how to behave," he said politely.
He yanked me aside, voice dropping to a harsh whisper.
"How long are you going to keep causing trouble? Will you only be happy when this whole family is in chaos?" he hissed.
"This family?" I scoffed, my voice icy. "This is your family, not mine."
"You..." Richard stammered.
He was too furious to speak.
The party ended on a sour note.
The guests trickled out, all of them looking like they'd watched the best drama of the year.
In the end, it was our family left in the living room.
The silence was suffocating.
Linda sat slumped on the couch, her face buried in her hands, her shoulders trembling as she cried.
Henry pressed his hand to his forehead, his face twisted in irritation and disgust.
Emily nestled close to Linda, murmuring soft reassurances, but now and then she'd sneak a sly, triumphant glance my way, daring me to react.
Richard pointed right at me, his voice tired and full of disappointment.
"Sara, we're so disappointed in you," he said flatly.
I looked at them, and suddenly, I felt strangely calm.
Any last shred of hope I had left inside me broke apart, just like that shattered champagne tower.
Just then, Linda looked up, her eyes red and swollen, fixing me with a fierce, unwavering stare.
"Why can't you be as well-behaved as Emily?" she snapped.
"You're so wild. Why don't you go back to your foster parents? That's the only place someone like you fits in," she spat.
Her words crashed through my mind like thunder.
Those foster parents are traffickers.
That place was the hell I had been running from for six years.
And now, she wanted to throw me back into that hell with her own hands.
I looked at her, then at Richard, and then at Henry.
Every single one of them wore the same cold, heartless look.
They'd wanted me out from the very beginning.
I nodded, a crooked, almost mocking smile curling on my lips.
"Fine," I said, my voice flat and icy.