Chapter 2
As the unwanted daughter in my own family, I quietly laid a white lily beside my father's casket before leaving for the return train.
On the way, I texted my old friend Samantha Brooks, who worked as a lawyer: [When you have time, help me draft a divorce agreement.]
The screen showed typing for a long time.
When her reply finally came, it was just one word: [Okay.]
*****
Another 13 hours on that slow train.
When I finally stepped through the door, I saw Edward's young assistant, Olivia, sitting on the couch with Lucas, watching cartoons.
Edward, who never set foot in the kitchen, came bustling out with a spatula in hand.
At the tip was a freshly peeled shrimp.
He blew on it gently before offering it to Olivia. "Try this, Liv. See how it tastes."
Olivia took a small, dainty bite.
She chewed twice, then smiled brightly and gave him a thumbs-up. "Mr. Grant, you're such a great cook."
Lucas clapped his hands on her lap, his head tilted back. "Dad, I want one too."
The scene looked so warm and picture-perfect, like something straight out of a government commercial about happy family life.
It wasn't until I rolled my suitcase into the bedroom that the three of them finally realized there was someone else in the house.
By the time I finished packing the essentials and turned back around, their smiles were gone.
They all stood there, tense and alert, staring at me.
Lucas pouted, crossing his arms. "Why'd you have to come back now, you old hag? What a buzzkill."
Olivia came over and slipped her arm through mine, acting all sweet and friendly. "Helen, please don't take it the wrong way.
"You weren't home these past few days, and I was just worried Mr. Grant couldn't handle everything alone, so I came to help."
I gave her a small smile and patted her hand. "Thank you. That's very kind of you."
No crying, no shouting, no confrontation.
My tone was warm, even sincere.
But Edward acted like I was some kind of threat.
He yanked Olivia behind him protectively and snapped, "Helen, who taught you to talk like that? Why are you always coming back with that attitude? You disappear for days. If Olivia hadn't helped, this house would've fallen apart."
I ignored his outburst and kept my eyes calm on Olivia, still smiling. "Sorry, Ms. Reed. Looks like I'll be troubling you to take care of this home from now on."
As soon as I finished speaking, Edward finally noticed the large suitcase beside me.
He kicked it over irritably and barked, "What now? Where are you going? Your dad's fine, isn't he? Why can't you use your head for once? Every time your mom says something, you run around like a headless chicken. You think that train ticket was free?
"And what was that comment you left on Olivia's birthday post? You think I forgot just because she was too polite to make a scene? Apologize to her right now."
Maybe because I was too calm, Edward automatically assumed my father had pulled through.
I met his eyes steadily, my heart oddly quiet.
I tried to summon anger, sadness, anything—but nothing came.
It turned out that when you've truly given up on someone, even if they tear the sky down in front of you, you just stop caring.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Reed," I said.
Olivia smiled sweetly, a glimmer of satisfaction flickering in her eyes that she barely bothered to hide. "It's alright. I didn't care one bit. I even made sure to save you a piece of birthday cake."
With that, she cheerfully skipped to the fridge and took out a plate.
As she handed it to me, she made sure to flash the massive diamond ring on her ring finger.
The thing was so sparkly, it almost hurt to look at it.
I figured this was the diamond ring Lucas had mentioned that day.
"Helen, Mr. Grant told me you grew up in a small town," Olivia chirped. "You probably haven't had Black Swan cake before, right? Try it. It's nothing like those cheap ones made with fake cream."
The cake hadn't been stored properly.
It had been sitting in the corner of the fridge for two days, and faint green mold was already blooming along the cut edge.
Those moldy spots, so obvious yet ignored, felt like they were silently mocking me.
This family was never short on money.
A three-thousand-dollar cake could rot away, and no one would bat an eye.
Edward was never stingy.
He just thought I was only worth a cheap standing ticket on a slow train.
My chest tightened.
A rush of emotion burned behind my eyes.
I swallowed the bitterness down and said quietly, "Sorry, I'm not fond of sweets. I've got things to take care of, so I'll be going."
I had just taken one step, suitcase in hand, when Lucas suddenly grabbed the cake and shoved it hard into my face.
"You stupid old woman!" he shouted. "Olivia saved that cake just for you. Why won't you eat it?"