The Vanishing Heiress

Chapter 14

"Ethan, please let me explain. I didn't mean to—"

Rachel Montgomery's tearful plea fell on deaf ears. Ethan Sterling's expression remained cold, unmoved by her distress.

"If it wasn't you, then who? Megan? Or me?"

Betrayal and regret twisted inside him—rage at Rachel's deception, and the crushing guilt of how he'd neglected Megan. His chest ached, and any tenderness he once held for Rachel had vanished.

"Rachel, I don't understand. Why would you do this?" His voice was sharp, his brow furrowed as he studied her. "You had everything. The Montgomerys adored you. They treated Megan like an outsider—her return didn't threaten your place in the family."

"And what about you?" Rachel's mask slipped, her tone turning bitter. "Did she not affect you?"

When silence answered her, she let out a hollow laugh.

"Ethan, tell me honestly—did Megan's return truly change nothing between us? Did she not steal even an inch of your heart?"

Her words struck like a blow. Ethan froze, realization dawning.

Rachel's lips curled into a mocking smile. "See? The moment I said it, you knew. Mom and Dad might not have changed, but you did. At first, I thought it was just curiosity—something new. But then… the way you looked at her shifted."

Her voice dripped with venom.

"Every time she wedged herself between us, every time you leaned toward her without even noticing—how could I not resent her? How could I not hate her?"

Tears spilled down her cheeks.

"She bewitched you so effortlessly. For the first time, I felt afraid. If you—the one closest to her—could fall under her spell without realizing it, what about Mom and Dad? What about Emily?"

Her hands clenched. "I had to make her leave. Make her disappear. But vanishing wasn't enough. I had to ruin her in your eyes—turn her into a villain, a monster!"

Ethan's disbelief twisted into disgust. "Rachel… when did you become like this?"

"Become like this?" She let out a broken laugh, as if mocking the question—or herself.

Then her face contorted with rage. "It's all her fault! Why did she have to come back? The moment she did, you changed! Her existence is a constant reminder that I'm the fraud, the real joke!"

"Rachel, how could you think that?" Emily's voice trembled as she stepped forward. "Mom, Dad, and I—we've always been on your side. But what you did… How could you?"

Her eyes reddened. "We trusted you. We loved you. How could you be so cruel?"

Something in Rachel snapped.

Instead of remorse, a perverse satisfaction surged through her. The thrill of manipulation, of having them all in her palm.

She wiped her tears away, then smiled—chillingly serene.

"I've always been like this. Unlike you Montgomerys—so naive, so kind—I was born rotten. Does that answer satisfy you?"

"No one ever said you weren't family!" Emily shot back. "Even after Megan returned, we still treated you like our own! And she never tried to take anything from you!"

Her voice cracked. "How could you?"

Emily stared at Rachel—pale, beautiful, the picture of elegance. A life of luxury, courtesy of the Montgomerys and Sterlings.

Then her mind flashed to Megan—emaciated, barely alive when they first met.

Her real sister. The one who'd suffered seven years in prison because of them.

Emily stepped closer, her voice raw. "How can anyone be as selfish as you? While you lived in comfort, Megan was homeless, starving. You had everything—and still, you tried to destroy her."

A bitter laugh escaped her.

"We were fools. All of us. Mom and Dad abandoned their own daughter. I turned my back on my own sister. For you."

Her hands shook.

"We were idiots."