The Vanishing Heiress

Chapter 6

I stared blankly at the drones hovering in the sky, lost in thought.

Ethan Sterling stepped in front of me.

"Megan, about yesterday... I was wrong." His voice was soft as silk under the neon lights. "But you have to believe me—even if Rachel was the one who saved me, it's still you I love. So, there's no need for you to lie."

I suddenly felt the urge to cry.

Not because I was moved, but because of his words.

How could he say he loved me while standing by as my parents and sister tormented me, time and time again?

"What's wrong?" Ethan asked when I didn't respond, his long fingers gently pinching my cheek. "You're too thin. Why don't you eat more?"

Only then did I meet his gaze. "Seven years in Redpine Correctional Facility—just surviving was hard enough. Did you really think I could afford to put on weight?"

Ethan flinched when our eyes locked.

Perhaps it was only then that he remembered—he was the one who sent me to prison.

Before he could speak, the door of the Phantom parked nearby swung open, and a familiar voice called out.

"Ethan, Megan, don't just stand out there. It's cold."

Rachel Montgomery.

My heart turned even colder.

Ethan quickly explained, "Rachel came with me to see you. She wanted to thank you for being so understanding... for letting us go through with the wedding."

"Come on, I'll take you home." He took my hand and led me to the car.

Inside the vehicle, Rachel glanced at my worn-out clothes and spoke up.

"Sister, don't Mom and Dad have the accountant send you money every month? Emily told me you've been working at a diner."

"It doesn't look good. People might think Mom and Dad are playing favorites."

Then she slipped a bracelet off her wrist and held it out to me.

"If you're short on cash and too embarrassed to ask them, just tell me. Mom gave me this for my birthday last time—it cost over three million. That should last you a while, right?"

Three million.

I stared at the extravagant bracelet, bitterness swelling inside me.

A single gift worth three million.

I remembered back in high school, when I needed three thousand for tuition. I went to my mother.

Her response? "Money, money, money—do I owe you? You should be grateful I even gave you life. Stop begging me for cash all the time."

After that, I never asked my family for a single cent again.

As for Rachel's claim about the accountant sending me money? That never happened.

"Of course they're biased. Just look at what you're wearing—then look at me." I pushed the bracelet away. "Stop pretending. I'm not fifteen anymore. Your act doesn't work on me."

At fifteen, when I first came to the Montgomery family, I had hoped Rachel and I could be sisters.

But she framed me over and over, blaming me for every misdeed. By the time I realized, it was too late.

Tears welled up in Rachel's eyes and spilled over in fat drops.

Ethan immediately moved to shield her. "Megan, Rachel was just trying to help. If you don't want the bracelet, fine—but there's no need to be cruel."

This was the man who claimed to love me most.

Yet whenever Rachel and I clashed, he always took her side.

"Ethan," I said slowly, "since when do the poor have to accept charity—and grovel in gratitude for it?"

I had my pride too.