The Real Mafia Heiress They Left Behind Chapter 04

The Real Mafia Heiress They Left Behind Chapter 04

The last day of the family vacation should have been peaceful.

Instead, the family group chat suddenly exploded with notifications.

My older brother, Marco, sent a long voice message.

“[Serena, our flight gets in tomorrow night.

Tomorrow morning, drive to Washington, D.C.

Rent a two-bedroom apartment near Ivy’s college before we arrive.

She’s always been frail. She won’t be comfortable living in a dorm, so get there early and clean the place from top to bottom.

And move your own things in while you’re at it.]”

I listened to the entire message without saying a word, then calmly set my phone down.

They had already decided I would go to Washington.

Because Luca was attending Georgetown University.

Because Ivy’s SAT score had barely been enough to get her into a second-rate private college outside D.C.

As far as they were concerned, I was the family disappointment. The girl who could only make it into community college.

The only reason I still had any value was to move to Washington and become Ivy’s live-in babysitter.

And while I was at it, I could keep trailing after Luca like the pathetic lovesick fool they all believed me to be.

A text from my mother appeared a few seconds later.

**[Serena, since you’ll be attending community college in Washington, make sure you look after Ivy and Luca.

The family will cover the rent, but you’ll need to earn your own spending money with a part-time job.

You’re eighteen now. It’s time you learned to stand on your own.]**

Stand on my own.

What a beautifully dressed-up lie.

When Ivy turned eighteen, the entire family revolved around her.

She needed vacations by the ocean.

She needed her own apartment.

She needed everyone protecting her.

When I turned eighteen, I was expected to work to support myself…

…while taking care of everyone else.

I never replied.

I simply switched my phone to silent.

My room was already empty.

Aside from the bed and the battered old wardrobe, there was nothing left.

Every tiny trace that had ever belonged to me had been erased.

I packed my toiletries into my backpack and zipped it shut.

On the desk rested a single airline ticket.

A one-way ticket to England.

Departure: ten o’clock tomorrow morning.

Just enough time to leave before the rest of the family landed.

I looked around the house I’d lived in for the past three years.

Not once did I feel reluctant to leave.

That night, I cleaned the entire house one last time.

I portioned out Ivy’s imported vitamins exactly the way they liked.

I replaced the dust cover in her bedroom with a fresh one.

Everything was perfect.

Exactly the way they expected.

Before sunrise the next morning, I slipped my backpack onto my shoulder and quietly closed the front door behind me.

The morning air was cool against my skin.

I flagged down a cab outside the neighborhood.

“Airport, please.”

As the city drifted past outside the window, an unfamiliar feeling settled over me.

Peace.

Real peace.

My phone lit up.

A message from Luca.

**[Did you find the apartment yet?

Try to get one close to my campus. It’ll be easier for me to stop by and visit you guys.]**

Visit us?

I couldn’t help laughing.

He meant Ivy.

I would just happen to be there, grateful for whatever scraps of attention he tossed my way.

I opened his profile.

Deleted him from my contacts.

Then my mother.

My father.

Marco.

Ivy.

Every single person connected to that family.

Blocked.

After that, I pulled the SIM card from my phone, snapped it cleanly in half, and tossed it out the taxi window.

At the airport, everything went smoothly.

I checked my luggage.

Collected my boarding pass.

Then sat quietly in the departure lounge, watching flights scroll across the giant screen overhead.

A gentle voice echoed through the terminal.

“Attention passengers traveling to London. Flight boarding has now begun.”

I stood.

Picked up my backpack.

And walked toward the gate.

Goodbye…

…to the favoritism.

To the hurt.

To the girl who had spent her entire life being left behind.

From this day forward…

I belonged to no one except myself.