My Husband Saved My Cousin Instead of Me Chapter 18

My Husband Saved My Cousin Instead of Me Chapter 18

Because Gavin had written his will the day we got married, all of his assets transferred to me. I was still Mrs.

West. Reginald couldn’t survive the grief and passed away shortly after.

The entire West Group landed in my hands. I was shoved, step by step, into the brutal world of business.

The higher I climbed, the more I understood the addictive pull of power. Countless young, beautiful men

threw themselves at me.

No wonder Gavin once said, “Sit where I sit, and you’ll get it. The temptation never stops.”

I thought of Cecilia’s old taunt. “Sage Reed, no matter what you do in this life, you’ll never beat me.”

Born into a family like mine, I once dreamed of outshining the moon. Stupid, I know. But later I understood- the moon doesn’t shine. It just borrows light. I didn’t want to borrow anymore. I wanted to burn on my own.

Lucky for me, I found where I could burn the brightest. I built a whole new life.

Mom came looking for me over and over. She didn’t want money. She just wanted to hand me a little more of

that love. I was scanning documents and didn’t even look up. “I don’t need it.”

She walked away, completely crushed. She had no clue that I used to demand it from her the exact same

way.

“Too little, too late” is a brutal phrase. It’s like a lot of things that take years and years before you feel the full

weight of the pain. But whether it’s love or family, once the cracks form, they can never truly be sealed.

Cecilia was sentenced for attempted murder. Dylan went full hermit. Moved to some cabin in the middle of

nowhere. Pathetic. If he had an ounce of real decency, he wouldn’t have let himself drown in guilt over a

woman who never wanted him.

I launched a charitable foundation to help kids who’d been failed by their own families, along with elderly and

disabled people who needed care.

She showed up at the ribbon-cutting. Stood outside. Didn’t come in. I didn’t know it then, but she was already

dying. Late-stage stomach cancer. She’d hidden it from everyone. Called it her way of paying for what she’d

done.

Right before she left this world, she told me the truth. The bowl of mushroom soup Dad ate… she was the

one who made it.

“Sage, I failed you. Out of everyone in this world, I failed you the most. If there’s another life… I swear I’ll get it

right. I’ll love you the way I should have.”

I’d told myself a thousand times I’d never forgive her. But one tear still slipped down my cheek. Stubborn.

Unwanted.

I tipped my head back and looked at the sky. Then I shook my head. No. No reunions in the next life.

Once was enough. I barely survived being her daughter the first time. I wasn’t signing up for that again.