The Daughter She Never Chose Chapter 08

The Daughter She Never Chose Chapter 08

“You… you…”

Mom jabbed a shaking finger at me. It took her a second to find her voice.

“You ungrateful brat… after everything we’ve done for you?”

“Who do you think made Julian this way? You did. This is all your fault…”

I cut her off.

“He did that to himself.”

“And I heard everything. Just now, through the door. Every word.”

Mom went rigid. Her mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out.

Dad and Julian stared at me like the floor had opened under them.

I kept my voice even.

“He didn’t get sick saving me. There were no lasting effects. None of it was real.”

“Which means I don’t owe him a thing.”

And my parents? Even if I had owed them, years of lies would have settled the debt.

“We were joking! Everything we said was just blowing off steam! We never lied to you about what happened…”

Dad was the first to scramble, tripping over himself to backpedal.

I didn’t look at him. “I can tell the difference between a joke and the truth.”

My memories of that night had never been clear.

But I wasn’t stupid.

Something about their story had never felt right, like a splinter I could feel but couldn’t pull out.

Some part of me had always known it wasn’t true.

I just couldn’t prove it.

Until today.

“And the houses?”

“I’m keeping them.”

I glanced at the papers on the table. “If Julian’s so capable, he can buy his own house.”

“Wait, what?”

Chloe was on her feet before anyone else could speak.

She hadn’t heard a word of the family drama. The only thing that registered was the house.

“There’s no house?”

“Then what are we even doing here?”

“The deal was a house and a massive budget for the wedding. That’s what I signed up for.”

“No house? Then we’re done.”

She turned on Julian, eyes blazing.