Chapter 3

Ivy POV:

Clayton stood frozen, a deer in the headlights, as my words hung in the crisp autumn air. I didn't spare him another glance. My pace quickened, each step taking me further from the past he tried so desperately to cling to.

"Ivy! Wait!" he called, his voice laced with a strange mix of desperation and confusion. "Donnell... your father... he wants to see you! We're having an anniversary party tonight, a small family gathering. Please, just come! Talk to him!"

I hesitated for a fraction of a second. The idea of facing Donnell, of stepping back into that house of horrors, made my stomach clench. But then the image of my mother's lonely grave flashed in my mind, and the anger flared anew. They had all abandoned me. Why should I ever look back? I pushed open the rusty cemetery gate and walked out into the street, flagging down a passing taxi.

My heart hammered against my ribs as the taxi pulled away, leaving the cemetery and Clayton behind. The old wounds, festering just beneath the surface, began to ache. Donnell Dillard. My father. The man who had been so consumed by guilt over his affair that he had systematically erased me from his life to atone for a sin he committed.

I remembered my mother's funeral five years ago. My leg was still in a cast, my body bruised and broken from the accident they had conveniently ignored. Donnell stood at the front, his face streaked with tears, but his arm was wrapped around Ainsley, who sobbed dramatically into his shoulder. She was always the victim. Even then, after my mother, his wife, had died, he had chosen his illegitimate child, the product of his betrayal, over me, his legitimate daughter.

"Ivy, don't be so dramatic," he'd hissed at me when I tried to approach him, leaning heavily on my crutches. "Ainsley needs comfort right now. You're just drawing attention to yourself."

Donnell had always seen me as the "strong one," the one who could handle anything. That strength became my curse. It meant Ainsley always needed more, deserved more, demanded more. She got my father's attention, my brother Dexter's protection, and eventually, even my fiancé, Clayton.

The car accident that nearly killed me was the final nail in the coffin. I was lying in a hospital bed, barely conscious, when the nurse brought me the phone. It was Donnell.

"Daughter?" his voice was gruff, distant. "How are you doing?"

"Dad," I whispered, my voice weak. "They said it's bad. My spine... they're not sure if I'll walk again."

There was a pause. A long, agonizing pause. "Well, you always were a fighter, Ivy. You'll be fine."

"Can you come?" I pleaded, tears welling up. "Please, I'm so scared. I just need you here."

Another sigh. "Ivy, you know I can't. It's Ainsley's big day tomorrow. Her wedding to Clayton. I can't let her down. This whole thing with your accident... it's already put a dampener on things. She's so upset. I need to be there for her."

I remember hanging up the phone, the cold plastic slipping from my trembling fingers. The nurse, a kind-faced woman whose eyes held a pity I couldn't bear, gently picked it up. She didn't say anything, but her gaze spoke volumes. It was then I knew. I was truly alone. My family had chosen Ainsley, chosen a lie, chosen convenience over my life.

I unconsciously touched the faded scar that snaked across my collarbone, a phantom ache lingering even after all these years. That girl, the one they left to die, was buried under that stone. And good riddance.

The taxi pulled up to the luxurious serviced apartment I had rented. It was a temporary base, a neutral zone, far removed from the ghosts of my past. I paid the driver and walked inside, the silence of the empty rooms a welcome change from the noise of the cemetery.

My phone buzzed. It was a video call from Collin. My heart instantly warmed. I answered, and his handsome face filled the screen, followed by our son, Leo, giggling in the background.

"Mommy!" Leo yelled, his little face beaming. "When are you coming home? Daddy says you're on a super important mission!"

"Soon, sweetie, very soon," I said, a genuine smile finally gracing my lips. "Mommy misses you."

Collin smiled, his gaze full of the steady, unconditional love I had always craved. "Everything alright, babe? You look a little... windswept."

"Just a long day," I lied smoothly. "Dealing with paperwork."

Just then, the screen shifted, and my adoptive father, Alaric Richardson, appeared. His kind eyes held a hint of concern. "Ivy, darling, everything is going according to plan, I trust? Arnulfo informed me you arrived safely."

Arnulfo. My adoptive brother, the brilliant architect who found me broken and abandoned and brought me into the Richardson fold. He was probably already watching over me, even from afar.

"Everything's fine, Dad," I reassured him. "Just tying up loose ends. I'll be back before you know it."

"Good," Alaric said, his voice firm. "And remember, you have us now, sweetheart. Anything you need, any trouble at all, you call us. We're your family."

A lump formed in my throat. Family. The word, once so tainted, now tasted like warmth and safety. These were my people. My true family.

"I know, Dad," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. "I know."

We chatted for a few more minutes, Leo recounting his day, Collin checking in on my mood, Alaric reminding me to eat properly. When I finally hung up, a profound sense of peace settled over me. The ghosts of the graveyard, the bitterness of the past, seemed to recede, replaced by the vibrant, loving reality of my present. It was a stark reminder of what I had gained, and what I had truly left behind.