Chapter 6

Ivy POV:

"Dad!" The word tore from my throat, a choked sob, raw and broken. I hadn't meant for it to escape, not in front of these people, but the sheer relief of seeing Alaric, Collin, and Arnulfo, combined with the lingering sting on my cheek and the acidic taste of their betrayal, overwhelmed me. Tears welled in my eyes, blurring the edges of the opulent lobby.

The entire room went utterly silent. Not a nervous cough, not a whispered word. Just the heavy, oppressive quiet. Alaric Richardson, a man who commanded respect in every boardroom and across every continent, had just called me "Dad." His presence alone was enough to silence the room, but that single word, that possessive, protective tone, hung in the air like a thunderclap.

He moved then, a powerful, measured stride, his eyes scanning the faces of the Dillard family with a chilling intensity. His gaze landed on Aunt Carol, whose face drained of all color, then on Donnell, who looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

The whispers that had been mocking and dismissive moments before now turned frantic. I saw glances exchanged, panicked whispers about who this formidable man could be.

"Is that... Alaric Richardson?" I heard a distant relative whisper, his voice trembling. "The real estate mogul? What's he doing here?"

"Richardson? But... Ivy Dillard? How could she possibly know him?" another one stammered, fear creeping into her tone.

Aunt Carol, the woman who had just assaulted me, looked like she was about to faint. Her bravado had evaporated, replaced by a ghastly pallor. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. She looked between me and Alaric, a dawning horror in her eyes. The idea of consequences, real consequences, was clearly just hitting her.

I swallowed, the pain in my lip still there, but now it felt distant, overshadowed by the overwhelming sense of vindication. This was it. This was the line in the sand. My past and my present, colliding in a spectacular, painful, and ultimately liberating way.

The Ivy Dillard who was buried in that cemetery, the girl they abandoned, the one they branded as dramatic and selfish, ceased to exist for me then. She had been erased by their cruelty, reborn through my own resilience, and now, finally, acknowledged and protected by a love far greater than anything they could ever comprehend.

I remembered the sheer, soul-crushing despair of that hospital bed. No one came. Not Donnell, not Dexter, not Clayton. Just the sterile white walls, the incessant beeping of machines, and the crushing weight of their indifference. They had left me to die, literally and figuratively. They had signed my death certificate with their apathy, orchestrated my funeral with their self-serving lies.

But I hadn't died. I had found Arnulfo, who saw a flicker of life in my broken eyes and pulled me from the brink. He introduced me to Alaric, who, with an uncanny kindness, offered me a home, a name, a family. He gave me a chance to rebuild, piece by painful piece. He taught me that I was worthy of love, worthy of a future.

And then, I found Collin. My anchor, my rock, my devoted husband. He saw the scars on my body and in my soul, and he loved me anyway. He gave me Leo, our beautiful son, a living testament to the joy and hope that could blossom even from the ashes of betrayal.

The Ivy Dillard they knew, the one they thought they had buried, was indeed gone. And the Ivy Richardson standing here now, bleeding but unbowed, was a woman forged in fire, protected by an unbreakable bond, and ready to reclaim her narrative.