Chapter 2

The clarity was a sharp edge, cutting through years of self-deception. Amber Compton wasn't just some random ex-girlfriend. She was Jackson's high school sweetheart, his 'first love,' the girl he was supposed to marry before his family' s old money fortune evaporated overnight. When the Dorseys lost everything, Amber didn' t hesitate. She vanished, her family pulling their investments and leaving Jackson to navigate the wreckage alone.

I remembered the call from Jackson, five years ago. His voice was broken, raw. His family was facing bankruptcy, their grand estate on the verge of foreclosure. They had called Amber' s family first, of course, but had been met with cold silence. Jackson was adrift, a handsome but insecure man stripped of his inherited status, heartbroken and humiliated.

That' s when I stepped in. I was already a burgeoning neurosurgeon, making good money, but not yet the seven-figure earner I am today. I took out a multi-million-dollar loan against my future earnings, a private, legally binding agreement that I kept locked away in my safe deposit box. I paid off their debts, saved their estate from being carved up, and provided a soft landing for his parents and sister. Jackson was grateful, profoundly so. I believed, naively, that this gratitude would blossom into love, a real partnership. I believed that love could be built on such a foundation. His family, however, whispered that he only married me for my money, a biting truth that I always pushed away.

Now, standing here, watching them fawn over Amber, the woman who abandoned them, it was clear. They owed me everything. Every single thing.

I had practically raised Jordan. From paying her exorbitant private school tuition when her family could no longer afford it, to funding her lavish sorority life at a prestigious university. When she expressed envy over her friends' designer bags, I bought her the latest Chanel. When she complained about sharing a car, I bought her a luxury SUV. I was her surrogate mother, her fairy godmother, her endless well of resources.

And Jefferson and Cornelia? They lived in my guest house, a property more luxurious than their old, failing estate. I paid for their staff, their organic groceries, their high-end golf club memberships. When Jefferson needed a new classic car for his collection, I bought it. When Cornelia' s health declined, I paid for the best specialists and experimental treatments, flying them privately to clinics across the globe. Our main house, the one I owned outright, cost a fortune to maintain – property taxes, utilities, the domestic staff, the landscaping. I paid for it all. I was their personal ATM, their private lifeline. I used my extensive network in the medical and business world to ensure their comfort, their health, their very existence. My work was demanding, often requiring 80-hour weeks, but I pushed through, driven by a misguided sense of love and obligation.

But now, seeing them welcome Amber, the woman who let them drown, into my home, into my trip, and then sacrificing my safety for hers... the anger was a burning acid inside me.

Amber sauntered over, a smirk playing on her lips. "Hailey, darling," she cooed, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "I'm so sorry about your flight. Jackson told me. It's such a shame, but you know, family first." She gestured around at the Dorsey clan, who nodded in agreement, a smug, unified front.

Jordan giggled, snuggling up to Amber. "Yeah, Hailey. Like, finally, someone who actually gets us. You're always so... serious." She looked at Amber with adoration, like a puppy finding its long-lost master. "Amber was always so much fun. It's no wonder Jackson still talks about her."

Amber's eyes flickered to mine, a triumphant gleam in them. Jackson and his family just smirked, confirming their complicity in this humiliation. They didn't care that I was being sent on a dangerous route. They didn't care about my life. I was just the money-laundering machine.

Jackson, sensing the tension, tried to placate me. "Hailey, look, it's just a couple of hours. When you get there, I'll buy you that super expensive watch you liked. The one with the diamonds."

I looked at him, my gaze freezing. "Jackson. Tell me something. Do you have five million dollars in cash, right now, to give me?"

His jaw dropped. "What? Hailey, what are you talking about?"

"Cash. Five million. Can you just write me a check?"

"No! Of course not! Why would you ask that?" He stammered, his face paling. The sudden demand for tangible cash, for my money, shook him. He was used to me quietly paying for everything, not demanding a direct withdrawal.

"Because that's how much I've invested in this family in the last five years," I stated, my voice devoid of emotion. "That's how much it takes to keep your parents in their 'annex,' to fund Jordan's lifestyle, to keep you in designer clothes and a 'boutique wellness' gym that barely breaks even. You don't have five million dollars. You don't even have fifty thousand of your own."

He flinched, stung by the brutal truth. His family looked away, suddenly finding the floor fascinating. They knew. They all knew his meager income barely covered his personal expenses, let alone supported an entire family. His clients were rich, but his share was always small. He was a facade, a pretty face, living off my endless generosity.

A dangerous thought sparked in my mind. What if Amber had to support them? What would she do?

Cornelia, ever the master manipulator, broke the silence. "Hailey, darling, you must be tired. Why don't you go make us some of that lovely truffle pasta you cook? Amber's always loved it." She said it as if I were her personal chef, not the owner of the house and the sole provider of her lavish life. Then she added, with a wistful sigh, "Amber used to make the most delicious cookies for Jackson. He loved them so much."

I didn' t move. My gaze was fixed on Cornelia, a silent challenge in my eyes. "Cornelia, I believe you are perfectly capable of making truffle pasta. Or perhaps Amber, since she's so good at 'making things' for Jackson, could whip up something for her family."

I turned, calmly walking to the master bathroom. I could hear their confused murmurs behind me. I glanced at the huge, ornate vanity mirror, a piece I' d bought in Florence. I ran a bath, pouring in luxurious oils I'd imported from France, the kind that cost more than Jackson's monthly 'boutique' gym membership. I soaked, letting the warmth slowly seep into my bones, trying to wash away the feeling of being tainted. I thought of the millions I' d poured into their lives, the years of my youth, the endless sacrifices. I was their golden goose, laying golden eggs, and they were ready to clip my wings and send me on a suicide mission.

A sharp knock came at the door. "Hailey! What are you doing? Dinner isn't ready!" Jackson's voice was sharp, laced with impatience.

I barely bothered to raise my voice. "Cornelia's perfectly capable of cooking, Jackson. Or perhaps Amber can. She has so much history with the family, after all."

"Hailey, your mother-in-law is not well!" he hissed through the door.

I scoffed. "Oh, really? The same woman who was just gushing about her favorite truffle pasta and planning a first-class vacation? Funny how her 'illness' only seems to surface when a chore needs doing."

"Hailey, stop being so difficult! Just come out and cook!"

"No." My voice was firm. "I'm not cooking for them. Not anymore."

I heard a frustrated groan, followed by muffled voices. Eventually, the sounds of pots and pans clanking reluctantly from the kitchen confirmed that Cornelia, for the first time in years, was cooking. A small, grim satisfaction bloomed in my chest.

Later, refreshed and dressed in a silk robe, I walked into the dining room. The air was thick with tension and the smell of badly cooked pasta. Jordan was about to plop down in my usual seat at the head of the table, next to Jackson, with Amber on his other side.

"Hailey, you can sit over there," Cornelia snapped, pointing to a lonely chair at the far end, away from the warmth of the family.

I looked at the plate of bland pasta. "No, thank you. I have other plans."

Jackson's eyes flashed. "Other plans? What other plans? Where are you going?"

"Somewhere I'm appreciated, Jackson. Somewhere my life isn't considered a disposable asset. Enjoy your meal. Don't worry, the bill for your first-class flight to St. Barts will still be paid. Just not by me."

I walked out, leaving them stunned, the clatter of hastily dropped forks echoing in my ears. The front door clicked shut behind me, the sound a definitive period at the end of a long, painful chapter.