Chapter 3 To Reclaim Everything That Should Have Been Hers

The warmth in Lainey's eyes disappeared the instant she stepped out of the hotel, replaced by a cutting, icy resolve.

Bryan's matter had been settled. Now, it was time for her to return to the Miller residence and reclaim everything that should have been hers in the first place.

The moment she entered the Millers', her gaze landed on a middle-aged woman sitting stiffly on the sofa. She was dressed with elegance, her makeup flawless, yet her expression burned with barely restrained fury.

It was Larry's mother, Rita Miller.

As soon as Rita saw Lainey walk in, her face tightened, her brows knitting together.

There had been too many people at the wedding earlier, making it inconvenient for her to cause a scene. But now that Lainey had returned, Rita clearly had no intention of letting things slide.

She rose abruptly and strode toward Lainey, her voice slicing through the air with accusation. "Have you completely lost your senses? So my son asked Charlee to be your bridesmaid. Was that any reason to throw such a tantrum? You've disgraced my entire family!"

Lainey gave a cold, sarcastic laugh. "Let me ask you this-if your fiancé showed up with his first love, dressed better than you, and said she'd be your bridesmaid... could you tolerate that?"

As soon as she said it, a sharp ache tore through her chest, spreading until even breathing felt difficult.

Her eyes flushed red, her voice trembling with suppressed hurt. "You keep saying I humiliated your family, but has Larry ever treated me with even the slightest respect? When he lacked funding, I drank until I was sick just to secure investors for him. When he had no connections, I handed over every resource I had. When someone came at him with a knife, I stepped in front and took the hit myself. And after everything, he brought his first love to our wedding and insisted she be my bridesmaid. Rita, I'm not the one who brought shame to the Miller name. Your family failed me."

She met Rita's gaze directly, her eyes filled with undisguised hatred.

For a brief moment, that look unsettled Rita.

But the hesitation lasted only a second before anger and humiliation surged back. She raised her hand high, her voice turning shrill with fury. "You bitch! How dare you badmouth my son? I must teach you a lesson right now!"

Her hand came swinging down toward Lainey's face. But Lainey's eyes turned steely. She intercepted the blow midair, gripping Rita's wrist firmly before striking her across the face with equal force.

The crack echoed loudly through the room.

Rita's cheek swelled almost at once.

However, before she could even cry out, a man's cold, impatient voice cut through the tension. "Have you had enough?"

Larry stepped inside, his face clouded with irritation. "I know you were unhappy about Charlee being chosen as your bridesmaid. Fine, next time she won't be. If you apologize to my mother right now, I might still accept you as my wife."

Then Charlee spoke, her voice soft and fragile, almost trembling. "Lainey, no matter what happened, she's still Larry's mother."

Lainey walked straight toward her, each step steady, her gaze sharp as it settled on Charlee's pale, delicate features. "Charlee, do you feel no shame at all?"

Charlee pressed a hand to her chest, as if deeply wounded by the accusation. "How can you say something like that to me? I already feel terrible. Larry... maybe I really am someone people can't stand. I don't see the point in living anymore..."

Larry immediately pulled her into his arms, his face filled with concern. When he looked back at Lainey, anger flared in his eyes. "Charlee just gave up on the idea of ending her life. How could you say something like that to her? If she-"

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Lainey turn and walk into the kitchen. Moments later, she reappeared, a knife gripped firmly in her hand.

The instant Charlee's eyes fell on the blade, the color drained from her face, and her knees nearly buckled beneath her. "Larry..."

Larry reacted at once, stepping forward to shield her. "I'm telling you now, Lainey... don't even think about laying a finger on her."

Lainey's gaze dipped, the storm in her eyes carefully concealed as she pressed it down, replacing it with a chilling smile.

"Relax, Miss Foster. There's no need to panic. I'm not here to harm you. Consider this a wedding gift. Since you're so fond of threatening to end your life, I thought I'd save you the trouble. With this, you won't need to rely on sleeping pills anymore. One quick move, and it'll all be over in an instant."

With a sharp motion, she drove the knife down onto the tabletop.

The sudden impact made Charlee's last bit of strength give out entirely, and she crumpled onto the floor.

Lainey didn't spare them another glance. She turned away as if none of it concerned her and walked into the bedroom she had once occupied in the Miller household. There, she gathered everything that belonged to her, along with the keepsakes her grandmother had left behind, packed them up, and stepped out again.

She had just reached the door when Rita's piercing voice rang out from behind her. "Stop right there! What exactly do you think you're taking with you? Do those things even belong to you?"