Chapter 2 The Inescapable Nature of Gossip

3.

It didn't take long for Zachary Anderson and his wife, Linda, to rush over in a panic.

"My precious, my darling Maisie! Who bullied you like this?!" Linda wailed as she threw herself around Maisie, sobbing hysterically.

I watched the scene unfold with an eerie calm.

When I'd been the one thrown into the water, I had been there for what felt like an eternity-and no one had come.

But the moment Maisie was in trouble, the cavalry arrived.

Fine. Let them all gather here. Saves me the trouble of finding them one by one. I thought.

Humans, at their core, were creatures who loved to watch drama unfold.

The commotion had drawn the guests from the main hall, all flocking over like moths to a flame.

Zachary took the stage with a feigned solemnity. "Maisie, tell me-who did this to you? I'll make sure they pay."

Maisie, finding her pillar of support, turned her red-rimmed eyes to me. "Dad, it was Danica. She pushed me into the water on purpose."

And with that, she began to cry again.

"Danica, you ungrateful wretch!" Linda spat venomously, glaring at me as though she might tear me apart limb by limb. "We let you-a fake-live here out of kindness, and this is how you repay us? By bullying Maisie?"

Marc, standing nearby, wore a conflicted expression. Finally, he sighed.

"Danica, you've gone too far this time. No matter what, you shouldn't have treated Maisie like that."

Then, turning to Linda, he added, "Mrs. Anderson, I'm sure Danica acted on impulse. She's always been respectful to you and Mr. Anderson. I'm sure she regrets her actions now."

I nearly burst out laughing.

What a perfect performance. It sounded fair, as though he was defending everyone-but in reality, he'd already branded me guilty.

Disgusting. Truly disgusting.

Seeing Marc speak up, Zachary cleared his throat and turned to me. "Since Marc says so, Danica, apologize to your sister. We'll let this slide."

They all stared at me with that same look of condescension, as though they were being gracious and merciful-when, in fact, they'd already backed me into a corner.

I raised my hands and clapped slowly, breaking the silence.

"I did make a mistake," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. One by one, I looked them in the eyes, and then I spoke again, "My mistake was not cutting ties with you sooner. My mistake was not moving out of this hellhole when I had the chance. And my biggest mistake? Not kicking that spineless excuse of a man to the curb sooner!"

The words hit their mark. The smug expressions on their faces fell.

Zachary's face flushed red with rage as he barked, "If that's how you feel, then get out of this house! You're no longer welcome here!"

"That was my plan all along."

I nodded calmly and pulled a document from my bag. Luckily, it was sealed in a waterproof folder. This was a document I'd prepared in my past life-a formal declaration severing all ties with the Anderson family. Back then, I'd also included a stock transfer agreement.

Before he passed away, Grandpa Ted Anderson had left me thirty percent of the company's shares in his will.

Out of misplaced guilt, I'd willingly handed over everything.

And where had that gotten me? They had repaid my kindness with betrayal and cruelty.

This time, I handed over only the document severing ties.

4.

"Mr. Anderson, please sign here."

I smiled as I handed the pen over, calm and unhurried.

Zachary took the pen, but the tip hovered above the paper, frozen in hesitation.

Linda couldn't hold back her impatience. "What are you waiting for? Sign it already! Let this ungrateful wretch leave for good."

Maisie didn't say much. Instead, when our gazes met, she clung tighter to Marc's arm and nestled further into his embrace. Marc gently comforted her, though the look he gave me was full of disappointment.

I snorted quietly.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zachary finally buckled under the pressure. With a reluctant scowl, he gritted his teeth and signed his name.

I immediately folded the document and stashed it away, giving them no room for regrets.

"Mom," Maisie suddenly spoke up in her soft, delicate voice. "Now that Danica has severed ties with our family, what about her engagement to Marc..."

"Don't worry," I cut her off. "He's all yours now."

The memory of my past life flashed vividly in my mind-Maisie sneaking off to a hospital with Linda by her side, to deal with a pregnancy.

I clicked my tongue and turned to Marc with exaggerated sympathy.

"You must've been starving to settle for anything, huh? You two really deserve each other-may you enjoy every miserable moment together."

Ignoring the shocked, offended faces all around me, I turned on my heels and walked away without a backward glance.

Since I didn't yet have a place to stay, I called my best friend, Jazlyn Stewart, who had moved abroad after graduation.

She didn't hesitate for a second. "Come stay in my downtown apartment-it's yours until I get back."

When I arrived and settled in, I gave her a call to tell her I'd officially cut ties with the Anderson family.

Jazlyn burst into laughter. "Took you long enough! You should've done it ages ago. Let's meet up when I'm back-we've got so much to catch up on!"

"You're coming back?" I asked, surprised and excited.

Since graduation, we'd only stayed in touch online, and I hadn't seen her in ages.

"Yep! My boyfriend's family has been in a frenzy lately. Turns out, they got news about his long-lost sister who was switched at birth. Everyone's flying back to the country to find her."

Something in my chest froze. "What's his last name?" I asked slowly.

"Ford. You know, the Ford family-the real estate giants? They moved abroad years ago."

My phone slipped from my hand and landed softly on the carpet. The call disconnected.

No one knew better than me.

The long-lost daughter of the Ford family they were searching for?

It was me.