Chapter 6 006

Emma's POV

The weight of my decision settled over me like a storm cloud, heavy and unrelenting. My parents' faces were unreadable, frozen in shock, disappointment, disgust, even. The grandeur of the Sinclair estate, once a place of security, now felt suffocating.

I had done the unthinkable. I had broken my engagement to Ryan in front of the whole world. Reporters, business moguls, influential guests-they all witnessed the humiliation of the Sinclair family.

And my parents would never forgive me for it.

Emma stood before her parents, her chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. The weight of their stares pressed down on her, making the grand Sinclair estate feel like a suffocating prison. She had grown up here, learned to walk in these halls, and yet, in this moment, she felt like nothing more than an unwanted guest.

"I am calling off the engagement," she repeated, her voice stronger this time.

Mrs. Sinclair's eyes flashed with fury, while Mr. Sinclair's expression turned to ice. The tension in the air was so thick, it threatened to choke her.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Mrs. Sinclair snapped. "You've embarrassed this family in front of the entire city. The press will have a field day with this!"

"Better that than living a lie," Emma shot back, her nails digging into her palms. She was done being a pawn in their business dealings, done pretending that Ryan had ever truly loved her.

Mr. Sinclair exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable. "You are no longer a daughter of this family, Emma. You have ruined everything we built."

The words sliced through her like a blade, but she refused to crumble. She squared her shoulders, willing herself to remain standing despite the betrayal clawing at her chest.

Ryan, who had been standing to the side, let out a scoff. "You really thought we had something, Emma? That there was love between us?" He stepped forward, his lips curling in a smirk. "You were never enough. Lena is the one I wanted all along."

Emma's stomach twisted at his words, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her break. "Then you two deserve each other."

"You humiliated us," my mother, Mrs. Sinclair Sinclair, seethed, her elegant features twisted with anger. "Do you know what you've done?"

"I ended an engagement that should never have happened," I shot back, my voice steadier than I felt. "I caught my fiancé and my sister together, Mom! And you expect me to pretend everything is fine?"

My father, William Sinclair, exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Emma, we could have handled this quietly. Do you have any idea what kind of mess you've created? The Sinclairs and the Carters have been business partners for decades. And now-"

"Now I ruined everything?" I finished bitterly. "That's what you care about? Not the fact that Lena betrayed me? That Ryan betrayed me?"

Mrs. Sinclair's sharp gaze landed on me, piercing through my resolve. "Lena is your sister."

"No, she's not," I snapped. "You adopted her. You raised her, but she was never my sister. A sister wouldn't do this."

Lena, standing by the grand staircase in a silky robe, smirked. There wasn't an ounce of remorse in her eyes. If anything, she looked victorious.

"You always had everything, Emma," she said smoothly. "The perfect life, the perfect parents, the perfect fiancé. Maybe it's time I get something, too."

"Something?" I let out a humorless laugh. "You mean Ryan? You can have him."

Ryan stepped forward then, exuding confidence, as if he wasn't the scumbag who had been caught in bed with my so-called sister just hours ago. He was still dressed in his tailored suit, the top buttons undone, his demeanor as nonchalant as ever.

His lips curved into a mocking smile. "You were never enough, Emma."

A sharp breath left my lips. It shouldn't have hurt. Not after everything. But it did.

Ryan took another step, his eyes glinting with something cruel. "You and I both know we never had anything real. The engagement was for business. You were just a placeholder, Emma."

The room tilted slightly, but I forced myself to stay upright. I refused to let him see me break.

"Then I guess I saved us both the trouble."

Mrs. Sinclair's gaze turned ice-cold. "You didn't save anything. You destroyed this family's reputation. Do you think the world will see you as some tragic heroine? No. They'll see you as a disgrace. The Sinclair name means something, and you have dragged it through the mud."

Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

"You're choosing them over me," I whispered, the reality settling deep into my bones.

William finally turned to face me, his expression grim. "Emma, you have left us no choice. You embarrassed this family in public. The Carters have already reached out, furious about how you handled things. The business deal is falling apart, and we cannot afford this mess."

My throat tightened. "So what are you saying?"

Mrs. Sinclair lifted her chin. "You are no longer welcome here."

A cold chill ran through me.

"I am your daughter," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

William nodded stiffly. "And we are the Sinclairs. You knew what was expected of you. You failed us."

Failed them? For refusing to marry a cheating bastard? For refusing to stand beside someone who never even loved me?

Lena placed a hand on Ryan's chest, grinning. "Don't take it personally, Emma. It's just business."