Chapter 5 Severing Ties

Liliana furiously snapped out of her trance. After everything she went through, Seraphina dares mention her father? With a stern voice, she repeated. "You're going to marry Evan, whether you like it or not!"

"Mom, there's no way I'm getting married to someone I don't know!" Seraphina yelled but her mother hit her again.

"Then you should be prepared to leave this house this minute if you refuse!"

"What?!" Seraphina stumbled back, cradling her stinging cheek. "You can't do that!"

"Oh yes, I can. Insist and watch me do it."

Emmaline, seeing the tension crackling in the air, ran towards Seraphina. "Hurry and accept it. Besides, mom loves you enough to allow you to marry into the Ashfords. Not many people are opportuned to marry into their family. So don't let this opportunity pass-"

She stopped, stumbling back immediately when the air suddenly became charged. The look on Seraphina suddenly changed like she was the girl from the countryside they've never met.

Seraphina smiled, a smile devoid of humor and warmth. "How did you suddenly become the good sister I've never met?" She asked, pinning her in place with a death stare. "And if you're feeling bad about letting the opportunity slip by, then you should be engaged to him, after all, you're the one who should be engaged to him."

Her voice was a deep, cold and low tone, but it cut deeper than that of a two edged sword.

The thought that they actually agreed for her to come back because they want to marry her off in her sister... no, fake sister appalled her.

Surprise flickered across Liliana's face. She was genuinely taken aback by Seraphina outburst who had never once, raised her voice at her.

But after that surprise, came her anger. "How dare you yell at me, your mother?" she yelled, raising her hand for the second time to strike her.

But before the slap could finally land on her cheeks, she intercepted Liliana's hand mid-air. "Who allowed you to hit me?" Seraphina sneered, before violently flinging her hand aside. "And let me tell you, from today onwards, you're no mother of mine!"

Liliana stumbled backwards, but she was held by Emmaline before she could fully lose her balance.

"Seraphina!" Emmaline yelled. "Have you lost your mind?" She steadied her mother before rushing towards Seraphina.

She felt pity for her mother and wanted to fight for her, but she felt her legs stop moving when her ears rang with an unusual sound.

Seraphina had hit her! She must have lost her sanity for her to be able to hit her.

"How dare you hit-"

Another slap that landed on her other cheeks had her stumbling back to her mother, her eyes wide with horror.

It was now Liliana's turn to steady her daughter. Now having a taste of their own medicine, they looked pathetic and messy with finger prints boldly imprinted on their faces.

"You foster rat," Seraphina sneered. "As for you, I was never your sister in the first place! Never born of the same womb. From this moment onwards, I'm no member of this family!"

Liliana recovered from her daze but Seraphina was already walking away. Her act of defiance infuriated her even further.

"You dare slap me, a miserable girl from the countryside, and now boasting of taking care of yourself?" Liliana yelled after Seraphina. "Let's see how far you can live without being under our roof!"

When Seraphina heard this, she smirked. Reverse should be the case and not the other way round.

"Let's see how far the Washington family can go without me under her roof!" She muttered with a knowing smirk, before taking large, purposeful strides and out of their sight.

When she was finally outside, she turned around and looked at the building where she had spent her last two years. And all she could think of was... wasted.

Two years and all they ever did was want, want, want, and want. Not once had they provided for her. Not once did they ask her what she wanted.

She even had to work hard in her very own father's house and be paid or else, they wouldn't give her a penny. But it is all over now. She wasn't going to allow them to trample all over her again.

From the window upstairs, Liliana and Emmaline looked at her while she looked back at the mansion.

Thinking that she was already regretting her decision, Liliana smirked. "Already regretting your decision? Even though you now come back and kowtow to me, I will never take you back!"

Besides her, Emmaline smiled triumphantly. But on the outside, she maintained an innocent facade. "But mom, she's your biological child. I don't think it's fine to cast her away. Please, I would beg on her behalf that you reconsider your decision."

"Nonsense!" Liliana fumed. "Whose daughter slaps her mother? I could ignore my grievances, but what about you? You are too modest, Emmaline. Even after she slapped you, you're still begging on her behalf. My words are final. When she comes back, I won't accept her!"

Hearing this, Emmaline was way over the moon. She was so happy. Finally, after two years, she was able to make Seraphina go away. Since she had disowned her family, then she's not coming back. And even though she changed her mind, her mother would not accept her back.

But then, she frowned. She couldn't say the same thing for her father. Ever since her return, her father had never allowed her to suffer. This was only able to happen because he had been away for over a year on a business trip.

But she shrugged. She was going to cross that bridge when she got there. And besides, she already had the backing of Liliana. If it all goes her way, then, it wouldn't be long before she seized control of all the Washington assets.

Seraphina turned around to leave when she stumbled upon something, or someone making her his in pain.

She cradled her head, looking up and her breath caught in her throat!

A man sat in a wheelchair. But even as a disabled, he never stopped emitting an aura of an aloof personality and authority.

His eyes are piercing and his lips are pressed together in a tight line.

But that was not what made her stand frozen. It was the fact that he was the man that had brought her home on that fateful day she had returned to the Washington family, messy and bloodied.

"You!"

"I see you've finally decided to leave the Washington family," the man said, his deep magnetic voice as calm as Seraphina remembered. It was almost like he'd been waiting for this moment.

"Wh...who are you?" Seraphina asked, giving him a cautious look.

"I'm Evan. Evan Ashford, and this is my personal assistant, Leo."

'Evan Ashford? So this was the guy Emmaline didn't want to marry and the guy that saved me two years ago?'

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2 years ago...