Chapter 3
Margaret sank onto the grand staircase, looking suddenly old.
“I never meant to hurt you, Vanessa. I only wanted you to work hard.”
“Work hard at what?” Vanessa snapped.
“Being someone I’m not? Being her?”
She pointed at me.
I stepped back, my cheek still throbbing.
“I never asked for any of this,” I said quietly.
“I only wanted to do my job well so I could send money home to my family.”
Vanessa’s eyes widened.
I’d never told anyone that.
I’d never told anyone my mother was sick.
That every coin I earned paid for her medicine.
“You have a family?” Vanessa asked, her voice softer now.
“A mother and two little brothers,” I said.
“If I lost this job… if people thought I was a thief… I don’t know what would happen to them.”
My voice cracked.
The reality of it hit me all at once.
She hadn’t just tried to ruin my reputation.
She’d tried to destroy my whole family.
Vanessa looked away, shame washing over her face.
“I didn’t know,” she whispered.
“I didn’t think about any of that. I only thought about myself.”
Daniel let out a long breath.
“Vanessa, what you did was cruel. Dangerous. And illegal.”
“I know,” she said, her shoulders shaking.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’t fix what you did,” I said.
“You hit me. You made everyone hate me. You almost took everything I have.”
May you like
Vanessa looked up at me, eyes red and swollen.
“I know. I will do anything to make it right. Anything.”
