Chapter 2

Samantha waited with infinite patience for me to stop crying.

Once my trembling slowed, she continued:

"Alright, dry your tears. I need to see the guests out. Go change out of that wet suit.

"I'll take you home in a bit."

I didn't answer. I just stared into empty space.

Assuming I had surrendered to my fate, Samantha kissed the crown of my head and turned to leave.

On the table, my phone suddenly vibrated.

I answered it. An old, raspy voice came through the speaker—one that had reached out to me before.

"Julian, it’s time to come back to the Sterlings.

"You always claimed that the debt of being raised outweighed blood ties, and you refused to acknowledge us. But deep down, you know exactly how the Millers have treated you all these years.

"You have to believe us. Your mother and I never sold you. You were stolen from us."

I went silent for a long time.

Until the tears overflowed again, I choked out through the receiver:

"If I call you Dad... will you help me?

"I'm not a home-wrecker. And I refuse to be one."

The voice on the other end cracked with emotion.

"Whether you call me Dad or not, I will always protect you.

"Julian, Daddy knows how much you’ve suffered. Don't be afraid. I’m flying back to New York tonight."

After hanging up, Samantha came back to fetch me.

When she pushed me into the back seat of the car, I realized Lucas was already sitting in the front passenger seat.

He leaned back and flashed a mock smile at me.

"Sorry about this. The guest rooms at my place aren’t ready, so I have to crash at your villa. But Samantha and I are legally married, which means that villa is marital property.

"I’m just staying under my own roof. You don't mind, do you?"

I didn't bother to engage with his pathetic taunts.

If it weren’t for a few personal belongings I needed to pack up, I wouldn’t set foot in that house ever again.

Seeing my silence, Lucas glared at me with malice.

Just as he opened his mouth to deliver another sneer, Samantha snapped:

"Lucas, that’s enough."

Lucas scoffed, rolling his eyes, and finally shut up.

When we arrived at the villa, the courtyard was a complete disaster. Several unfamiliar maids were violently tossing black garbage bags out the front door, scattering my belongings onto the dirty pavement.

I looked closer—those were all my things!

I was about to rush forward when a sharp pain shot through my wrist. Lucas gripped me tight.

"Relax, it’s all junk anyway. Good riddance.

"I had the maids clear out the master bedroom for me. They’re busy and don’t have time to clean the guest room. You can sleep in the basement staff quarters tonight."

I violently yanked my arm away.

Ignoring the dark bruise blooming on my wrist, I confronted the head maid:

"Where is my silver pendant? Where did you throw it?"

The maid rolled her eyes, pretending she didn't hear me, and kicked another box of my books into the mud.

With no other choice, I bent down and began frantically digging through the trash piles myself.

Samantha couldn't watch anymore.

She turned to Lucas, her expression dark.

"Didn't you cause enough of a scene at the wedding?

"Give Julian his things back right now!"

Seeing Samantha defend me, Lucas's temper flared.

He crossed his arms, his face twisting in disgust.

"Give it back to him? Samantha, are you seriously going to keep coddling this little parasite? If it weren’t for the fact that I’m sterile, do you think I’d tolerate this trash in my house?

"If you protect him one more time, I’ll have my mother pull every single cent of the Wright family’s investment from your company!"

Samantha fell silent.

She took a step toward me, intending to help me search.

Lucas grew even more furious, shouting at her back:

"Don't you dare! Do you want that funding or not?

"If he wants to root around in the garbage like a dog, let him!"

Samantha froze. She stood there, weighing the pros and cons in her head.

In the end, she couldn't give up the Wright family’s money.

As if she couldn't bear the sight, she turned around and walked inside.

Watching her retreating back, a hollow ache spread through my chest.

I swallowed my tears and kept digging through the trash.

I searched for hours until my lower back throbbed with agony, my fingertips sliced open by sharp cardboard and broken glass.

It wasn't until dusk settled over the city that Lucas strolled out, dangling a small silver locket in front of my face.

"Looking for this?"

It was my silver pendant—the only keepsake from my real mother!

I lunged for it, but Lucas snatched it out of reach.

His fingers squeezed down hard on the hollow metal, making it creak under the pressure.

"Don't even think about snatching it. This silver is old and soft. It’d be such a shame if I accidentally crushed it into scrap."

I glared at him, trembling with rage and the evening chill.

"What do you want?"

Lucas let out a satisfied, theatrical sigh.

"What could I possibly want? You're already living under our roof as the house pet. We’ll be seeing each other every day. Come inside and have dinner with us.

"Once dinner is over, I’ll give you your stupid trinket."