Chapter 7

**Vivian’s POV**

Julian stood up abruptly. "Vivian!"

I looked at him. "And that includes you, Julian."

My father raised his hand to strike me, but this time, I didn't flinch or look down.

I stared straight into his eyes, my voice steadier than I ever thought possible. "You can slap me, but it won't make that paper real. You can disown me as your daughter, but you will never use me to save Melanie's face again."

The maids in the living room froze.

My father’s hand stayed suspended in mid-air, as if he was realizing for the first time that his silent, submissive daughter had finally grown thorns.

Julian was staring at me too.

The annoyance in his eyes was still there, but beneath it was something else—something like shock, as if he had never seen me look so fierce.

I used to think that when pushed into a corner, sacrificing myself to keep the peace was the right thing to do.

But tonight, I refused.

And so, the humiliation that was meant for me stayed right where it belonged—with them.

I didn't stay at the Vance house that night.

Julian chased me out to the courtyard, grabbing my wrist.

The wound on my hand hadn't healed yet, and his grip made me turn pale with pain.

He instantly let go, his voice softening. "Let me drive you."

"No."

"Vivian, we need to talk."

I looked at him, realizing how tragically late those words were.

When I wanted him to explain, he was comforting Melanie. When I wanted him to believe me, he was forcing me to apologize. When I was locked in the storage room, he only cared about whether Melanie would press charges.

Now he finally wanted to talk, but I had nothing left to say.

"Julian, I’m leaving for Carmel tomorrow."

His face paled. "Who gave you permission to leave?"

I smiled softly. "See? You don't want to talk, Julian. You just want to control me."

Julian froze.

A car pulled up at the gates.

Chloe poked her head out the window. "Vivian, get in!"

I shook off Julian’s hand and ran to the car. Chloe hit the gas immediately.

Julian’s hand was left hanging in the air, his eyes finally filled with genuine panic.

"Vivian! Don't try to scare me by running away!"

I looked at him through the glass. "I'm not trying to scare you."

As the car sped off, Chloe cursed all the way.

I didn't say anything.

I leaned against the headrest, watching the New York skyline disappear behind us.

I grew up here, lost my mother here, and gave my heart to Julian here.

Now that I was leaving, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

Chloe’s rants finally quieted down. She didn't tell me not to be sad; she just said, "Even if you’re hurting, don't look back. You don't run back to the knife that stabbed you."

Hearing those words, the ache in my chest finally found a place to rest.

It turned out that having someone on my side didn't require me to prove my worth first.

The next morning, I went to the bank, deactivated the credit card my father had given me, and dropped off every single gift Julian had ever given me at the Sterling Group’s front desk.

The receptionist recognized me, looking incredibly awkward.

"Miss Vance, Mr. Sterling isn't in today."

"That’s fine. Just make sure he gets this."

On top of the box was a neat list, detailing when and where he had given me each item.

No complaints, no questions, just a clean return.