The door burst open as Jada and Wyatt rushed in. I didn’t move. Honestly, I hadn’t stopped Florence on purpose, I wanted to see if they would believe me or not. This was their last shot. I was done giving chances after this.
Jada ran straight to Florence and dropped to her knees, clutching her like she was made of glass. Her eyes filled with tears. "Susanna, what did you do to her?"
I folded my arms and kept my voice calm. "Mom, Dad, it’s not what you think. She did this to herself, just like what happened in the utility room last time."
Florence let out a shaky breath, acting like she barely had the strength to speak. "No... I just came to give her a dress... I wanted to apologize. But she wouldn’t listen. She tore it up... got so angry..."
Wyatt turned to Anna without hesitation. "Call an ambulance. Now."
Then he turned to me, eyes cold. "I can’t believe this, Susanna. Your mother and I gave you everything and this is how you repay us? By hurting your sister?"
Florence gave a small, pitiful smile, like she was trying to hold back tears. “Don’t blame her, please... This is all my fault. I upset her last time and maybe... maybe I deserve it. After all, I might be the biological daughter, but in this house, I’ve always felt like an outsider. Once I recover, I’ll move out. I don’t want to make things harder for anyone."
I stared at her, completely done with her performance. "You’re stirring the pot again. Yeah, you should leave."
Wyatt didn’t hesitate, he slapped me across the face. "What’s wrong with you? Florence has done nothing but try to be good to you. Why are you so bitter?"
I touched my cheek but didn’t flinch. The sting didn’t matter. What hit harder was the realization that the people standing in front of me weren’t my parents anymore. Not since Florence showed up.
Outside, the ambulance siren wailed as it pulled up in front of the house.
Wyatt scooped Florence into his arms and Jada hovered beside them, fussing over every little scrape. Before leaving, Wyatt looked at me one last time. "When I come back, you better be gone."
Anna finally stepped into the room once the coast was clear. Her eyes were full of worry. "Miss, I don’t believe a word she said. I know you’d never do something like that."
I gave her a tired nod. "Yeah. Help me pack."
She didn’t press. She just sighed and got to work. Florence’s birthday party was officially canceled.
A week later, Florence finally came home, leaning on Wyatt and Jada like she had just escaped a warzone. The moment they saw me, their faces stiffened.
Wyatt didn’t even bother hiding his irritation. "It’s been a whole week. Why are you still here? I told you to move out."
Florence glanced at the luggage next to me and furrowed her brow. "Susanna, Mom and Dad didn’t mean it. They were just upset. I'm all better now, so there's really no need for you to be packing up and leaving.
“I'm not that important, if hitting me helps you feel better, I won’t hold it against you. I just hope you don’t let yourself get that worked up again. Anger’s not great for your health.
“Besides, you’ve been their daughter for so long. Just admit you were wrong. If you apologize, they’ll forgive you. That’s how family works, right?"
I gave her a smile, slow and even. "Who said I was leaving?"
That caught her off guard. Her tone turned dry, a little defensive. "Then... what’s all this for? Don’t tell me you’re planning to throw us out instead?"
I tilted my head. "Bingo. These bags? They’re yours. I went ahead and packed for you. You can leave now."
Florence stood there stunned for a second, then snapped, "Why? This is the Leclair Family’s estate! You want me gone, fine, but why are you kicking my parents out too?"
Anna let out a dramatic sigh and said, "Miss Florence, technically this is the Leclair Family’s house… but it's Miss Susanna’s. Not yours. Not Mr. Wyatt’s. Just hers."
And she wasn’t wrong. The manor, the title deed, even the biggest chunk of shares in the Leclair Group, everything was in my name.
That one line from Anna was enough to make all three faces at the door shift at once, like they had just realized they had walked into the wrong house.
Florence looked like she’d been slapped. "That can’t be right."
