I never had a pleasant life at all. Or maybe I had but it crumbled when I was fifteen years old.
“You’re not my daughter. You’re the daughter of the elder family of the Morsettis.”
Those were my mother’s final words before she took her last breath.
She confessed everything in front of the very people she claimed were my real parents. I didn’t even have time to grieve. The truth broke, and the Morsettis heard it, along with a member of a court who happened to be there.
To control the scandal, they confirmed everything and offered explanations I never asked for. But nothing eased the shock in my chest or the fury building inside me.
“We had to set you aside, Vienna,” said Donna, the mother who gave birth to me. “Our family is influential. We had to make the right choice for our name and that is to present Dea as the legal daughter of this elder family."
“We couldn’t let a mere human represent the Morsettis. You wouldn’t want to be a laughing stock, right? Or be the cause of our downfall,” my father added, as if casting me aside had been for my benefit too. "And this truth should never come out."
I didn’t say another word. I'm cold.
“Does this mean you’re switching us back, Dad?” Dea asked. Her voice was calm, but her eyes were sharp and cold as they landed on me.
She had always worn a mask. Sweet, angelic, while hiding the devil just beneath the surface.
“No,” father answered. “We can’t do that. Not now. It would stir up everything we’ve worked to suppress.”
Then he turned to me and took my hand. “But we’ll support you. We can send you to school, Vienna. We’ll provide everything for you.”
That moment told me everything. They would never claim me as their daughter. Not in front of everyone and in their heart. Still, they sent me to school. I used to think that was enough.
I used to envy Dea. She had it all. My real parents. My rightful life. Even the man I loved.
She and Rowan were always meant to be. Childhood sweethearts who grew into lovers. Their engagement had been celebrated for years. The wedding was just a formality. But the night before the official announcement, Dea vanished, and the Morsettis had to play their last card to the Donovans. Me.
Now I’m here. Trapped in a marriage without love. A Luna who’s treated like a Gamma under her own husband. But today, I’ll put an end to it.
I packed all my clothes and belongings. What I could keep went into a suitcase. The rest was left for disposal. Everything had to be gone before I left this place.
“What’s all this for?”
Rowan’s voice came from behind.
He’d just returned. From Dea’s home, where he had spent the night.
“They’re things I no longer use,” I answered, referring to the clothes he once bought for me out of obligation.
“You’re throwing them away? That’s not like you,” he said, suspicious.
Of course he knew that. I was once the daughter of a maid who held onto every little thing. Nothing ever went to waste.
“I’ll donate them to your foundation’s charity. It’ll be good for your public image, especially with your new government partnership.”
His expression flickered. Shocked. I’d never said anything like that before. But then, slowly, he nodded, a faint smile forming at the corners of his mouth.
I thought he might thank me. But another voice interrupted.
“My sister is such a generous soul. So big-hearted and understanding.”
There she was. Dea. Wearing a dress I once believed Rowan had picked out for me.
She smiled sweetly and made her way toward him. Then, suddenly, she ran the last few steps and jumped into his arms, accidentally bumping into a nearby vase.
It hit the floor and shattered.
I gasped. That vase, one of Rowan’s family’s most treasured heirlooms. A wedding gift from his father, etched with our names and our joined hands. A symbol of love and unity in their bloodline.
I had always kept it spotless. I planned to take it with me. It reminded me that even if I had a cruel husband, I once had in-laws who loved me.
But it is gone now. Shattered.
Still, Rowan didn’t flinch. He didn’t even look. If it wasn’t important to him, why should I care?
“Are you hurt? I’m sorry, Dea,” he said instead. He ran his hands over her arms, checking for scratches. Apologizing to her. The one who broke it.
“Sorry,” Dea said, glancing at me.
I swallowed hard. And nodded.
“It’s nothing,” Rowan added. “We can always buy a new one.”
I pressed my lips into a thin line. “No need. It was just your father’s wedding gift. I was planning to auction it off anyway.”
I only said it to wound him. And it worked. His face changed. First in surprise, then in anger.
“You want to auction that? Our wedding gift?”
“But she broke it now,” I said calmly.
He fell silent. He remembered. It wasn’t my fault. It was her.
“Sorry, Vienna. I didn’t mean to,” Dea murmured, eyes lowered now.
I wondered why she was even here. Did she come just to cause a scene?
“I’ll have this cleaned up,” Rowan muttered. “In the meantime… Dea will be staying in this room. Just for a week. She needs sunlight, and this one gets the most.”
Then he looked at me like it was nothing. “You’ll move to the guest room, Vienna.”
And just like that, he pushed me out of my room. Of what little was left of my place in this house.
