"If you had even half your sister's sense, our ancestors would be rolling in their graves with pride!"
I looked at the disgust on his face, and something inside me went still.
There was no point in arguing. There really wasn't.
Fighting with them would only mean putting myself through more pain.
"As it happens, I'm leaving the country in a few days. After that, you won't have to see me again."
At the mention of going abroad, Amos froze.
The anger on his face stiffened, then twisted into a sneer.
"So that's what this is about?"
"Go on, name your price. Five million dollars enough?"
"That should be plenty to set yourself up overseas, shouldn't it?"
Savannah looked equally stunned. "Regina, why would you suddenly want to go abroad?"
"You know, if you're willing, you could always come back."
I looked at the reluctance written all over both their faces and answered in a flat, even tone.
"Relax. I don't want a single cent of your money."
Amos clearly didn't believe me. He pressed on.
"You don't want to come back, and there's no place for you in this family anyway."
"Just name your number. We'll settle it once and for all. After that, we owe each other nothing."
I let out a quiet, bitter laugh. My eyes stung with something cold and hollow.
Whatever bond we'd once shared had been severed long ago.
There was no need for the word settle.
"I think you've misunderstood."
"Yes, those two years after you gave me away were miserable. But the parents who adopted me treated me well."
"My life isn't as wretched as you imagine, and I couldn't care less about your family fortune."
"But there are things I intend to sort out before I leave. Every last one of them."
The two of them exchanged a bewildered glance, clearly not understanding what I meant.
Just then, my phone rang.
A calm, professional voice came through the other end.
"Is this Ms. Regina Fox? This is the police department. We're currently downstairs at your building. Are you home?"
"I am. Give me a moment, I'll come let you in."
I hung up and headed straight for the door.
Amos frowned, his voice sharp with displeasure. "Who's coming?"
I ignored his question entirely.
When I opened the door, a male and a female officer stood in the hallway.
The moment Amos spotted the uniforms, he lowered his voice to a harsh whisper.
"After a scandal like this, you actually had the nerve to call the police?"
I turned to the officers instead.
"How is the case progressing?"
"Try not to worry. We've apprehended one of the suspects and he's currently being interrogated."
"However, we'll need you to come back to the station with us for an identification."
Savannah's face crumpled in confusion.
"Crime... what crime? Who committed a crime?"
"Those photos of hers—weren't they taken willingly? For money?"
Officer Dawson's expression shifted instantly, something strange and hard settling over her features.
She looked at Amos and Savannah. "And you two are?"
Savannah rushed to explain. "I'm her mother. This is her father."
Officer Dawson's demeanor turned grave. Her voice dropped several degrees.
"Those photos were not taken willingly. This is an aggravated attempted sexual assault case."
She paused, studying them both. "You're the victim's parents. How could you think that about your own daughter?"
Officer Dawson couldn't comprehend the couple's mindset.
The two of them stood rooted to the spot.
They were frozen there, disbelief etched across every line of their faces.
I knew them too well.
From the moment they walked through my door, they had already decided I'd brought this on myself. That I'd found some lowlife to take those photos with for cash. They'd even cursed my adoptive parents for failing to raise me right.
They'd heaped every ounce of blame onto me, onto the people who actually loved me, while washing their own hands completely clean.
