Chapter 4

A week later, we were all summoned for a family dinner. It was my father' s way of showing the world, and himself, that everything was under control. The atmosphere was thick with Emily' s smug triumph.

She was already transformed. Dressed in a designer gown, a gift from one of the "new investors" Liam had apparently secured from his sickbed, she was holding court at the dinner table.

"Liam' s mind is already working," she announced to the table, but her eyes were fixed on me. "We' ve already acquired three promising biotech startups. The initial capital was just a matter of making a few calls to his old network. They all know his potential."

She swirled the wine in her glass, the picture of effortless success. "Father, we' ll have your fortune tripled by the end of the year. Liam is a kingmaker."

I kept my face neutral, taking a quiet sip of water. Beside me, Alex was perfectly still.

Later, as Emily continued her performance, Alex leaned toward me, his voice a low murmur against my ear. "The companies she mentioned. They' re shell corporations. I looked them up this afternoon. They' re designed for money laundering, not innovation. The capital she' s bragging about isn' t from investors. It' s dirty money, being washed through our family' s legitimate accounts."

I wasn' t surprised. It was Liam' s signature move. Fast, flashy, and deeply illegal. He was using my family' s name and resources as a shield, just as he had used me.

"He' s moving faster this time," I whispered back.

"He' s desperate," Alex corrected. "And Emily' s ambition is the perfect fuel for his desperation. She won' t question the source as long as the results are impressive."

Right then, I knew what I had to do. I couldn' t stay here. I couldn' t be tethered to this family when Liam' s web inevitably collapsed. Getting disowned wasn' t just a desire anymore; it was a strategic necessity. I had to use my father' s greatest weakness-his pride in Emily and his disappointment in me-to escape.

I put down my glass with a hand that I made sure was trembling slightly. I let my shoulders slump.

"It' s just not fair," I said, my voice wavering. The table went quiet. Everyone turned to look at me.

"What is not fair, Sarah?" my father asked, his tone already laced with irritation.

I looked at Emily, my eyes wide with what I hoped looked like pathetic jealousy. "Emily gets a genius, a kingmaker. She' s already building an empire. And what do I have?" I gestured vaguely in Alex' s direction, avoiding his eyes. "A failed startup. A husband who will be a financial drain on this family for years."

Alex played his part perfectly, looking down at his plate with a convincing expression of shame.

"Emily is going to bring so much glory to the family name," I continued, my voice rising with practiced hysteria. "And I' m just going to be an embarrassment! I can' t stand it! Please, Father, just let me go. Let me and Alex leave. We can fend for ourselves. At least then my failure won' t tarnish your legacy."

I buried my face in my hands, faking a sob.

The room was silent for a beat. Then, my father' s voice cut through the air, cold and sharp as glass.

"Enough."

I looked up through my fingers. His face was a mask of pure disgust. Not at the situation, but at me. My weakness, my whining, my public admission of inadequacy-it was everything he despised. He looked at Emily, who was watching me with a contemptuous smirk, and then back at me.

"You are right about one thing," he said, his voice dripping with finality. "You are an embarrassment."

The words were meant to crush me. In my first life, they would have. But now, they were the sound of a key turning in a lock.

"You want to leave?" he snarled. "Fine. I will have the lawyers draw up the papers tomorrow. You will be formally severed from this family. You will take nothing with you but your clothes and your... husband." He spat the word out like it was poison. "I will not have your failure staining Emily' s success."

I looked at him, my feigned tears drying up. I met his cold, furious gaze with a calm that seemed to unnerve him even more.

"Thank you, Father," I said, my voice steady.

With that, I stood up. I took Alex' s hand, his warmth a steady anchor in the storm of my family' s dysfunction.

"We' ll be leaving now," I said.

We walked out of the dining room, leaving behind the suffocating scent of lilies and lies. As the heavy doors closed behind us, I felt the first real taste of freedom. The first step was complete. I was out.