Chapter 15
But Dominic was done with her bullshit. He couldn’t even stand to look at her anymore, rejecting every word. “I can’t fucking believe
I ever trusted you. If you hadn’t screwed Viv over at every turn, we never would’ve ended up here.”
“Leona, you make me sick.“[]
The raw disgust in his voice left Leona sitting frozen on the floor.[]
Something clicked in her expression–maybe having all her masks ripped away gave her a twisted kind of clarity.She stared at him until he looked away, uncomfortable.
As he turned to leave, Leona forced herself to stand despite the pain. She wiped her tears away, and when she looked at them again, her eyes blazed with pure hatred.[]
You think I’m twisted, Dom? News flash–you’re no fucking saint.“[]
She turned that vicious gaze on the whole family, drinking in their horror and disgust.]
“You’re all selfish, stupid, and pathetic.”
“Poor Vivienne. She nearly died saving your sorry asses, spent five years in a vegetative state, and what did you do? You replaced her with a knockoff version because I looked similar enough.“[]
“How’s that for fucking pathetic?“]
Her gaze landed on Dominic with vicious satisfaction. “You’re acting all devoted now, but be honest–were you ever really in love with Vivienne?“]
“Childhood sweethearts, together since you were kids, and it took me what–two years to make you completely forget she existed? You were practically licking my boots while treating Viv like garbage. That’s your epic love story?“[]
“You’re so furious, but not because you loved her. You’re pissed because you can’t handle the fact that you helped kill her! You want to dump all the blame on me so you can sleep at night!“[]
“This whole breakdown isn’t about Vivienne. It’s about making yourself feel better!“[]
She turned her venom on Cameron next.[]
“And you’re just as selfish and stupid.“[]
“Twenty–plus years with Vivienne as your sister. You think you didn’t know who she really was? But you threw away decades of family history to play big brother to me instead. Honestly, I should send you a thank–you card–that genius fake death stunt of yours is what finally broke her.”
“Oh, and we’ve lived under the same roof for five years. You seriously had no idea what I was doing? Either you’re the world’s biggest idiot, or you just didn’t want to see it.”
“My schemes weren’t even that clever. Amateur hour, really. But you bought every single lie.“[]
“If you’d given half a damn about your actual sister, I never could’ve pulled this off.“[]
Her laugh turned manic, almost inhuman.]
Chapter 15
“My dear big brother, you run this whole family. What truth couldn’t you uncover if you’d actually tried? And you say I hurt her? That’s funny–I never laid a finger on her.“[]
“You’re the ones who ran her down with a car because of my little stories. You locked her in that oven. You pushed her off the building. You arranged for those men to assault her at the hospital.“]
“Every single thing she suffered came from your hands, not mine. You tortured her until suicide looked like freedom.“]
“Yeah, I’m twisted. I wanted her dead. But none of you are innocent. We ALL killed Vivienne together.“]
Each word hut like a physical blow, leaving them reeling.
Leona wasn’t done. Her eyes burned into each of their faces.[]
“We’re all murderers. Every. Single. One. Of. Us.“]]
Even as security dragged her toward the basement, she kept screaming curses at them.[]
A hand clamped over her mouth, cutting off the sound.
The room fell into suffocating silence. The four of them stood there, lost in their own thoughts.
Leona’s words echoed in every mind.[]
Their mother collapsed from shock, sending the house into chaos.[]
Dominic didn’t remember how he driving home. He wandered into the garden in a daze, dismissing the staff.[]
The forget–me–not flowers were in full bloom, and suddenly he could see Vivienne as clear as day.[]
They’d been childhood friends. She used to come over all the time when they were kids.]
Back then, the garden was just empty dirt. These forget–me–not plants–Vivienne had brought them over, and they’d planted them together.]
Forget me not.
Every year on her birthday, he’d given her a bouquet of forget–me–not.[]
This year’s flowers bloomed right on schedule.[]
But everything else had changed.[]
11
Vivienne used to look at him with eyes full of starlight, bright as a summer night. Now she was gone forever.
Standing there among the flowers they’d planted together, Dominic finally understood what he’d lost. []
Every smile, every laugh, every moment was seared into his memory.[]
He tried to speak her name, but nothing came out. His throat felt like broken glass.[]
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Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.