Chapter 231

“Uncle Felix… it’s okay,” I said.

I walked over to him and gently took his hand.

“You’ve taken care of me for ten years. You gave me a home when I had nowhere else to go. You loved me like your own for so long.”

A tear rolled down my cheek.

“So if that love has to end here…” My voice broke. “I understand.”

I forced a small, heartbreaking smile.

“I’ll leave.”

“Kiara, what are you talking about?” Uncle Felix asked, his voice trembling. “You have nowhere else to go. This is your home. You’re not leaving.”

“No, Uncle,” I whispered, shaking my head. “I can’t be the reason your marriage and your family fall apart.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“Do you remember when you wanted to enroll me in school for the first time? Aunt Sonia and Kendra made such a fuss because I was going to use your name.”

A sad smile crossed my face.

“So you gave me your father’s name instead. That’s how I became Kiara Brandon.”

I looked down, tears slipping onto the floor.

“You’ve already done more for me than anyone else ever has.”

My voice trembled.

“I think it’s time I stopped using that name too.”

Uncle Felix stepped toward me and gently wiped the tears from my cheeks with his thumb.

“Kiara,” he pleaded, “you don’t have to go anywhere.”

His kindness only made me cry harder. It would have been easier if he had yelled at me.

Instead, he was trying to hold on to me.

I took a shaky breath and forced myself to meet his eyes.

“I’m an adult now, Uncle,” I whispered. “I hope you can respect my decision.”

Before he could stop me, I slowly knelt in front of him.

“I can’t stay here and watch your family fall apart because of me.”

My voice broke.

"You've already sacrificed enough for me. I can't keep asking you to choose me over your own family. It's time to let me go."

“Kiara, please don’t do this,” Uncle Felix begged, his voice breaking. “Please stand up.”

Before I could say anything, he gently lifted me to my feet and pulled me into a warm, tight hug.

I buried my face against his shoulder, letting the tears fall freely.

“Uncle,” I whispered, my voice trembling, “I hope that the next time we see each other… we’ll both be smiling.”

He held me a little tighter, as if he was afraid that letting go meant losing me forever.

Slowly, I slipped out of his embrace.

Without looking back, I walked out of the living room and headed to my bedroom to pack my things.

“Kiara! Come back!” Uncle Felix called out after me.

“Let her go, Felix,” Aunt Sonia’s voice cut in from the living room. “It is the best thing for all of us.”

When I heard her voice, I noticed something strange.

There was a deep sadness in it. Right then, I realized the truth. Aunt Sonia did not actually hate me as a person. She just hated what my parents did. I guess anyone would feel the same way if they were in her shoes.

I walked into my room and quietly packed my clothes and the few things I owned into a large box.

When I was done, I took a deep breath, lifted it, and slowly carried it out of my room.

The box felt heavy in my arms.

So did my heart.

The moment I stepped into the hallway, I froze.

Aunt Sonia was standing there, waiting for me.

“Kiara, I know you hate me right now,” Aunt Sonia said as she stepped closer. Her eyes looked tired, and there was a sadness in them I had never noticed before.

“But I can’t let the pain your parents left behind destroy my own family.”

She slowly reached into her pocket and placed a thick envelope in my hands.

“There’s enough money in there to help you get by for a while,” she said. “Use it to find a safe place to stay.”

She looked at me for a long moment before lowering her eyes.

“Your parents loved you, Kiara,” Aunt Sonia said finally. “For years, they came to see how you were doing. They always asked about you.”

She paused, guilt flashing across her face.

“But we never told you.”

I stared at her, too shocked to speak.

“The last time they came, they said they wanted to stay away because they didn’t want you to suffer for the things they’d done.”

A sad smile touched her lips before quickly fading.

“I guess… no matter what they chose, you were always going to get hurt.”

I stood there in silence, unable to find the right words.

My mind was a mess.

I didn’t know what I was supposed to feel anymore.

Should I hate my parents for everything they have done?

Or should I love them because, despite everything, they have never stopped caring about me?

I didn’t know.

All I knew was that their past had destroyed my present.

“And Kiara... I hope you never forgive me for this.” Her voice broke as she stepped closer and gently pulled me into a hug.

Before I could say a word, she turned around and quickly walked away. I stood there alone, holding the envelope tight against my chest as fresh tears ran down my face.

I unzipped my backpack, stuffed the envelope safely inside, and walked toward the front door for the very last time.

When I stepped outside the house, Kendra was already waiting for me by the porch. The moment she saw me dragging my box, a wicked, mean smile spread across her face.

“Finally, my parents have gotten rid of you,” Kendra laughed nastily, blocking my path. “This is exactly what they should have done ten years ago.”

I didn't say a single word back. I just looked away and kept walking right past her. I knew I shouldn't waste my strength or my time arguing with her. The only way I would touch her again was if she wanted more bruises on her body.

But Kendra wasn't done yet. She hurried after me, stepping right into my personal space. She leaned in close and whispered a chilling warning directly into my ear.

“Do not think this is over, Kiara. I am not done with you yet. I am going to make you pay for what you did to my face today. Even if it means you have to pay with your very life.”

She stepped back, her eyes dark and serious. As I walked down the street away from the only home I knew, a terrible feeling grew inside my stomach.

I knew deep down that Kendra meant every single word she said.

But if she was foolish enough to come after me again…

I’d be waiting.