Chapter 145 *
Scarlett’s POV
"Killing someone is against the law—" Her voice came out high and thin and shaky.
I smiled at her. It was the kind of smile that never reached my eyes, and I watched the blood drain from her face when she saw it.
My hand came up again and I slapped her. Then again. Then a third time.
Each one landed harder than the last.
"You want to bet on whether or not I care about 'the law'?" I asked pleasantly.
Miranda broke.
She scrambled backward on her hands and knees, her heels scraping against the marble. Her composure shattered into a thousand pieces and what was left underneath was terror.
"Viviana!" Miranda's voice came out as a shriek. "Help me! She's going to kill me!"
Her makeup was destroyed. Her lip was bleeding freely now. She was shaking so hard her teeth were chattering.
There it was. The real Miranda. Just a frightened, scheming woman who had finally pushed the wrong person too far.
Viviana lunged forward and grabbed my arm with both hands. Her nails dug into my skin through my jacket sleeve.
"Stop it!" Viviana's voice was shrill. "What is wrong with you? Have you completely lost your mind?"
I caught her wrist again. I peeled her fingers off my arm one by one.
Then I looked at her face.
I really looked at it.
I saw fear. I saw disgust. I saw revulsion.
I did not see love. I did not see concern. I did not see a mother looking at her daughter.
The last tiny ember of hope that I had been carrying somewhere deep in my chest—the one I didn't even know was still burning—went dark.
"You know what the saddest part is?" My voice came out almost gentle now.
I looked at Viviana. Who had given birth to me. Who was supposed to be the one person in the world who would protect me no matter what.
"If you could have spared me even ten percent of the love you give those two..." I pointed at Miranda and Zelda, still huddled together on the floor. "Just ten percent. We wouldn't be standing here right now. None of this would have happened."
Viviana's expression didn't change, and that was the answer I needed.
"But you couldn't do that," I said. "You wouldn't. Not for me. Never for me."
I released her wrist and stepped back.
"So here's where we are. You chose them. Over and over again, every single time, you chose them. That was your decision. And I'm done pretending it doesn't matter."
Viviana stood there with her arms hanging at her sides. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line, but she didn't speak. She didn't reach for me. She didn't try to explain or deny or apologize.
She just stood there. That told me everything I would ever need to know.
I turned my back on all three of them without another glance. I walked to the counter where the saleswoman was standing frozen with her hands clasped in front of her like she was praying.
I placed my credit card on the glass with a sharp tap that made her flinch.
"Ring them up."
She blinked twice. Then her training kicked in and she picked up the card with trembling fingers.
The transaction took less than ninety seconds. Card swiped, receipt signed, bracelets boxed and bagged with tissue paper and ribbon.
I took the bag. Turned to Lily, who was standing exactly where I'd left her, clutching her purse strap with both hands and looking at me with an expression that was equal parts awe and concern.
"Let's go."
We walked out together. Shoulders back. Heads high. Past the display cases and the gawking customers and the security guard who looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't figure out what.
Behind us, I could hear the whispers shifting.
"The mother started it. She was trying to humiliate her own daughter in public."
"Someone please tell me you got that on video."
"I'm posting this. That poor girl's been dealing with these people for God knows how long."
The elevator doors opened the moment we reached them. We stepped inside and I hit the lobby button.
The doors slid shut and the noise of the store cut off like someone had flipped a switch.
Silence.
Lily was watching me. I could feel her gaze on the side of my face.
"Your birth mother," Lily said quietly. "Is that really how she treats you? All the time?"
I leaned my shoulder against the elevator wall. I watched the floor numbers counting down on the digital display.
"My mom is dead." My voice came out flat and empty. "She died in Montana. With my dad."
The numbers kept ticking.
Lily was quiet for a moment. Then she let out a long breath and squeezed my shoulder.
"With a birth mother like that?" Lily's voice was firm. "You're better off without her."
She paused.
"I'm your family, Scar. I always have been."
Something in my chest thawed. Just a fraction. Just enough to let a small break through.
I looked at Lily and shrugged.
"I cut ties with the Romano family a month ago. They're nothing to me. Not anymore."
The elevator reached the ground floor. The doors opened onto the bright, busy lobby.
I straightened up and stepped out.
"So," I said, swinging the jewelry bag by its ribbon handle. "What do you want for dinner? I'm starving."