Forever After All(7)

I sigh and nod at my mother. “As you wish, Mother,” I murmur. “Go ahead and start arranging meetings with the girls you deem eligible. I’ll choose one of them to marry.”





Chapter 6





E lena



I stare up at the grand mansion in front of me, the gates imposing. I inhale deeply before forcing my feet forward. I press my palm to the scanner, and a sigh of relief escapes my lips when the gates swing open. Part of me expected to be denied entry—I wouldn’t put it past my stepmother to find a way to remove all my biometric data. She’s tried to cut me off from my father and brother the moment she stepped into our lives, and she’s succeeded. I wouldn’t even be here if my mother’s life didn’t depend on it.

I’m nervous as I reach the door, my gaze dropping down to the old clothes I’m wearing and my torn-up shoes. A couple of years ago, I wouldn’t have been caught dead in this outfit, and now I can’t afford anything better. I hardly ever feel embarrassed for the way I live my life now, but standing here in front of my childhood home, knowing I’ll be judged and found lacking… it hurts.

It kills me that I have to resort to coming here at all, that I’m incapable of caring for my mother on my own. I can’t help but think back to every decision I’ve ever made, every bit of money I could have and should have saved.

I brace myself as I walk into the house, feeling out of place in this cold and foreign mansion, not a single trace of my childhood remaining. I stop by the dresser in the hallway, my fingers tracing over it. There have always been three photos here, one of my parents, one of Matthew and me, and one of the four of us. All three photos have been replaced to remove every trace of my mother and me. It’s like my stepmother recreated every photo that used to be here, replacing only my mom and me. I grimace, a faint pang of hurt twisting my heart. This house used to be filled with love. This is the house my mother turned into a home. Now it’s a place where I’m not even welcome.

“What are you doing here?”

I turn, a bittersweet smile on my face. I’d somewhat understand those words coming from Elise, my stepsister, or even from my stepmother, Jade. But no, it’s my own brother.

“Hi, Matthew,” I murmur, masking my aching heart behind a perfectly crafted smile.

He grimaces as he takes in my outfit, his disgust obvious. I tense, bracing myself against the pain I know he’s about to inflict. My eyes drop to the woman next to him, and unease settles in the pit of my stomach.

“Is that your sister?” Jennifer asks. She and I have never met in person, but I’ve seen plenty of photos of her, most of them from when she used to date Alexander . A wave of possessiveness that I’m not even remotely entitled to washes over me as I think back to the way he always used to look at her, as though she rendered everyone else invisible to him. I don’t understand how she could ever leave Alexander for an asshole like my brother, and I’m thankful I haven’t been around to watch it happen. Based on the rumors going around, I’m certain it would’ve eradicated the last shreds of respect I feel for my brother.

“No,” Matthew says. “Can’t you see she doesn’t belong here?” he adds, turning up his nose.

I’m rendered speechless, tensing as I try my best not to take his words to heart. Back when Mom got into that car crash, Matthew and I fell apart too. He’s convinced that I’m making Mom suffer by selfishly keeping her alive, and he’s made sure I know it. Over and over again, Dad and Matthew have tried to convince me to let Mom go, until I could take no more. Yet here I am again, years later, at their mercy.

“I won’t stay long,” I say, my voice soft. “It’s about Mom.”

Matthew raises his brow and crosses his arm. “Did she die?” he asks, as though he couldn’t care less about his own mother .

I grit my teeth as I shake my head.

“Then I don’t need to know,” he says, grabbing Jennifer’s hand. She shoots me an apologetic look, but I don’t miss the amusement in her eyes.

“What is all this commotion?”

I turn to find Dad standing in the hallway with Jade by his side. Hatred rolls over my skin, raising every hair on my arms. She looks irritated to see me, her eyes trailing over me in dismay.

“Dad,” I murmur.

He sighs and shakes his head. “Look at you. What an embarrassment. Can’t you at least dress normally, Elena?”

I bite down on my lip, desperation clawing up my throat. “I’m sorry, Dad,” I say, wanting to take it back immediately.

Dad looks away. “Your mother left you a trust fund worth millions, but look at you. She’d be embarrassed to call you her daughter.”

Jade tenses at the mention of my mother. It’s subtle, but I see it. I see the hatred in her eyes, the defensive stance.

“Dad, could I speak to you, please?”

Jade raises her brows. “We don’t have secrets in this family,” she says. “Anything you say to your father, you can say to me.”

Dad nods and wraps his arm around her waist. She leans her head against his shoulder, the two of them picture perfect. One year. It took Dad one year to have Mom declared brain dead and marry Jade. Did he ever even love Mom at all? Did he ever even love me ? He’s cast me aside with such ease that I can’t help but wonder.