Chapter 5
It was the only keepsake my mother had left me, and since I wouldn’t be coming back to Franklin, I knew I had to take it with me.
As I passed through the garden on my way home, I saw Amanda clutching her puppy, tears streaming down her face.
“William, thank goodness you went with me to take my dog to the vet. Otherwise, it would‘ ve died,” she sobbed.
“Don’t cry. The dog will be fine,” William reassured her softly.
A sharp sting of sadness swept over me. In his eyes, my mother meant less than a dog.
Chapter 5
I ignored them both and headed straight upstairs.
After placing the wooden box on my dressing table, I grabbed a fresh set of clothes and
went to the bathroom for a shower.
When I returned, I froze at the sight of Amanda, who had been playing with her dog, now standing by my dressing table.
She was trying my diamond bracelet on the puppy‘ s leg.
A surge of panic gripped me, and without thinking, I shouted, “Amanda, what are you doing?”
She spun around a bright smile on her face, waving the bracelet at me. “Sister, this bracelet is so pretty. Can I borrow it for a
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couple of days to let my dog wear it?”
“Amanda put it down!”
I held my breath, fury flashing in my eyes, terrified she might drop it.
Amanda pouted, her lips curling in mock
innocence.
“Don’t be so stingy, Sister. I know this was your mom’s, but my dog will only wear it for two days before giving it back.”
Knowing her manipulative nature, I mixed a plea with my warning.
“Amanda, you can have William and the bracelet, but this is the only thing my mom left me. Please, just give it back to me.
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Her eyes gleamed with feigned surprise.
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“Really? It sounds so precious.”
She looked down at the puppy, speaking
sweetly, “Baby, maybe we should return it to
her.‘
“”
Slowly, she removed the bracelet from the dog’s leg, holding it out to me.
Just as I reached for it, she let it slip through her fingers.
“Oh no, sorry, I didn’t hold it properly!”
The diamond bracelet crashed to the floor,
shattering into jagged pieces.
A wave of shock swept over me, my vision blurring as rage coursed through my veins.
It felt as though every drop of blood in my body surged to my head, clouding my
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thoughts.
I couldn’t stop myself. In an instant, I lunged at her.
She screamed, twisting around and running
out of the room.
“Help! My sister‘ s trying to kill me!”
I was relentless, catching up to her and grabbing a handful of her hair. With a swift motion, I slammed her head against the door.
She howled in pain, clutching her head.
“It hurts! Sister, please don’t kill me!”
I didn’t care that I was barefoot or that I
could hear the frantic footsteps racing up the
stairs.
All I cared about was teaching this brat a
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Chapter 5 lesson.
I raised my hand and slapped her hard across
the face.
The sting of the slap was nothing compared to the fire burning inside me.
The door burst open, and William froze for a heartbeat before rushing toward me.
He grabbed my hand mid–air, his other arm swiftly wrapping around Amanda like a shield.
“Avery! What on earth are you doing?”
Amanda flung herself into his arms, her tears flowing freely as she cried, “William, the dog broke Sister’s bracelet by accident, and she said she was going to kill me and the dog…
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sob, sob…”
William’s eyes locked onto mine, as cold
and emotionless as ice.
“Avery, I’ll buy you another bracelet.
Don’t hurt her.’
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“William, get out of my way!”
