bChapter /bb84 /b

Jocelyn red at Sienna and snapped, “Sienna, how dare you be so brazen? Aren’t you afraid I’ll expose you and turn you into an unfilial daughter everyone despises and wants nothing to do with?”

Jocelyn’s face twisted with malice, blike /ba vicious demon. The sight sent a chill down Amber’s spine. She suddenly realized she was secing ba /bside of Jocelynpletely different from the person she’d always imagined.

Aimber staggered back, her pupils dting with stunned disbelief.

Linda had been pped into terrified silence.

Jocelyn red venomously at Sienna, searching for beven /ba trace of fear or panic on her faceb. /b

To her surprise, Sienna simply scoffed and said coolly, b“/bGo ahead and try.”

Jocelyn ground out through clenched teeth, “Sienna—b” /b

Siennamanded icily, “Security, escort them out.”

Linda, seeing they were about to be thrown out, went bhysterical/b. She shrieked, “What do you think you’re doing? I’m the mistress of the Hart family. How dare you treat me like this? Sienna, you can’t do this to me. I’m your stepmother.”

Jocelyn clung to Amber’s hand, her voice trembling. “Amber, I can’t bear to leave you. It would break my heart to be apart from you.”

Amber stood frozen, finally realizing that no one could threaten Sienna, not even their father. In Sienna’s beyes/bb, /bba /bfather could simply stop being a father.

Just a few words from Siennab, /band the authority from her dad, which Amber had always been bso /bafraid of, bwas /bbcrushed/b.

Even Linda didn’t bhave /bthe chance to make things difficult for Sienna anymore.

Jocelyn pressed on desperately, grabbing Amber’s hands. “Amber, listen to me. We’ve been together for so many years. You can’t just leave me behind, can you? Come with me. If we walk out now, we’re nevering back.

“This house has no ce for us anymore. Sienna is ruthless. She sent Dad to a psychiatric facility today, and tomorrow it could be you. Do you really feel bsafe /bhere?

“Amber, let’s go. Out there, we can still be happy, live however we want, and no one will ever hurt us. Just like beforeb, /bI’ll always protect you. Won’t youe?b” /b

Amber thought she really should’ve bjust /bsaid yes to Jocelyn right away. Ever since she was a child, she had always trailed after Jocelyn like a shadow.

‘Has Jocelyn treated me well? Maybe she has. Amber wondered, ‘Jocelyn always tells me to take care about my feelings no matter when or where.

But for some reason, Amber hesitated at this moment. It was not that she was clinging to theforts of home. She can’t even exin what exactly she was reluctant to leave behind.

Just the thought of leaving now sent a sharp pang through her chest. There was only one thought shing through my mind. She didn’t want to leave this ce.

Amber waited for several minutes, and Sienna said nothing. Amber thought she would ask her to stay, but she didn’t. Sienna didn’t even spare me a single nceb. /b

Amber bit down hard on her lip, overwhelmed by a sharp pang of bitterness welling up inside her.

Jocelyn had been with her since childhood. She was beaten, even spat blood. And yet, Amber’s heart didn’t ache at all.

But Sienna’s silence, her utterck of response, cut deeper than any pain Amber had ever known. Her heart felt as if it were stuffed with wet cotton, heavy and suffocating. She felt abandoned.

It was just like ten years ago, in the hazy corners of my memory, when that warm, motherly figure left Amber and never came back.

Lana could tell Amber didn’t actually want to leave. She just needed an out. But clearly Sienna wasn’t going to give her one. It must be because what Amber said earlier had disappointed her.