My father’s glare landed on me immediately. “What is this I’m hearing?” His voice cut like ice. “You’re filing for divorce? Vivienne, where did this come from? Are you out of your mind?”
I rose slowly, adjusting my blazer, letting my posture declare my resolve. “No, Father. I’m finally sane.”
A tense pause filled the room, heavy and suffocating. His expression darkened, thunderclouds gathering behind his eyes. “You know our family doesn’t tolerate divorce,” he said, voice rising. “You’re making a spectacle of yourself. Do you even understand how this will damage our reputation?”
I pressed my jaw tight. “So cheating is acceptable?”
His brow furrowed. “Excuse me?”
I bit my lip, steadying my shaking voice. “I asked—do you condone cheating? Because that’s exactly what your perfect son-in-law has been doing. With my stepsister.”
The room seemed to drop in temperature. His gaze pinned me like I’d just spat on the family name. Then he exhaled sharply, his words soft yet sharp as a knife. “You sound just like your mother.”
The sting hit me like a slap before I could even speak.
The sound of the comment echoed through the office. My assistant gasped quietly just outside the door, but I didn’t move. I didn’t call her in. I stayed rooted, hand pressed to my cheek, my eyes burning with unshed tears.
Memories surged. I was a child again, perched near the staircase, watching him leave our house in the dead of night. Back then, I didn’t understand the woman he visited was Seraphine’s mother. I didn’t grasp why my mother remained silent, her pain hidden behind forced smiles and endless work papers.
Years later, when Seraphine came into our lives, presented as my “stepsister,” I had thought I was gaining family. She had been sweet then—laughing, calling me “sister,” helping me choose outfits, sharing secrets, braiding my hair for school. Everyone adored her, and I did too. I never realized that behind her warmth, she had been quietly learning how to take everything that belonged to me.
She was a mirror of my father’s betrayal.
“Dad,” I said, voice cracking, “do you even hear yourself? You did this to Mom. You left her for your mistress, and now you’re defending Adrian and Seraphine as if it’s normal—”
His hand slammed down on my desk with a force that made me flinch.