I walked out of the hall, my face calm. In the past, those words would have felt like a silver blade to my heart. But I had finally accepted the truth: Malachi’s heart would always be buried in the ground with Via, and Marc would always see me as the shadow that stole her place.
“Why must you cause a scene today?”
I heard Hestia’s sharp voice as she stepped into my path outside.
“What do you want, Hestia? I have played my part for eight years. I am done,” I said.
“You should love Marc like your own blood! You should bear his anger and care for him. If my daughter were still alive, he would be a happy prince,” she snapped.
I shrugged, too tired to argue. “A pity your daughter is dead.”
Hestia raised her hand to strike my face, but I caught her wrist mid-air.
“Do not try it, Hestia. I am not the weak girl you bullied eight years ago. The contract is over. Marc is eight, and I have every right to go.”
Hestia yanked her hand away, rubbing her sore arm and glaring at me.
“Go then, Rhea. This is why no one will ever love you. Not even your father wants to see your face!” she hissed before vanishing into the dark.
A sad smile touched my lips. It had been eight years since my father looked at me. Since his favorite daughter died, he had treated me like an outcast.
“I am sorry... I got you a gift.”
A small, quiet voice spoke behind me. I turned to see Marc standing there with an innocent smile. He was holding a small wooden box tied with a string.
I felt a spark of hope. “Oh, Marc... you didn't have to.”
He giggled, a sound that seemed too sweet for this night. “I wanted to. Please, open it.”
I took the box and pulled the string. As the lid opened, a terrible smell hit me. Inside the box lay the small, lifeless body of my pet cat. It had been pierced by a hunter’s arrow.
“That will be you soon,” Marc whispered, his smile never fading, “if you don't leave me and my father alone.”
Rhea’s POV
I was mortified staring at my only pet that I had been allowed to bring to the mansion. Same way I have taken care of Marc.
“Don’t mess with me and don't get my father upset with me!” Marc snapped.
I watched as he stomped off while I stared at the arrow in my cat’s body.
Fate is indeed mocking me because I was the one who taught Marc how to shoot arrows. I taught Marc everything he knows and now he's using it against me.