Chapter 20
After lunch. Vivian returned to her newly renovated bedroom. She looked around the brand–new room, a happy smile gracing her lips. “Sienna, how did you know I love the color blue?”
Sienna pinched her cheek playfully. “Guess. If you guess right, we’ll get chipotle tonight.”
At the mention of chipotle, Vivian’s eyes lit up. She bounded over to Sienna, her voice a purr of playful begging. “I know you love me the most.”
For a fleeting moment, Sienna saw the little girl from ten years ago, the one who used to follow her around like a shadow. A genuine, unguarded smile softened her features, a beauty so profound it momentarily stunned Vivian.
Vivian pouted, her eyes wide with innocent longing, her cheeks puffed out adorably. She had the kind of gentle, pure beauty that made one want to protect her from the world.
“Alright, alright,” Sienna chuckled. “We’ll go out for dinner tonight.
“Yay! You are the best!” Vivian cheered, snuggling against her like a happy kitten.
When she was young, Vivian had loved going out to eat street food, and Sienna, ever the protector, had forbidden it, deeming it unhealthy. She’d made the family chef replicate the snacks at home, but it was never the same.
Vivian had snuck out once and gotten caught, leading to a huge argument and, inevitably, a trip to the hospital for food poisoning. After that. Sienna’s rules became ironclad. After Sienna left, Vivian never went back to the night market. Not once.
The truth was, the street food in Vallaris was strictly regulated and perfectly safe. Sienna’s real fear hadn’t been about health.
At the time, their family business was in turmoil, and their mother was locked in a bitter feud with a dangerous rival. Sienna had been terrified that Vivian would be kidnapped and used as leverage.
Soon, they arrived at the restaurant and placed their orders. “Sienna, it smells amazing!” Vivian exclaimed as the delicious aromas surrounded them.
Sienna smiled faintly, her tall, elegant figure and stunning face turning heads wherever she went.
“Vivian,” she said, her tone becoming serious, “I know you’re not sick. You were just traumatized. But… I think we should still see a doctor, just to talk. I’ll go with you.”
Vivian froze. She didn’t expect Sienna had already noticed how broken she really was.
Sienna, sensing her hesitation, thought perhaps she was pushing too hard. But to her surprise, Vivian agreed immediately. “Okay. I’ll do whatever you say.”
“Good” Sienna nodded. She wanted her to heal, and she also wondered what her other two sisters were up to. Aiden had said they were both away at boarding school. She would have to find a time to bring them all home.
“Vivian, is Amber still at school?” she continued asking.
At the mention of the name, Vivian’s posture stiffened. An unnatural expression flickered across her face, and she couldn’t meet Sienna’s eyes.
After Sienna had disappeared, she and her other sisters had grown apart. After she was kicked out of the house seven years ago, they had cut off contact completely.
Whenever they happened to see each other, they would trade insults like sworn enemies. Over time, they became strangers.
But the thought of Sienna finding them, of her attention being divided… a dark, possessive feeling coiled in Vivian’s gut. She didn’t want to share Sienna. They didn’t deserve her. Especially not Amber Hart. That traitor. She had started calling another girl “sister.”
“Vivian? What’s wrong?” Sienna asked.
“Nothing.” Vivian snapped back to reality, shaking her head. “This chipotle is so good! You have to try it.”
Sienna didn’t miss the deliberate evasion. There was bad blood between them. She sighed inwardly. It seemed she would have to mend her broken family one piece at a time.
“Let’s go to the hospital later,” Vivian said, taking the initiative.
“Alright,” Sienna nodded.
After arriving at the hospital, while Vivian waited, Sienna made a call. She had been reconnecting with old friends since her memory returned.
1/2
Chapter 20
She had asked a nurse if a certain renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Jason Everett, was on duty tonight, but was told she needed an appointment.
“Vivian! It really is you Just as Vivian waited for Sienna, a familiar voice called out.
Vivian looked up to see Chloe standing before her, dressed in a hospital gown. Chloe was rail
rail–thin, with a sharp, pointed face and a pale, sickly
complexion.
She was Mason’s untouchable “true love,” the one for whom Vivian had given her blood, month after month, for over a year, regardless of her own health
Chloe looked at Vivian’s designer clothes and her radiant, healthy face, and a flash of raw jealousy crossed her features. But then she remembered her place in this drama–Vivian was just her substitute–and her pride swelled.
“Did Mason bring you here?” asked Chloe, her voice condescending, ‘You’re late for your donation this month. Go on, a few days behind.”
Vivian gave her a look one might give a particularly stupid insect and then simply looked away.
Chloe’s temper flared. “Vivian, I’m talking to you! Are you deaf?”
Vivian slowly turned her head and uttered a single, perfect word. “Scram.”
How dare you speak to me like that!” Chloe yelled. “You’ve got a lot of nerve. Just wait until I tell Mason.”
Vivian stood up. In her two–inch heels, she was a head taller than Chloe. She met Chloe’s gaze with a cold, steady stare.
then. I forgive you for being
Chloe was taken aback. The Vivian from the past was timid and self–conscious, a wallflower who had only caught Mason’s eye because of her innocent, pitiful act. But the Vivian in front of her was different.
“Go ahead.” Vivian said coolly. “By the way, Mason and I broke up. Didn’t he tell you?”
Chloe’s face went rigid. The look of pure shock on her face made Vivian laugh. “I guess he didn’t. So much for being his ‘true love. It seems you’re not that important to him after all.”
“What?” Chloe’s face turned ashen, her eyes burning with hatred. “What are you so proud of, Vivian? Mason dumped you!”
Vivian smiled, a slow, deliberate smile as she looked Chloe up and down like she was something amusing she’d found on the bottom of her shoe.
“You’re right, I am proud,” she said. “But he didn’t dump me. I dumped him. A piece of trash like that? I wouldn’t take him if you paid me.”
“You’re lying! You’re just jealous of me!” Chloe snapped.
Vivian actually laughed out loud. “Jealous of you? What, exactly, am I jealous of? The fact that you’re uglier than me? Or the fact that no matter what tricks you pull, the Quinn family still won’t accept you?”
Chloe trembled with rage. You just wait. I’ll make you pay for this. You’ll be begging me.”
“The day I’m begging you, Vivian replied sweetly, “is the day you’re six feet under.”
Chloe stomped her foot in frustration and stormed back to her room. She immediately tried calling Mason, but he didn’t answer.
“Bastard!” she spat. Angry, she nearly threw her phone against the wall.
Meanwhile, Mason was drinking with friends. He was in a foul mood. Vivian hadn’t contacted him. Not a single text. When he saw Chloe’s name flash on his screen, he simply tossed his phone aside.
“What’s up with you, Mason?” a friend asked. “Did you and Vivian really break up?”
