Chapter 5 - The Family Confrontation
Two weeks passed.
Life with Sebastian was shockingly, wonderfully smooth.
Despite his massive wealth and high-powered schedule, Sebastian was attentive, respectful, and surprisingly fun. We shared long breakfasts in the penthouse kitchen, discussing art, economics, and law. At night, we attended high-society galas together, holding hands, posing for photographers, and slowly building a deep, genuine friendship that was rapidly evolving into something far more dangerous.
Every time he touched the small of my back, every time his gray eyes locked onto mine across a crowded room, my pulse accelerated. The boundary lines between our "business arrangement" were blurring rapidly.
On a rainy Thursday evening, I arrived at my West Village brownstone—the one Sebastian had officially transferred into my name—to check on the renovation progress.
As I pulled up in my town car, I saw two figures standing under the dripping awning of the front porch.
My mother and father.
I stepped out of the car, adjusting my trench coat, holding an umbrella above my head. “Mom. Dad. What are you doing here?”
My mother looked thin, stressed, her designer clothes lacking their usual crispness. My father looked broken, holding his hat in his hands.
“Victoria...” my mother said, her voice shaking as she stepped down the brownstone steps toward me. “Please... you haven't answered any of our calls. You blocked Danielle’s number.”
“I gave you my boundary two weeks ago,” I said calmly, standing on the sidewalk. “What do you want?”
“Danielle is in terrible shape, Victoria!” my mother cried, her eyes filling with tears. “Ryan moved out of their apartment three days ago! He’s suing her for fraud, claiming the baby isn't his! He lost his job, his investors are gone, and now Danielle is staying in her old bedroom at our house, crying herself to sleep every night!”
I stood quietly under my umbrella, listening to the tragic collapse of their little empire.
“And what do you want me to do about that, Mom?” I asked softly.
“Talk to your husband!” my mother begged, reaching out to grasp my arm, though I pulled back slightly. “Sebastian Sterling destroyed Ryan’s company with a single phone call! He blocked Danielle from registering at any medical clinics in Manhattan under private care! Ryan’s family is threatening to take us to court! If you just tell Sebastian to back off, Ryan will take Danielle back and they can raise the baby together!”
I stared at my mother, an overwhelming sense of sadness washing over me.
Even now, after everything that had happened, my mother’s primary concern was fixing Danielle’s life at my expense. She wanted me to use my new influence to save the man who betrayed me, just so Danielle wouldn't have to face the consequences of her actions.
“Dad,” I looked over at my father, who had remained silent. “Do you agree with her?”
My father swallowed hard, looking at the wet pavement. “Vicki... she’s your sister. She made a terrible, stupid mistake. But she’s carrying your niece or nephew. We just want peace.”
“Peace?” I echoed, my voice growing stronger, ringing out over the sound of the falling rain. “You want peace for Danielle, but you were perfectly happy to let her destroy my peace! You sat in that church and watched her walk down the aisle in my dress, with my fiancé, surrounded by cameras, and you said nothing! You told me to be patient!”
“Victoria, that’s not fair—!” my mother protested.
“It is entirely fair!” I snapped, stepping forward. “For twenty-six years, I have been the daughter who worked hard, got the scholarships, paid her own way, and smoothed over every disaster Danielle created! When she failed out of college, I wrote her papers! When she crashed your car, I paid the deductible! And when she stole my fiancé, you asked me if I knew how 'impulsive' she was!”
My mother froze, her mouth slightly open, unable to utter a single word.
“I am done being the carpet you wipe your feet on,” I said, looking at both of them with absolute clarity. “Sebastian didn't ruin Ryan’s life. Ryan ruined his own life by choosing to be a liar and a coward. And Danielle ruined her life by thinking she could build her happiness on top of my pain.”
“Victoria, please...” my father whispered, tears finally slipping down his weathered face. “Don't throw us away.”
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“I’m not throwing you away, Dad,” I said softly, stepping up onto the brownstone porch. “You threw me away the second you decided Danielle’s feelings were more important than my dignity. Until you can look at me and see a daughter—not a sacrifice for Danielle—do not come to my home again.”
I unlocked the heavy oak door of the brownstone, stepped inside, and closed it firmly behind me, locking out the rain, the past, and the family that had never truly belonged to me.
