Chapter 248
Two hundred and fifty
Evangeline POV
The pounding headache I woke up to the next morning eclipsed anything I had ever experienced. It felt as though someone had packed my skull with bricks. Even lifting my head took effort. Memories from the night before crashed into me. I sniffed my hands, then my clothes. The smell was gone. I dragged myself out of bed and stood in front of the mirror. My face had returned to normal, but the scratches across my face and arms remained. I traced one with my fingertips. It had happened. I had clawed at my own skin. Heat climbed into my chest as everything came back. I needed to see my mother.
I grabbed the first dress I found. It looked decent enough. I brushed my hair, got into my car, and drove straight to my parents’ house.
My mother was in the middle of her usual morning meeting with the trade union. I walked in without knocking.
“We need to talk. Now p>
Every head turned toward me. A few faces showed surprise.
“Honey, we’re having a meeting. Go upstairs and wait p>
“No. We talk now. If you won’t come with me, I’ll say everything right here p>
She glanced around the room. Betty, her longtime friend, smiled at me like I was a child making a scene.
“I think we’re done anyway,” Betty said. “Let’s call it a day p>
I rolled my eyes.
As the room emptied, my mother folded her arms.
“What is it now p>
“What is it now?” My voice rose. “You’re not even going to apologize? Or explain what you did last night p>
“What do you mean p>
A laugh escaped me.
“You really want to ask that p>
“Honey, you know how the meetings work. You weren’t summoned p>
“So that gave you permission to drive past me without saying a word? Without even looking at me p>
“There was nothing to look at,” she said.
I stared at her.
“I am your daughter. I should come first. If it had been you, I would’ve stood beside you. You couldn’t even say one word p>
She let out a sigh.
“What would you have me say p>
“Anything!” I shouted. “Anything, Mother. You left me there like I was nothing. No mother abandons her daughter because she failed a task p>
1/4
wo hundred and fifty
+15 Bes
“That’s enough,” she said. “Let’s have breakfast. We can discuss this afterward p>
“I don’t want any bloody breakfast p>
She walked into the hallway.
“You might want to watch your words. The maids could hear you p>
“Mom, I don’t care p>
“Fine. But the solution to your problem isn’t in my hands p>
“That doesn’t give you the right to be a bitch about it p>
She stopped.
Then she laughed.
“You’re lucky you’re a grown woman with your own household. Otherwise I’d have smacked you for talking to your mother like that p>
My father walked past. She turned to him.
“She just called me a bitch p>
He looked at me.
“How dare you speak to your mother like that? Whatever happened, lower your voice p>
I laughed.
“Try acting like a man for once p>
His jaw tightened.
“You see?” my mother said with a smile. “She’s impossible to talk to p>
He nodded and turned his attention to her, comforting the person who wasn’t upset. I stood there shaking with rage. He looked at me like I was the problem. Maybe I shouldn’t have expected anything else. Dominion had stripped away his cognitive resonance long ago. Seeing him like this only made me despise him more.
“Evangeline,” my mother said, “you weren’t executed. You were removed from one meeting p>
“I reject it. I gave them my whole life p>
She smiled.
“You knew the rules. They’re read before every meeting p>
“If I’d known what they would cost me, I never would’ve joined. You pushed me into it when I was eleven p>
“Oh, please. Don’t use that. You were old enough p>
I looked at her and found nothing left except hatred. She had chosen the Meridian long before she had chosen me.
“Fine,” I said. “Stand by your rules. Watch me fall by myself. Then I’ll show you I’m your daughter. If I go down, you’re coming down with me p>
My threats and promises to make things hard for my mother didn’t even move her. The more she acted as though
2/4
wy hand and fifty
+15 Bonus
none of it mattered, the harder my rage slammed against my chest. I wanted to wrap my hands around her throat and make her feel even a fraction of what she’d done to me.
The argument was still going when Kade came by to drop off some documents. He stopped in the doorway, staring at me as my voice echoed through the house.
“Hey.” He crossed the room and grabbed my arm. “Calm down. You’re all flushed, and your voice is cracked p>
“Let go.” I pulled free, swallowing against the tears burning behind my eyes. I refused to let my mother see them.
“What’s going on, Mom p>
She didn’t even look away from the television. She shrugged.
Apparently, being the daughter of an evil bitch meant nothing anymore.
Kade looked at me, then back at her.
“Honey, go about your day,” she said. “Your sister’s tantrums don’t concern you p>
“It concerns me. She’s standing here on the verge of tears p>
“Oh, hell no.” I shook my head. “I will never cry because of her. She’s not worth it p>
The words scraped out of my throat anyway.
“What happened?” Kade asked.
“Ask your mother.” I pointed at her. “Ask your evil mother why she’s leaving me to die p>
That was as much as I could say. He knew nothing about the meridian, and I wasn’t dragging him into it.
“What is she talking about p>
“Your sister failed at something important,” my mother said. “Now she’s looking for someone to pet her p>
“Failed?” The word hit me like a slap. “Years of sacrificing myself, and that’s what you call it p>
“What did she fail?” Kade asked.
Mother ignored him. She picked up her glass and took a sip.
Kade looked between us while she kept telling him to stay out of it.
“I won’t, Mom p>
She finally looked at him.
“So today is the day my children insult me in my own house p>
“No one’s insulting you. You keep telling me it’s none of my business. I’ve stayed out of it for years because everyone kept telling me to. What’s going on between the two of you? You were always close. You never let me forget she was the special one p>
The anger inside me slipped, leaving something heavier. Even Kade had spent years living in the shadow of whatever my mother and I had.
Well, he could have her now.
3/4
+15 Benus
“What are you talking about?” my mother asked.
“Stop acting like nothing’s wrong. How do two people who were so close end up like this? Is she not your perfect daughter anymore p>
“Kade, you’re just jealous.” She leaned back against the couch. “Evangeline was willing to carry responsibilities you weren’t p>
“I was never given the chance.” His voice sharpened. “You don’t get to decide that after making it clear you never saw my worth p>
“You proved it. All you do is womanize, ask for money, and avoid responsibility p>
“When did you ever give me the chance to prove otherwise?” he shot back. “When did I ever get to choose p>
Silence settled over the room. Even I had nothing to say. Somehow, Kade had chosen today to empty everything he’d been carrying.
“So what is this really about?” he asked. “Have you dragged yourselves into something so dangerous that this is all you do now p>
My mother kept her eyes on the television.
Kade turned to me. His face tightened.
“Look at you. You’re terrified.” He looked back at her. “Whatever is making you choose against your own daughter, I hope it’s worth it. I’ve spent my whole life listening to you defend her. Now you’re doing this p>
“You’ve said enough p>
“I haven’t even started.” He reached for my hand. “Come. Let’s go p>
I let him lead me toward the door.
Out of everyone in my life, the brother everyone overlooked turned out to be the one holding me together. Not Cameron. Not Nadia. Not even my own mother.
I looked back at her.
“You’ll regret this p>
Annoyance crossed her face before she shrugged.
“I’ve survived worse than my tantrum-throwing daughter’s anger p>
I turned away before she could see the tears threatening again, and followed Kade outside.
P
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Cedella
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.