Chapter 19

Home is where the heart is. That’s what everybody used to tell me.

“What a lovely home,” they’d say with jealousy at our million-dollar mansion with fancy cars and butlers and maids.

I never understood it.

Standing in front of my father’s mansion as it loomed over me as a nightmare did to a child, I realized this place never felt like home to me.

My father decked out the mansion in artwork and vases and a thousand things that I was not allowed to touch. I remembered every rule as Piers welcomed me into the house.

When I lived here, I felt more like the mosaic my father hung on the wall than a daughter. It was no wonder this place had never felt like mine. I never belonged there.

As I entered the large room for gatherings, I spotted every member of our extended family laid out before me. Cousins and distant aunts or uncles that I had barely spoken a word to in my entire life. Why on earth were all these people here?

Corinna and Ashton were here, much to my dismay. They were talking away with my father and stepmother, Tabitha with their plastic smiles. They were all faking their enjoyment in each other, that was plain to see.

I grabbed a champagne glass from one of the tables set up and sipped it, noticing how Ashton looked over at me.

His smile fell as he stared at me intensely, but I didn’t really care. He was nothing to me anymore. And I wanted nothing to do with him.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t in a bad mood just from seeing him. I didn’t feel a rush of anger or resentment toward them.

I just felt nothing.

I shrugged, continuing to search through the wide area until I found who I was looking for.

My grandmother sat on one of the sofas, looking as prim and proper as ever. She looked regal, fitting as the head of our family. I ducked behind

Chapter 19

one of the servants as I snuck up behind her with a grin.

Just when I was right behind her, the guests spotted me before she ever did- I breathed in, ready to scare the bejeebers out of her, reaching with my hands to grasp onto her shoulders.

“Hello, Adelaide,” she said, knowingly without even turning around.

of me, and my hands fell

laid my head on the back of the couch

everything, dear. Now, come over here

“Yes, Grandma.”

the couch. She’d cleared a spot for me right next to her, and

his father was clearly trying to catch his attention,

have a choice in the matter. I’d rather not argue in front

my granddaughter, Adelaide. You remember her, right?” My grandmother wrapped an

of course,” Gretchen spoke heavily in a French accent. She was near my grandmother’s age but looked just as timeless. “Last time I saw you, you were a mere

the ambassador for France. She used to spend a lot of time here due to your grandfather’s job but moved back to France when you were a toddler,” my grandmother explained.

I smiled

have heard about

“Thank you.”

about her own

Chapter 19

best not to roll my eyes at the sound of her

to see me as she and Ashton approached.

my grandmother said, frowning at their appearance. “This is my other granddaughter, Corinna.”

frowned, “Did Maelyn have

as the air immediately went cold. I smirked, shooting at glance at Corinna.

is my half-sister,” I told her, innocently. “She’s the daughter of my father’s second wife, not my

frowned, looking between the two of us. “But you are of

in her eyes before they

simply, the disapproval in

her arm wrapped around Ashton’s. “But Addie

Gretchen asked

In fact, Addie volunteered to be my maid of honor at my wedding, didn’t

really feeling as angry as I thought I would.

different today. Or I

back to Damon and the texts

admit, his teasing was always harmless. And the way he looked at me

never went

Chapter 19

that’s what he’d said.

truly honest,

and demanding and tricky, but he was also intelligent

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