The Queen They Buried

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

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The pain of her body giving out still haunted her when a sharp, familiar voice sliced through the fog. “Aubree, you’re a total letdown!”

Aubree Miller’s vision cleared, and there was Emery, her fourth brother, shooting her a look that could kill.

Her heart skipped. ‘Am I… back? Five years ago, the day Carmen got named heir? The day my whole world crashed?’

That day, Carmen played them all. She set Aubree up, making everyone think she was so jealous of Carmen’s inheritance. that she’d pushed her down the stairs to get rid of her.

Right on cue, her second brother, Daxton, swooped in like a hero, saving Carmen from anything worse than a fright.

Emery showed up next, not even listening to her side, demanding she own up.

Aubree swore she was innocent-she even made a desperate vow-but they thought she was just dodging blame.

In the end, they made her apologize in front of everyone and beg Carmen’s forgiveness. To “fix” Carmen’s scare, her parents gave Aubree’s share of the family money to her.

In one day, Aubree became Rithol City’s biggest joke.

And that was only the beginning.

Carmen, with her sugary smile, would say, “I wish I was as pretty as Aubree.” Next thing they knew, Aubree’s face was scarred from a random “allergy.”

She couldn’t look better than Carmen-it’d make her feel bad-so Aubree had to be ruined.

Aubree’s art was her everything, but Carmen wanted to “be that good too.” So, every painting Aubree poured her soul into got Carmen’s name on it.

Aubree? Branded a faker and kicked out of school, her teachers’ disappointed glares cutting deep.

It didn’t stop there. Carmen’s weak heart meant she couldn’t move much, so to keep things “fair,” Aubree was starved, forced to waste away beside her.

Weak, hungry, and crushed, she still got disowned and thrown out like garbage.

huddled under a bridge, her body shutting down, waiting

blinked, back in the moment. She saw Daxton cradling Carmen like she was fragile, his

who’d found her, promising to

done waiting. He grabbed her

“Say sorry!” he barked.

sting in her wrist snapped her

the brother just two years older, the one who used to get her, who’d look

his eyes were just

smile like she was brushing it off. “I mean,

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Chapter 1

Her words sounded kind,

“If I’d known you’d turn out

cold. “That is

crossed Carmen, they’d rather

had never found

shot through her wrist. Her voice came out rough. “Y’all seriously think I

all pity.

need to say more-her silence hit harder than

disappointed. He’d hoped she’d own her mistake, not dodge

what’s happened to you?”

to the Wilsons-tough, sweet, like a ray of sunshine trying to

hole through her. “You want it straight? You’re pissed Carmen’s getting a cut of the

kept going. “For ten years while you were gone, Carmen held us together. Kept Mom and Dad from losing it. And when you showed up?

twisted into a bitter smirk. ‘Huh, news to me that

“My bad,” she muttered.

what they thought-she was done expecting her

sweet, looking pained.

“A mistake’s a mistake. I’ll fix it.” Her real

smug glint-she wanted all

innocent. “Aubree, relax. You said sorry. We’re

Carmen close, his heart melting. ‘That’s so

He shot Aubree a cold

he stormed off, Carmen in his