Your Gold Digger is Actually A True Heiress by Vera Fiore

Chapter 14

The day Rosalind left the hospital, the snow had just cleared, leaving the trees along Harley Street crystalline with frost under a pristine blue sky.

Randolph drove to collect her himself. The couple sat in silence, the atmosphere heavy with unspoken words.

Young Thalia sat in the back, drawing pictures on the foggy window, her heart light with joy.

Mum was finally coming home.

She drew their family of three on the window, her face bright with happiness.

Seeing the drawing, Rosalind’s eyes filled with tears. She turned away quickly, composing herself before managing a smile. “Your birthday’s coming up, darling. What would you like?”

Still drawing. Thalia answered brightly, “I’d love a Beagle figurine, Mum.”

“A Beagle?” Rosalind’s voice was gentle. “Like… a real dog?”

“No, no,” Thalia shook her head. “It’s a ceramic one. Victoria says there’s this lovely pottery studio in Marylebone where we can paint our own. She and James went last week and made the sweetest figures.”

Rosalind smiled softly. “Then that’s what we’ll do, darling.”

On Thalia’s twelfth birthday, snow fell over London.

Mother and daughter walked hand in hand into the studio, where they’d pre–ordered an unpainted Beagle figure. The owner brought out their piece, and they began painting together.

It was their first collaborative art project.

The result delighted Thalia–her Beagle looked even lovelier than the sample.

They left for the patisserie nearby.

Walking through the falling snow, Rosalind carrying a cake box in one hand and holding Thalia’s hand with the other, she suddenly stopped. She turned to look at her daughter, love and longing in her eyes.

“Thalia, darling, I love you. So very, very much.” Her voice was soft, almost lost in the winter wind.

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Thalia’s nose was pink from the cold.

Her mother often expressed her love, so she noticed nothing unusual. “I love you too, Mum!”

Rosalind’s eyes welled up again.

Her precious girl was only twelve. How would she manage without her mother?

She turned away quickly, continuing their walk before Thalia could see her tears.

They crossed through the busy streets to the car park where Randolph waited.

Thalia saw her father

when he

thought she’d

voice rough as he

responded with a soft “mm.”

Randolph cooked

Thalia, wearing a paper crown, made her birthday wish and

came during

cake, she suddenly began coughing up

horror, her own cake falling to the floor, staining

in his arms, voice breaking, “Darling, don’t do this. We’re going

right now.”

999 while Thalia stood

this happened? Everything had been fine moments

said she could

Wasn’t she better?

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ambulance arrived quickly

loaded Rosalind, Thalia saw her mother looking back tearfully, trying

words, she mouthed something Thalia could just make out.

“I’m sorry”

burst into tears, running out into the snowstorm.

please don’t go…”

immediately, not waiting for

chased it until it disappeared from

night, Rosalind

her through the

know this at the

and their housekeeper had carried her home.

Thalia burned with fever, crying out for her

they told her her mother was

her mother’s body at the hospital. She couldn’t face

shell.

didn’t see it, her mother was still alive, just away on

woman who lit up rooms with her smile lived on

ceramic Beagle, refusing food and

age a decade overnight. The light left his eyes, his hair

was later diagnosed with clinical depression.

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Chapter 14

remarry–he’d loved her mother to deeply, how could he

another?

later, he married her mother’s best friend.

during holidays, she’d shut herself