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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Chapter 14

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 smoking, grief etched on

so desolate, but when he spotted them, the

she’d

cigarette, voice rough as he said,

with a soft “mm.”

Randolph cooked dinner

family gathered around the table in apparent harmony as Thalia, wearing a paper crown, made her birthday wish and blew

came during dessert.

Rosalind lifted a forkful of cake, she suddenly

own cake falling to the

breaking, “Darling, don’t do this. We’re going

right now.”

frantically called 999 while Thalia stood paralyzed, mind

moments ago. Why was Mum

doctors said she

Wasn’t she better?

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Chayer 14

ambulance arrived quickly

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

weak to form words, she mouthed something Thalia could just make out.

“I’m sorry”

burst into tears, running

don’t

had to leave immediately,

it until it disappeared

night, Rosalind

with her through the night,

this at

in the snow, and their housekeeper had

Thalia burned with fever, crying out for her

she woke, they told her her

the hospital. She couldn’t face the

shell.

as she didn’t see it, her mother was still alive, just away on a trip.

who lit up rooms with her smile lived

the ceramic Beagle, refusing food and

decade overnight. The light left his eyes, his hair grayed rapidly, and he had no energy left

diagnosed

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Chapter 14

believed he would never remarry–he’d loved her mother to deeply, how could he ever

another?

years later, he married her mother’s best

had reacted violently, moving into her boarding school dorm immediately. Even during holidays, she’d shut herself in her room,