Chapter 3

My words dripped with heavy sarcasm, and Victoria Langford caught onto it immediately. Since the day I entered this house, I had endured countless threats. Victoria might not remember every one of them, but words, once spoken, can never be taken back.

"Ethan Hale," she said, her voice calm yet commanding, "no matter what, Lily shares your blood. Are you really comfortable leaving her in my hands? Ten years together, and you feel nothing for her?"

Feelings? Of course, I had feelings. My fingers grazed the scar on my nail-bed as tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to spill over.

"Victoria," I replied, my voice steady despite the emotions bubbling underneath. "You should know better than anyone that Lily despises me."

It was her hatred that drove her to tear up every photo of mine without hesitation, leaving me bleeding from the shards of broken frames. It was her hatred that made her wish for nothing more than my departure from this house.

"And what about Reginald?" Victoria pressed, her tone unwavering, as if she had already won this battle.

I was jolted back to the moment I first entered the Langford family. My cold, ruthless father had made it clear: as long as I failed to serve his purpose, I would never leave. If I dared to try, he would desecrate my mother's grave.

Victoria wasn't the only one to use my past against me. Beatrice Hale, my father's wife, had once knelt before me, sobbing as she pleaded, "Ethan, it was my fault. I wronged you in the past, but your brother didn't. He raised you like his own, protected you like a true sibling. Can you really abandon the daughter he gave his life to save?"

Her tears didn't move me, but her words struck a nerve. My brother had raised me, taught me how to survive in a world that had no place for me. Though his care was sparse, I clung to it desperately, starved for any semblance of familial love. And then there were Lily's eyes—so eerily similar to his. Every time I looked at them, my resolve crumbled.

"That's not something you need to worry about, Victoria," I said, my voice soft but resolute.

I left the room in a rush, nearly stumbling over my own feet. Victoria's gaze burned into my back, filled with an inscrutable mix of emotions.

In those early days, when I first moved into the Langford estate, no one liked me. From Evelyn Langford at the top to the household staff at the bottom, they treated me like an intruder. But Lily had been too young to understand any of it. She clung to me constantly, refusing to sleep unless I was there to soothe her. I taught her how to speak, explained my role in her life. Back then, she didn't know any better. She followed me around like a shadow, calling me "Uncle" with her tiny, sweet voice. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the same child who once adored me would grow to despise me with such intensity.

The shattered room had been cleaned by the time I returned. On the table sat a single, lonely photograph. I lay down on the bed, drained of all tears. There was nothing left to cry. The next day, Beatrice Hale arrived unannounced. This wealthy socialite, who had always looked at me with disdain, dropped to her knees the moment she stepped through the door.

"Mr. Hale," she began, her voice trembling, "it's all my fault. I said things I shouldn't have. I've been a bad influence on Lily. If you're angry, take it out on me, but please, I beg you—don't hold it against her."

"Please," she continued, her voice breaking as she bowed her head repeatedly. Sweat dripped from her forehead in the oppressive summer heat. "I'm begging you."

It was rare to see her in such a pitiful state. Sighing, I bent down to help her up. "Get up," I said softly.

As I escorted her to the living room, I noticed the servants gathered in small groups, whispering among themselves. Their voices were low, but I didn't need to hear them to know what they were saying.

Look at him, they were probably sneering. Throwing a tantrum like a spoiled child. As if he'd ever actually leave the Langfords. A man like him, with his background? Where would he find someone as wealthy as Mrs. Langford to take care of him? Empty threats. He should remember whose blood runs in Lily's veins. Who would ever take his side?

Victoria had always forbidden anyone from discussing Lily's parentage. The servants believed she was Victoria's biological child, and that I had stolen her father's place.