Chapter 117

The moment Nicole spoke, everyone in the house seemed to fall under a spell. It wasn't surprising; she was their daughter, and they considered me…unstable. Who would believe a so-called madwoman?

Mom, still preoccupied with the photo fiasco, asked hesitantly, "Chase, if Amanda returns and those photos are true, what will you do? You two have been together for so long…"

It was clear the Kennedy family wasn't ready to relinquish this marriage easily. I expected Chase to declare he'd divorce me immediately, but he didn't. His face stormy, he muttered, "We'll talk when she's back," then made an excuse and left.

A shadow hung over the Kennedy household. Mom lost her appetite, muttering about my shameless behavior and the scandal I'd caused. Dad, ever concerned about the Kennedy name, sat puffing on his cigarette. "If this is true," he said, "the Reyes family will never accept her as a daughter-in-law."

"Forget the Reyes family," Mom added. "No respectable family would want such a woman. If this gets out, our family's reputation is ruined. Nicole hasn't even married yet!"

Nicole shook her head. "Mom, it's okay. If it comes to it, I'll stay single and live at home."

"Nonsense!" Mom exclaimed.

"There's still a way," Dad's grave voice cut through the room, drawing everyone's attention.

"Dad, what are you thinking?" Nicole asked.

"How do you handle a malignant tumor?" he replied.

"You cut it out," my brother answered.

"Exactly," Dad said. "You remove it, or risk it spreading and destroying everything."

My brother looked at Dad intently. "So, you mean…"

"We kick Amanda out, erase her from the family tree. From now on, she's not a Kennedy. Her actions won't affect us."

"But…" Mom began.

"If the Reyes family exposes this," Dad continued, "Ryan will retaliate. We need to distance ourselves from Amanda, quickly."

Mom frowned. "Can we really judge Amanda's character from a few photos? Kicking her out seems drastic."

"Aren't these photos enough?" Dad retorted. "Nicole, get me the originals. I'll have them verified. If they're real, I'll personally strike her from our family tree!"

I didn't hear the rest of Dad's words; I went to find Chase. I always knew I didn't compare to Nicole in my family's eyes, but Dad had come all the way to Shadowmoor looking for me not long ago. Mom might have yelled at me, but she'd also worried about me. I thought they cared. Now, I saw how easily family ties could fracture.

I chuckled to myself. Perhaps I was better off without such conditional love. After all, I was practically a ghost. What harm could I do?

The moment I accepted that, I felt myself fading even faster. Only my grandmother kept me tethered to this world. She was my only real connection. I wanted to be there for her final moments, and then I would move on.

However, I never anticipated what happened next.

The following morning, as Chase left for work, I heard a loud "bang" around the corner. I turned to see a girl in a bright yellow jacket thrown three meters by a car. There'd been an accident! With a sickening thud, she hit the pavement. Her face turned towards me, blood trickling from her nose and mouth. I saw her face and screamed, "Ann!!!"