Chapter 150

"Why, Dom? Please," Linda pleaded, her face crumpling. She tried to kneel, but Dominick grabbed her shoulders.

"Mrs. Prescott," he said, his voice hard, "leave. Don't contact me again." He took Grayson's hand and walked away.

The butler and servants practically shoved Linda and Stella out of Vanderbilt Manor. The cruelty of it hit them both hard, a stark contrast to the life they'd known with Marissa. Linda could only stand there, tears streaming down her face.

A glimmer of hope appeared when Julian arrived. Before Linda could speak, he said, "I'll arrange a meeting with Marissa and help her find a lawyer, but that's all I can do."

Linda nodded weakly. It was a final act of kindness.

At the detention center, Marissa was a shadow of her former self, the luxury of her past life a distant memory. Seeing Linda alone, she shrieked, "Why are you the only one? Did you beg the Vanderbilts?"

Linda sobbed, "I begged everyone, but it's no use. It's over."

"Mom, help me! I'll die here! It's Paisley! She's sending people to scare me! Beg the Vanderbilts!" Marissa's eyes darted wildly, her fear palpable.

Linda stared at her daughter, horrified. "Marissa, you and Dom were never right. Why did you insist on your own way? Your father hoped for glory, look at you now! When you and Jeremy were in trouble, Stella's mother ran. The Prescotts won't acknowledge me. It's just Stella and me. What am I supposed to do?"

"Stop talking! Beg someone! I can't stay here!" Marissa was unraveling.

Linda's voice cracked. "There's no way! You need to behave, try to get out."

The guard signaled. Marissa's cries filled the room. "Let me out! Get me out of here!" She pounded on the glass, a frantic, desperate figure. But the iron doors clanged shut, sealing her fate.