Chapter 26

Why would he keep working as a doctor, even though he was already rich beyond imagination?

Maybe he just wanted to add a little challenge and sense of accomplishment to an otherwise uneventful life.

Otherwise, staring at billions of dollars sitting cold and untouched in your bank account every day—what could be more dull or meaningless?

Jamison didn’t reply to the group chat, and soon everyone was caught up in their morning rush. The chat quickly fell silent.

As the sun climbed higher, Ivy pocketed her phone and jogged slowly back toward the house.

The moment she stepped through the front door, she spotted her belongings scattered all over the front lawn. The air felt thick with tension.

She moved closer and saw the mess was entirely made up of her things—even the bedding she’d slept in these past few nights had been tossed outside.

Ivy wasn’t surprised. So, this was it: she was being thrown out.

She just gave a careless little laugh, crouched down, and gathered her things in her arms before heading for the living room.

“Stop right there!” The entire Windsor family was home, waiting for her in the living room. As she crossed the threshold, Adkins barked at her.

Ivy acted as though she hadn’t heard and made straight for the maid’s quarters.

“Ivy, are you deaf?” Rosetta stood up, but didn’t dare get too close, yelling from across the room. No one else dared approach her.

Ivy shot back, her voice sharp with irony, “Can I at least put my stuff away before the lecture starts?”

She tried the door to the maid’s room, but it was locked. No matter how she pushed, it wouldn’t budge.

She turned and looked at her family in the living room. “Open the door.”

Baillie spoke through gritted teeth, trying to keep his temper. “Ivy, we’ve rented you a place outside. It’s big and comfortable. You need to move out.”

Ivy shot back, “Why? Isn’t this my home? You and my sister both live here—so why should I be the one to leave?”

Emma let out a derisive snort and rolled her eyes. “Why do you think? You’ve got HIV. Your skin’s falling apart. You’re disgusting. Do you want all of us to get infected?”

Ivy frowned, said nothing, and started up the stairs with her armful of bedding.

The Windsors panicked and jumped to their feet. “What are you doing?” someone shouted.

Without looking back, Ivy said, “If I’m not allowed in the maid’s room, I’ll just go back to my old bedroom.”

“Mom, look at her!” Emma cried, stamping her foot. “You can’t let her go into my room!”

Rosetta rushed forward. “Ivy, stop right there!”

Ivy ignored them all.

“Baillie, go get her back down here!” Adkins snapped.

Baillie stiffened. “Why me? Why don’t you do it yourself?”

“You-!”

Ivy was nearly to the top of the stairs when Rosetta, desperate, finally caved. “Edna! Open the maid’s room, now!”

She looked up at her eldest daughter, already on the second floor. “Ivy, come downstairs. You can have your old room back.”

“Mom!” Baillie protested. “Weren’t we supposed to kick her out today? Why are you-”

Rosetta shot him a look, silently urging him to get Ivy off the stairs first.

Baillie could do nothing but swallow his frustration and slump back down on the couch.

Ivy stood at the top of the stairs, her voice flat. “I’m exhausted. If you want my stuff out, you’ll have to come help me carry it. Otherwise, I’m staying in the upstairs bedroom.”

Emma clenched her teeth in rage. “In your dreams!”

Ivy just smiled, sat down on the landing, and looked down at them all from above.

“Emma, you’re the one who pushed Mom and Dad to kick me out, aren’t you?”

She fixed her gaze on her little sister. With everyone gathered, Ivy decided it was time to finally talk about what had happened all those years ago—when she’d been taken.

Emma looked uneasy, but tried to sound indignant. “You drove away every fiancée who came to the door, and now our brother can’t stand you either. Don’t blame me for this.”

“Is that true, Baillie?” Ivy turned to her brother, challenging him.

Baillie pressed his lips together, avoiding her eyes. “You’re the one who never knows when to quit. Ever since you came back, you’ve been pushing everyone’s limits.”

“Did any of you ever stop to think why I act this way?”

Rosetta’s voice trembled with hurt. “You spent three years being abused out there. You’re not right in the head anymore. You have mental problems, and now you’ve got HIV. You’re unstable!”

Ivy gave a cold, lifeless smile. “I heard you all gave up looking for me years ago. You were just afraid I’d come back and embarrass you in front of everyone.”

The Windsors fell silent, guilt written all over their faces.

“Some people lose a child and spend their entire lives—fortune and health—searching for them. But you… after I barely escaped and made it home alive, you treated me like a burden, a stain, a curse. You push me away and blame me for your own shame. For all your talk of family, you’re worse than strangers. And I’m supposed to be grateful?”

There was a bitter, broken laugh in her voice.

Rosetta tried to reason with her. “We had no choice, Ivy. You’re sick, and there’s no cure. The fact that we let you stay at all—you should be thankful for the roof over your head and the food on your plate. But look at how you’ve treated us.”

Ivy laughed coldly. “Thankful? You think I should be grateful?”

The words sounded so ridiculous that she could only mutter to herself, “Grateful… right…”

Rosetta either didn’t see or refused to acknowledge her daughter’s heartbreak. She just kept going. “You’ve been picking on Emma since the day you got back, always picking fights and throwing accusations. Do you have any idea how hard these three years have been on her? The guilt? The pain? She’s been seeing a therapist for two years, and only now is she starting to get better…”