Chapter 8 - The Aftermath
The news of the disastrous wedding spread through our social circles like wildfire.
Carter completely disappeared, leaving his phone behind and emptying whatever tiny bank accounts he had left.
Olivia was legally married to a fugitive who had left her with a mountain of unpaid vendor bills.
My mother’s financial situation was completely destroyed by the wedding expenses.
Two days after the wedding, I saw my mother’s car pull up to the vineyard’s front gate.
I watched from the security cameras as she pressed the intercom button repeatedly.
“Sarah, please! You have to help us!” her voice crackled through the speaker, sounding broken and desperate.
I sat in my office, staring at the screen, feeling absolutely nothing.
I did not press the button to let her in.
I did not pick up the phone to call her.
She had spent her entire life shielding Olivia from the consequences of her actions.
She had actively tried to steal my inheritance, ruin my reputation, and destroy my peace.
Now, the consequences had finally caught up to them both.
I watched as my mother slumped against the steering wheel, weeping in the driveway.
After twenty minutes, she finally put the car in reverse and drove away.
I permanently blocked both of their phone numbers that afternoon.
I instructed the security team to call the police immediately if either of them stepped foot on the property again.
The toxic cycle that had defined my family for thirty years was officially broken.
May you like
I was no longer the punching bag, the safety net, or the quiet sister in the background.
I was the master of my own life.
