Chapter 2We Shared a Twin-Destiny System, Then She Was Gone Forever

Seeing Oliver look at me with the fierce hatred of an enemy felt like a sledgehammer crushing my ribs.

Truthfully, Alexander and I never had a grand, sweeping romance.

From the very beginning, I knew he didn't marry me out of love. He only used me to rebel against his controlling mother. And I willingly became his pawn just to secure the life points I needed to survive my cancer.

But before we had a child, we actually shared a quiet, respectful life. There were moments of genuine warmth. I had foolishly believed we might grow old together like a normal couple.

Everything changed the day Oliver was born.

Alexander's mother took my baby away from me. She claimed a woman of my background was unfit to raise a Sinclair heir. She moved Oliver into the main estate and hired an elite live-in nanny.

I was only allowed to visit my own son during strictly scheduled appointments.

I begged Alexander, crying until my voice broke, asking him to bring Oliver home. His family only mocked me.

I thought my husband would stand up for me. Instead, he looked at me with cold incomprehension. "Do you honestly believe you can provide a better upbringing for him than my parents can?"

In his eyes, his son was destined to be molded into a corporate titan, a flawless machine just like him. He never felt that a child needed a mother's warmth. Nor did he care that a mother needed her child.

That was the exact day whatever small affection I had for Alexander Sinclair was completely extinguished.

Oliver's growing coldness and disgust toward me finally erased any reason I had left to stay in this house.

If it weren't for staying close to Sophie, I would have escaped this gilded cage years ago.

And now, she was gone. It was time for me to leave the Sinclairs and this house full of monsters behind.

Once my mind was made up, I cut all contact with the family.

I went straight to the funeral home to handle Sophie's arrangements.

Her body was too shattered to be pieced completely back together. Thankfully, this foolish girl who always loved looking pretty had managed to keep her face relatively intact. After the mortician's careful work, she looked beautiful and peaceful once again.

Hot tears spilled down my cheeks as I stood by her casket. "I'm so sorry, Sophie. If you didn't have to keep me alive, you never would have married that bastard... Dammit... it should have been me!"

That same afternoon, Sophie was moved to the incinerator.

I paid the staff extra to let me stay and watch her final moments in this world.

I thought I had accepted her death. But watching the roaring flames consume her, a visceral, tearing pain ripped through my soul.

Thirty years of memories flashed before my eyes. I saw her smiling face. I heard her sweet, teasing voice. "You're going to be my best friend forever, right, Diana?"

In a split second, something completely snapped inside me.

I stood up, stepping toward the raging fire. "I'm right here, Sophie. I'll come with you."

I lunged toward the incinerator doors, but a strong pair of arms yanked me backward.

It was an older staff member. He held me back with a desperate grip. "Don't do it, kid! Your friend wouldn't want you throwing your life away like this!"

The shock of his voice pulled me back to reality. I raised my hand and slapped myself hard across the face.

What the hell was I doing? Sophie's murderers were still living comfortably. How could I die before making them pay?

An hour later, I walked numbly through the corridors of the funeral home, clutching Sophie's urn to my chest.

Suddenly, a sickeningly familiar, melodramatic crying echoed from down the hall. I turned my head and saw Alexander, Sebastian, and Bella standing in a mourning parlor right next to Sophie's.

Bella was weeping hysterically. Sebastian had his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders, whispering sweet comforts into her ear.

So they finally believed Sophie was dead. But to bring his mistress to the funeral home? Did Sebastian want Sophie's soul to know no peace?

I stormed into the parlor, my voice trembling with rage. "Sebastian, you brought this whore here? Do you have no conscience left?"

But as I stepped closer, the words died in my throat.

They weren't here for Sophie.

In the center of the parlor, surrounded by lavish white flowers, was a framed photograph of a small pet turtle.

Bella was cradling a tiny, custom-made urn, crying as if her world had ended. She looked like a fragile, heartbroken victim.

Alexander stepped forward, his voice a low, warning growl. "Diana, what kind of psychotic episode are you having now?"

His eyes dropped to the black urn pressed tightly against my chest. His brow furrowed. "Why are you here? And what... what is that in your hands?"

I let out a bitter, hollow laugh. "What does it look like? Your mother's ashes?"

Alexander was stunned by the venom in my voice. Before he could snap back, Bella sniffled and looked at me with wide, innocent eyes.

"Diana, why are you doing this? Don't tell me you're still trying to push that lie about Sophie being dead. Nobody here is going to believe you. Just leave. I don't want strangers ruining Tommy the Turtle's funeral."

Sebastian immediately chimed in. "She's right. Diana, get out."