Chapter 1Taming The Sisters Who Scorned Me

Growing up, every woman I knew was in love with Bennett.

It didn't matter if they were the arrogant, untouchable heiresses or the refined, overachieving seniors. Bennett was the sun, and everyone else was just a planet caught in his orbit.

Then came the accident. A high-speed crash that left the younger sister, Maisie, blind, and the older one, Margot, paralyzed.

Bennett did what he does best: he ran. He fled to Europe, leaving me behind with a heavy request: Take care of them for me.

They hated me for it. They convinced themselves I was the one who drove him away, that I had schemed to get him out of the picture. They made my life a living hell, treating me like a stray dog they were forced to feed. I endured it all—the insults, the coldness, the impossible demands—all for the sake of the massive paycheck that kept my family afloat.

But the day I finally hit my "freedom number" in my savings account, I didn't just walk away. I flipped the table.

"I’m done being your punching bag. I quit."

I expected them to scream. I expected them to throw things.

Instead, Maisie—the sister who hadn't seen a glimmer of light in months—snapped her eyes open and locked onto me with terrifying precision.

And Margot—the sister who supposedly couldn't walk—was already at the door, closing it with a click that sounded like a trap snapping shut.

* * *

The bowl hit the floor with a wet, heavy thud.

The soup was meant for my face, but Maisie’s aim had suffered since she lost her sight. Hot broth splattered across my sneakers, soaking into the canvas.

"Where is Bennett? He said he was coming today. He promised."

Maisie sat perfectly still, her eyes closed, her long lashes casting shadows over her pale, elegant face. She looked like a porcelain doll someone had tried to break but couldn't quite shatter.

I knelt down immediately to pick up the ceramic shards. Bennett was likely in London by now, probably at some underground club or a gala. The moment he realized Maisie and Margot had destroyed their bodies racing for his attention, he vanished. To him, they weren't tragic figures; they were liabilities.

"He’s dealing with some things, Maisie," I said, my voice practiced and neutral. "He told me he’d be here as soon as the dust settles."

"Liar." Her voice was a sharp blade. "He told me he’d overcome anything to be with me. It was you, wasn't it? You did something to make him leave."

She reached out, her hands clawing through the air until she found the sound of my breathing.

"Don't move," I warned, seeing her bare feet inches away from the broken porcelain. "There’s glass everywhere."

She didn't listen. She stepped forward, her skin pressing into a sharp edge, but she didn't even flinch. She found me, her fingers tangling into my hair, pulling my head back so I had no choice but to look up at her sightless face.

"You’ve always wanted this, haven't you, Casey?" she hissed. "You wanted him gone so you could have me all to yourself. You’re the reason he’s hiding."

The pain in my scalp made me want to shove her away, but I stayed still. I had loved her once. That was the pathetic truth. But Bennett hadn't left because of jealousy. He left because he was a coward who couldn't handle the sight of a wheelchair or a white cane.

I couldn't tell her that. Not if I wanted to keep getting paid.

Bennett had promised me five thousand a month just to keep them happy and keep his name clean in their ears. "Tell them I love them," he’d said. "And for god's sake, don't call me."

I was a college kid from a family that lived paycheck to paycheck. I needed that money. I needed to keep my mouth shut and play the martyr.

Maisie kept screaming at me to call him, to apologize for whatever imaginary sin I’d committed. I remained silent, a ghost in my own life.

It was only when a single, cold tear escaped my eye and landed on her wrist that she finally stopped talking.