Betrayed by Blood: My Second Life as a Queen novel Chapter 2

In this life, she refused to repeat the same mistakes.

If they didn't love her, she would just have to love herself.

Willow looked up, meeting Xavier's gaze head-on. He was still gripping the glass of milk, fully determined to push her into the abyss.

Sometimes she genuinely wondered who the biological sister actually was.

She smiled. Then, raising her hand under their shocked stares, she violently swatted the glass away, sending it shattering across the floor!

Before Xavier could explode, she spoke with crystal clarity. "Fine. I'll give up the wedding."

Xavier's fury froze on his face. He stared at her in sheer surprise.

He had fully expected her to fight tooth and nail, having prepared countless threats to break her into submission. Yet she just agreed.

He should have been thrilled. This was exactly what he wanted. But for some inexplicable reason, a sudden wave of panic tightened his chest.

Leo eyed her warily. "I'm going to get Tessa right now. Listen to me, Willow. You'd better not try any tricks, or I swear I won't let you get away with it!"

Willow didn't react, her eyes wandering blankly over the bridal suite's lavish decorations.

Soon, everyone except Xavier rushed out to fetch Tessa, leaving the room hollow and quiet.

Xavier watched Willow. She sat there completely still, like a lifeless doll, radiating an overwhelming sense of fragile isolation.

His heart softened slightly. After all, she was only twenty.

He lowered his voice. "Don't blame Leo. He just wants to make things right for Tessa. You know her parents died at the hands of those kidnappers just to get you out safely. You were little and didn't understand, so I never forced you to be grateful. But you're grown now. You can't be as selfish as you used to be."

Willow froze. Suddenly, the absolute absurdity of it all hit her.

She had been five when that kidnapping happened.

She had watched her parents get tortured to death right in front of her. She had been too terrified to even cry, and by the time she was rescued, her trauma had blocked out half her memories.

It was her brothers' painstaking care that had slowly brought her back to life.

Back then, they had genuinely loved her.

That was until she turned seven, and the Shaw family adopted Tessa.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify