Betrayed by Blood: My Second Life as a Queen novel Chapter 5

The Shaws never imagined she would actually run away. In their minds, she was obedient to a fault and would never dare defy them.

So, engulfed in the chaos of prepping Tessa for the altar, no one kept an eye on Willow.

She simply walked right out the front doors.

She didn't dare take Lucian to a hospital, fearing his enemies might be lurking. Instead, she brought him to her small, run-down rental apartment. The walls were paper-thin and the neighborhood was rough.

But to Willow, this place was a sanctuary.

When she was eighteen, Leo had kicked her out of the estate just because she ate a slice of cake meant for Tessa.

Her other brothers had been home, but they just watched with cold indifference.

She remembered it clearly. It had been a violent thunderstorm. She stood outside crying and begging them to let her in, but the doors remained locked. Through the window, she could see her brothers fussing over a pouting Tessa, having completely forgotten about her.

Soaked and freezing in the rain, she suffered severe hypothermia.

Without a dime to even rent a motel room, she eventually collapsed on the sidewalk.

A stranger called an ambulance and eventually contacted Xavier.

And what did Xavier say when he showed up? He accused her of faking an illness to steal attention, turned on his heel, and walked out without a second glance. Stripped of any chance to defend herself, Willow borrowed money to pay her medical bills and left the hospital completely alone.

Terrified of being discarded again, she started working and rented this tiny apartment.

It was cramped, bare-bones, and didn't even have air conditioning, but it was the only place she truly felt safe. At least if she was ever thrown out again, she wouldn't be homeless.

A bitter smile tugged at her lips.

She was their flesh and blood, yet treated worse than Tessa's pets.

How hilarious.

Shaking off the past, she turned to Lucian. "You've got some bad cuts. Wait here. I'm going to grab some medical supplies."

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