He Buried Me But I Painted My Own Resurrection novel Chapter 13

A short while later, Sienna stood in front of the Sawyer residence.

The three-story house stood out, lavishly renovated and far outclassing the neighboring homes.

She had funded every single cent of the renovations, yet there was never a place for her inside.

A white BMW was parked in the driveway.

She recognized the license plate. It belonged to her brother, Simon.

Last year, Samuel had called to tell her that his son had a new girlfriend and that it would be embarrassing if he didn't have a car. She had been strong-armed into coughing up fifty thousand dollars.

Sienna pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Samuel was slouched into the leather sofa. The coffee table in front of him was cluttered with an ashtray, a teapot, and a half-eaten plate of peanuts.

With his thinning hair and heavy, sagging eye bags, he radiated the greasy, rundown energy of a washed-up middle-aged man.

Spotting Sienna, he tapped his cigarette against the ashtray and looked her up and down.

"Look at you, all skin and bones. Who wouldn't be repulsed? No wonder Grant doesn't want you anymore."

Sienna ignored the jab and took a seat in the armchair across from him.

"What do you want? Just say it."

Samuel crushed out his cigarette, leaned forward, and rubbed his hands together.

She knew that expression all too well. It was his signature 'I need money' face. She had seen it at least fifty times in her life.

"Your brother went into a business venture with some friends, but the cash flow got tied up. He owes them five million dollars."

"They're breathing down his neck. They said if he doesn't pay up by this week, they're going to show up here and wreck the place."

Five million dollars.

Sienna lowered her eyes, staring at the peanut shells scattered across the coffee table for a few seconds.

"What kind of business?"

"What do you care?" Samuel's tone instantly spiked with aggression as he jabbed a finger at the table.

"I'm telling you what's important! Your brother has debt collectors coming after him, and as his sister, you're not going to just sit back and watch!"

Fiona emerged from the kitchen just then, her apron stained with grease, carrying a plate of sliced fruit.

She set the fruit down in front of Samuel and took a seat beside him.

"Oh, Sienna, your dad is just stressed out of his mind. Don't take his tone to heart."

The words instantly dropped the temperature in the living room to freezing.

Samuel slammed his hand onto the coffee table. A few peanuts bounced off, one rolling right up to Sienna's foot.

"What did you just say?! A divorce?!"

"Are you out of your damn mind?!"

Samuel sprang to his feet, a finger practically jabbing her in the face, spit flying from his lips.

"Do you know who Grant is? Joining the Gauthier family is the luckiest thing that will ever happen to you in a thousand lifetimes! What gives you the right to get a divorce!"

Fiona panicked too, lunging forward to grab Sienna's arm, her nails biting into her skin.

"Sienna, don't be stupid! If you get a divorce, what's going to happen to us? You can't be this selfish!"

Simon, on the other hand, didn't seem the least bit flustered. He just leaned back into the sofa and shifted into a more comfortable position.

"A divorce is fine, but the Gauthiers have to pay up. I want at least ten million in alimony, minimum."

It was painfully clear now. To them, she wasn't a daughter, a sister, or a family member.

She was nothing more than an ATM card with a 'Mrs. Gauthier' label slapped on it. As long as it swiped, they took it. The moment it declined, they were ready to cut it up and toss it in the trash.