HIS DOE, HIS DAMNATION (An Erotic Billionaire Romance) novel Chapter 174

**Fallen 174**

**Meadow’s POV:**

There was a time, long ago, when Juniper and I were just innocent children, navigating the tumultuous waters of sibling rivalry. I couldn’t quite recall the specific incident that had ignited her fury that day, but I distinctly remembered the moment I found the courage to stand up to her. In that instant, her tears flowed freely as she dashed to our mother, weaving a tale of deceit about something that had never transpired. I didn’t even bother to defend myself; deep down, I understood that my mother would never side with me.

“Meadow! Get in here!” she called, her voice echoing through the house.

In the kitchen, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Our mother’s eyes, usually warm and inviting, were now cold, and she ordered Juniper to slap me.

“Thirty times,” she instructed, her voice devoid of empathy.

For no reason at all.

A wave of confusion washed over me. Why did my parents seem to harbor such disdain for me? What made them favor one twin over the other, especially when we were two halves of the same whole?

All I did was exist. That was my only crime.

And for that, I was punished.

As we made our way into the living room, I allowed Juniper to stride ahead. There was no way I would walk in front of her; I refused to give her that satisfaction.

The sound of her heels echoed ominously against the floor, each click a reminder of her rigid posture and the resentment that radiated from her.

A smile tugged at the corners of my lips, and I didn’t resist it.

I had slapped her. Me.

There was an unparalleled satisfaction in witnessing the shock on her face as she complied with my request, flipping our usual dynamic on its head.

She plopped down onto one of the sofas, crossing her legs defiantly and lifting her chin, her glare directed at me like a dagger.

“Fucking talk,” she spat, venom lacing her words. “Maybe start with how the hell you married the man who put our own father in prison.”

“Juniper, you don’t get to dictate where I begin,” I replied softly, leaning casually against the seat opposite her. “I owe you no explanations. My decision to stay married to Alaric is valid, wouldn’t you agree? After all, Clint Russell was a father to you, but never to me.”

Her mouth opened, ready to unleash a retort, but I cut her off. “You know what baffles me right now?” I slowly lowered myself into the chair, my voice steady. “Why are you so fixated on the fact that Alaric put your father in prison instead of acknowledging that Clint murdered his own father?”

It was a blatant lie, a fabrication I spun with ease. Alaric had indeed killed his father, and I was painfully aware of that truth.

But no one else knew. And I would do anything to protect the man I loved, even if it meant twisting the narrative.

Not that he needed my protection, anyway.

Juniper’s expression darkened, her scowl deepening, but she remained silent.

“You’re not saying anything,” I murmured, my eyes narrowing. “That means you know he did it, don’t you? You know our father was a killer—he is, I mean. And you know Alaric’s father wasn’t the first man he killed.”

Her complexion drained of color, and she averted her gaze.

We both understood the monster our father had been. A man of power who had swindled countless people, often without them realizing it until it was far too late.

It was a dirty business, and the collateral damage was always innocent lives.

As children, we had once eavesdropped on one of his clandestine conversations through the door of his study. We had heard things we were never meant to hear, but I bore the brunt of the punishment when Juniper betrayed me to him.

“Ah, there it is,” I drawled, fixing her with a piercing stare. “That familiar look. You always act like you’re in control, like you hold all the cards, but in reality, you have nothing, Juniper. Nothing at all. It’s precisely because you lack a life of your own that you feel compelled to follow me around, trying to make mine miserable.”

“Shut up,” she hissed, gripping the edge of the seat as if it were her lifeline. “You’re the one who has no life.”

I chuckled softly, gesturing around the expansive living room. “Am I? You’re deluded, Juniper. Completely lost in your own little bubble. I’m not miserable—not anymore. My life is finally on track, which is more than I can say for you.”

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