The Kiss that Sparked it All (Ellinor and Theo) novel Chapter 2434

“Now that you've moved out and aired the family drama online. You know how mad your dad is going to be when he sees it! You're trying to get me killed!" Tessa continued.

Ivy's brow furrowed in frustration. What was this about airing family drama online?

The current online scandal about her and Mara, anyway.

She gestured to Balfour to pass her the phone from the table.

"Was me moving out solely my fault then? Did it have nothing to do with you guys? You can't just offload your anger onto me because you're scared of how Dad will react. I'm not your punching bag."

This realization had taken Ivy a long time to reach.

Back home, her mother bore the brunt of the tension between her father and Clara. With no outlet of her own, she redirected all her frustrations onto Ivy, the one person she could control.

As the designated family scapegoat, she carried everything on her back, and she had had enough of being the peacekeeper. So when she finally left the Dunhill household, it felt like a breath of freedom she'd never known before.

Balfour unlocked the phone, only to be bombarded with a mess of entertainment news. But he was surprised that most of them were about Ivy.

And when he focused on the news, he discovered Ivy’s sister Clara’s name on it.

He held the phone up to Ivy.

Meanwhile, Balfour tenderly lifted her foot onto his lap, carefully examining it. Feeling his gentle touch, Ivy slowly came back to reality.

"Forget it, I've gotten used to it over the years. I'm more like a stray you picked up than a daughter. I saw the truth the day I moved out. You and the Dunhills... don't bother calling me again."

After hanging up, Ivy quickly covered her eyes, her lips couldn’t help but quiver and tears were streaming down her face.

Balfour wrapped his arms around her, his heart aching. From Ivy's outburst, he could roughly assume what happened.

If it weren't for a family that held her back and refused to trust her, Balfour would never have needed to sign that contract with Ivy back then.