Seven Years a Shadow: The Stand-In's Escape novel Chapter 5

"They say kids have the purest hearts."

"They always know who truly loves them." 

"Anna, let's go upstairs! Just looking at that woman ruins my mood." 

Watching them leave, I spoke calmly. 

"See? Whether it's Lucas or Noah, they'll never run out of people willing to cater to them." 

Before I could finish, a sharp slap landed across my face. 

"Useless." 

Taylor stood before me, seething. 

"Seven years in the Miller family, and you couldn't even keep your man happy."

"Even the boy you raised wants nothing to do with you!" 

"We took you in, and this is how you repay us?" 

I took a step back, meeting Taylor's furious gaze with icy detachment. 

"You ‘took me in'?" I scoffed.

"My mother and I survived on our own for twenty years—until you made sure she couldn't hold a job, couldn't rent a place, forcing us into a dead end."

"If you didn't need me to be Isabella's stand-in, would you have even remembered my existence?" 

"I stayed for seven years because you paid for my mom's surgery."

"Seven years of being a ghost, a shadow of my sister." 

Seven years as Noah's caretaker. 

Not one moment spent as myself. 

But I have no regrets. 

Taylor left, speechless. 

I turned back to my bedroom, grabbing my suitcase. 

She wasted enough of my time.

But I could still make my flight. 

I pulled open the door—only to meet Lucas's unreadable gaze.