Chapter 3

3

We tried to reach the main gate, but Logan and Lydia were already there, blocking our path.

They looked anxious. "It's late. Where do you think you're going?" Logan asked.

"Miranda, I'll let the soup incident slide. I'll call a doctor tomorrow to treat the burns so it doesn't interfere with the meeting with Mr. Zavala."

I almost laughed at the absurdity. "She isn't going anywhere near that man. My daughter is staying with me."

Logan's face turned a bruised shade of purple. "Don't be ridiculous. This isn't a decision for a woman to make." He signaled to the nearby guards. "Take them back to their room."

The guards grabbed us and dragged us back to that tiny, dilapidated room in the corner of the estate. After I tended to Sienna's burns, she curled up against me.

Through the window, we could see Logan, Lydia, and Leah back in the pavilion. They were laughing and eating, looking like a perfect, happy family.

"Mom, I hate him," Sienna whispered. Her voice was flat, hollow with a deep, echoing hurt.

I wiped my tears and held her tight. "I will get you out of here. I won't let that old creep touch you."

I reached out to my old mentor. I was an orphan raised in a martial arts dojo. I had run away with Logan against my mentor's wishes years ago. Now, I realized how massive a mistake that was.

Late that night, Logan came to the room. He tried to pull me into his arms, his voice dripping with fake affection. "Miranda, I'm sorry about the past few days."

"I've missed you so much all these years," he whispered, leaning in to kiss my forehead.

I felt like vomiting. His breathing grew heavy. "Miranda, let's have another baby. A son this time, okay?"

I shoved him away with all my strength. "I want a divorce."

Logan blinked, stunned. He let out a condescending chuckle. "What are you talking about?"

"You lied to us for years. You're still calculating how to sell our daughter. Do you even have a soul?" I shouted. "And I know about you and Lydia. Aren't you afraid your brother's ghost is watching you?"

His jaw tightened, and his eyes shifted nervously. "You've been listening to gossip. Lydia is my sister-in-law, nothing more..."

"Get out!" I spat.

He stayed silent for a moment, his voice turning low and dangerous. "I see. You clearly don't understand how things work here."

He walked out and barked an order to the guards. "Watch them. If they escape, you're all dead!"

Over the next few days, Logan vanished. Sienna was dragged away every morning to learn "social etiquette." They were trying to turn her into a clone of Leah.

Sienna whispered to me that on the first day, Leah had her punished for not bowing correctly. She had to stand in the scorching sun for six hours, and they had bruised her arms.

I shook with rage, but I had to wait. My mentor sent word: they would move to rescue us on the day Mr. Zavala came to collect Sienna.

The day before the "handover," Sienna was in the yard practicing her posture with a book on her head. Leah sauntered over, smirking.

"How's the training going, cousin?"

I immediately stepped in front of Sienna.

"Relax, Auntie. She's going in my place, after all. I just wanted to check on her."

"What?" Sienna's eyes went wide.

Leah delighted in Sienna's shock. I moved to lung at her, but two of Leah's cronies grabbed my arms, pinning me back.

"You didn't know? Uncle Logan loves me too much to let that old pervert touch me. He was happy to offer his own daughter instead."

"Honestly, I'm surprised you both are still alive. My mom hired people to deal with you so many times over the years."

"But it's fine. You're the perfect scapegoat now. The old man loves young ones like you. Try to last more than a week, okay?"