The Lost Princess: From Heiress to Outcast Chapter 2

Mom texted again: [Emily, take these few days to say goodbye to your friends.]

[Once you're here, I'm never letting you go again.]

Say goodbye?

To Dad, Liam, and my fiancé, Brandon?

Three days was more than enough.

I turned off my phone and stood on the street corner for a long time.

The autumn wind in New York was biting. The cold seeped into my bones, making me shiver.

Eventually, I called Dad.

Blood is thicker than water, right? Even if things were bad, I should say goodbye properly.

The call was declined immediately.

I called again. Straight to voicemail.

I had no choice but to call Liam.

It rang for a long time before he finally answered, his voice dripping with impatience.

"Why do you keep calling? Don't you know Sarah is performing right now?"

"You almost ruined her show."

Even knowing his bias, his words stung.

I pressed a hand to my chest to ease the ache and spoke softly.

"Liam, we haven't seen each other in a while. Can we have dinner tonight?"

He scoffed.

Afraid he'd hang up, I rushed to add, "The seafood restaurant Sarah likes just finished renovations. Let's go there tonight, okay?"

Sarah was the orphan Dad adopted. Since she arrived, I had never been this humble before her.

Liam sneered at my desperation.

"Emily, what game are you playing? You almost ruined Sarah's performance last time. Are you trying to poison her now?"

My heart felt like it was being sliced open. The brother who promised to always believe in me was gone.

"No... Liam, I just want to see you guys."

"I don't want to see you—"

He was cut off by a soft, fragile voice in the background.

"Liam, don't talk to Emily like that. She'll be sad."

"It's been so long since we saw her. Let's have dinner."

"But I'm tired today. I don't want to go out. Let's eat at home."

"I'm craving spicy crab, but the maid is off. Can Emily make it?"

"Of course," I said instantly. "I'll go home and start cooking right now."

I hung up before they could change their minds.

I forgot I was allergic to seafood. I couldn't touch it.