Chapter 5 Five

• CRYSTAL
• I blink awake and glance at the clock on my nightstand. Past 7 a.m.
• I’ve never slept this late. Not once in this house.
• My body feels heavy as I sit up. When I stretch, a sharp sting slices across my cheek. I touch it instinctively, then I remember.
• Last night.
• I had gone to my mother’s door… and I heard her.
• Alora was inside.
• She had asked for Kai.
• She said she had loved him for years...from afar. That if she hadn’t been separated from the family, she would’ve been the one engaged to him. And now, she wanted him.
• Just hearing it… it shattered something in me. I didn’t go inside. I turned to leave, quietly.
• But she came out.
• “Stop right there,” Alora said.
• I turned slowly, more out of shock than obedience. Her tone carried the confidence of someone who’d lived here for years, not someone who just arrived yesterday.
• “Well, good for her,” I thought bitterly. “She’s the real Denzel heiress, after all.”
• “You’ve lived twenty three years of my life,” she said, walking closer. “But I’m back now. And I’m taking everything that belongs to me. If you’re smart, Crystal, you’ll disappear before I make you.”
• I laughed. “I’m not fighting you, Alora. But Kai Montgomery? He’s mine.”
• She blinked...then slapped herself so hard I winced.
• Before I could react, she threw herself to the floor, wailing like someone just beat her.
• Footsteps.
• My mother rushed out.
• Alora clutched her arm, trembling with fake sobs. “I was just trying to speak to her, Mom. She slapped me, pushed me, and said she’ll never let me take away what’s hers!”
• “What?” I gasped.
• But my mother didn’t ask questions.
• She just slapped me.
• Hard.
• My face burned as tears stung my eyes. I turned and ran before I let them fall in front of either of them.
• I threw myself onto my bed, fists clenched, the taste of betrayal bitter in my mouth. My mom. She didn’t even give me a chance to speak.
• I ignored Kai’s calls last night. I just couldn’t talk to him, not with tears choking my throat.
• Now, staring at myself in the mirror, I see it.
• A red mark still lingers across my cheek.
• I get in the shower, trying to wash off the ache in my chest. When I step out, I dress quickly, determined to at least look like I still belong in this house.
• Then I open my phone.
• And everything collapses all over again.
• I’m trending....everywhere.
• Photos. Videos. Tweets. My name is all over social media. Paired with her face. Not my mother. Her. The woman who gave birth to me.
• Some posts mock me. Others shame me. They call her a criminal. They call me a fraud. They put my pictures side-by-side with hers, and the resemblance is undeniable.
• "So you really are my mom," I think bitterly.
• "You couldn’t just raise me in peace. You had to switch me. And now I’m paying the price for a crime I didn’t commit."
• But I tell myself....Mom is just angry. She’ll calm down. I just have to endure it. For now.
• I take a deep breath and leave my room.
• When I walk into the dining room, they’re already seated.
• My mom. My dad. Alex. Granny. And Alora.
• Eating.
• They’re eating without me. Except my dad. He's the only one who hasn't touched his food.
• No one ever eats without me.
• In this house, no matter how long I took, they waited. They even used to send someone to call me down. My mom said the family breakfast wasn’t complete without her “princess.”
• Now she’s piling food on Alora’s plate like she’s the only one who matters.
• Alora is glowing in designer clothes. Like she’s been here for years.
• I whisper, “Good morning.”
• Only my father replies.
• I pull out a chair to sit, but Granny clears her throat.
• “The daughter of a maid has no place at this table,” she says. “If you’re going to stay in this house, you need to earn your keep. Just like your mother did. Serve us, Crystal. That’s what you’re bred for.”
• The silence after her words is loud. I freeze.
• Then my dad slams his hand on the table.
• “That’s enough!”
• Everyone jumps.
• “I won’t tolerate any more of this!” he thunders. “Crystal is my daughter. That hasn’t changed. That will never change.”
• He throws down his spoon and pushes back from the table.
• “I’ve lost my appetite. I hope you’re all proud.”
• Then he walks over, gently pats my head.
• “I’m here for you, Crystal. If anyone mistreats you again, you come straight to me.”
• I nod slowly.
• Alora pouts like a scolded child, but Dad doesn’t say a word to anyone. He just turns and walks away, the air around him filled with disappointment.
• The moment he’s gone, my mom drops her spoon with a clatter.
• “What exactly do you think of yourself, Crystal?” Her voice is cold. “Your mother destroyed my daughter’s life. Do you even know what Alora has been through all these years?”
• She points at Alora, like I’m supposed to clap for her suffering.
• “You didn’t even give her father a chance to acknowledge her. You’ve stolen everything from her.”
• I open my mouth to speak, but Granny lifts her water glass and throws it in my face.
• “Be on your feet when your betters speak to you,” she snaps. “You’re the daughter of a help. Never forget that.”
• The cold water drips down my face, and something inside me cracks.
• I start to walk away.
• “Crystal,” my mother says, her voice laced with venom, “Kai is going to marry Alora.”
• I freeze.
• “You heard me. He was supposed to marry the Denzel heiress. And Alora—not you—is the real heiress. It's time to give up your silly fantasies.”
• I turn slowly.
• “What?”
• “We’ve loved each other since high school,” I say, my voice rising. “We’ve been together for years. And now you expect me to just hand him over to Alora like he’s some forgotten gift receipt? I won’t.”
• My mother chuckles and pulls out her phone.
• “I’ve been waiting for a certain call,” she says. “But maybe I’ll just make it myself.”
• She dials. Waits.
• “Yes,” she says. “It’s done then. Thank you.”
• She ends the call and smiles at Alora. “Everything’s sorted. Kai’s family agreed. The wedding is tomorrow. He’s already given his consent.”
• Alora squeals. “Thank you, Mommy!”
• My heart stops.
• “No,” I whisper. “That’s a lie. Kai would never...he would never do that to me.”
• I pull out my phone to call him, but before I can even press dial, Granny slaps the phone from my hand and it shatters on the ground.
• “You wretched thing,” she hisses. “What are you trying to prove? That you’re just as cheap and classless as your mother?”
• Tears fill my eyes as I watch the scattered pieces of my phone, then kneel to gather them.
• “You were never good enough for Kai,” my mother says. “The only reason he was engaged to you is because your mother tricked us. But now that the truth is out, the real Denzel heiress will marry him. That’s final.”
• I stand slowly, shaking.
• “We’ll see about that.”
• “Such confidence,” Alora sighs dramatically. “But Mommy, what if she tries to sabotage my wedding? What if she causes trouble?”
• “Oh, Crystal,” my mom says, shaking her head. “After everything I’ve done for you. All Alora wants is Kai, and you can’t even give her that?
• Fine. I’ll be generous. Keep the Denzel name. Live here as one of us. But give up Kai. You either stay here and forget him, or lose everything.”
• “You’re asking me to choose?” I ask.
• “You’re smart. I taught you well.”
• “I choose Kai,” I say firmly. “I’d rather die than give him up.”
• My mother smiles tightly. “Then die poor.”
• She redials.
• “Block all of Crystal Denzel’s credit cards. Freeze her accounts. Revoke every property in her name. As of today, she has no access to anything connected to the Denzels. She is no longer one of us.”
• The call ends.
• I stare at her.
• “I've called you Mom for twenty three years. I loved you. Trusted you. You introduced me to Kai, raised me to be his wife. I never asked for any of this...I was just a child. You did all this. You made the decisions. And now you're punishing me for it?”
• She crosses her arms. “You chose your path.”
• “Fine,” I whisper. “Take everything. I’ll still fight for him.”
• She narrows her eyes. “Get out.”
• “What?”
• “You heard me. Pack your things and leave. You’re no longer welcome in my house.”
• I back away, but Alora’s voice slices through the air.
• “Mom, Crystal’s so lucky. She’s got designer bags, shoes, jewelry. Maybe she can sell them and get a cozy little apartment.”
• “True,” Alex adds. “She does own a lot of stuff.”
• “You two have a point. None of those things belong to her,” my mom snaps. “She came here in rags. Everything she has came from us. Now that she’s not a Denzel, she leaves empty-handed.”
• She claps her hands.
• Two uniformed guards enter.
• “Throw her out.”
• “No,” I say, panic rising. “It’s raining, mom. You know I’ll fall sick...”
• “I’m not your mother,” she says coldly. “And I don’t care what happens to you now. You made your choice.”
• The guards grab my arms. No one moves. No one stops them.
• Not Alex.
• Not Alora.
• Not Granny.
• They’re all smiling like they’ve won.
• They drag me across the floor that used to feel like home.
• Then they throw me into the rain.
• I fall hard, scraping my arm on the wet concrete.
• The sky opens above me like judgment, and the rain lashes down like punishment.
• Just yesterday, I was glowing in a custom dress, the center of attention, the girl everyone envied.
• Now I’m nothing.
• Soaked.
• Bruised.
• Alone.
• I curl into myself as tears pour down, mixing with the rain on my cheeks. I can’t stop crying. I don’t even try.
• Then suddenly… the rain above me stops.
• It’s still pouring, but not on me.
• I look up.
• Someone’s holding an umbrella over my head.
• My breath catches.
• Black shoes. Familiar stance.
• My gaze rises and my heart stutters.
• “Kai…” I whisper.