Rising From The Ashes Of Betrayal

Chapter 3 3

Word Count: 837 | Released on: 14/01/2026

echoed through the cavernous foyer. It was a

ceased. Four pairs of

pped and glued back together. Her lower lip trembled-a practiced quiver. Doloris was stroking Karly's h

kles were white where he gripped the

past, this weight would have crushed her. She would have hunched her shoulde

aight. She looked at them no

ted "interrogation spot" in front of the coffee table. Inst

wspaper shut. The sou

hur said, his voice a low rumble.

ed water into a glass. She watched the liquid swirl, clear and pu

, turning slowly to lean

, strangled sob. It

red to Doloris, loud enough for

"Stop acting like a brat, Kala. That vase was from the Ming Dynas

er that cost more than her foster family's car. He th

utting through the emotional static, "why was it placed

nothing came out. It was a valid point.

"I... I went there to find Snowba

The white

water in her gl

e gaining a little strength

Arthur. "Because Dad is violently allergic to cats. Snowball is strictly confine

on the room. It wa

t Karly. "She's right. The

ked very dry. She had forgotten. In her haste to construct a v

hing else," Karly stammer

sake, Kala! She was confused! She was traumatized by your aggression! W

It was a short

sn't even in the hallway when the

w steps to stand behind his father. "We heard t

rrected. "After I ran from the li

Archer accused. "A

s down on the mar

ter of the room. She stop

the vase. And I certainly won't apologize for a

ped forward, his fists clenched, "I w

y looked at him. He was a bu

ze?" Kala repeated

dy challenged Archer. Nobod

t, casting a long shadow over Kala. He was

ice dropping an octave. "Then you wi

Chapter End

Claim Your Bonus at the APP

Open

Rising From The Ashes Of Betrayal

fdfsgg Modern

“I spent my whole life trying to fit into the "Kensington aesthetic," dyeing my hair blonde and playing dumb just to earn a crumb of my father's approval. But when the manor went up in flames, I realized I was never a daughter to them-I was just an inconvenience. I lay pinned under a heavy oak beam, the smell of copper and burnt sugar filling my lungs. My father, Arthur, stood in the doorway with my brothers, looking like a phalanx of saviors, but their eyes weren't on me. They rushed past my outstretched, bloody hand to save my sister, Karly, who was huddled in a corner without a scratch on her. My brother Archer scooped her up like spun glass, stepping over my crushed leg without a second glance. Just before they crossed the threshold, Karly looked back at me and smiled-a small, victorious, terrifying smile. My father didn't offer help; he just shouted that I was an arsonist and slammed the door, sentencing me to burn alive in my own bedroom. As the crystal chandelier melted and crashed toward me, I didn't feel fear anymore. I felt a guttural, distilled hate for the family that left me to die because of a lie. I had spent my life begging for scraps at a table that was never meant for me, and I died realizing they never loved me at all. "If I come back," I promised into the void, "I will burn you all down." I gasped for air and woke up in my bed, the smell of lavender replacing the smoke. It was September 14th, five years before the fire, the exact week I had started ruining myself to please them. I looked in the mirror, scrubbed off the pathetic makeup mask, and realized the old, desperate Kala was dead. If I was going to burn, I'd make sure they were the ones who felt the heat first. "Queen is back online," I whispered.”