Chapter 2: The Price of Pride
Chapter 2: The Price of Pride
Victoria desperately tried to recover.
"There must be some misunderstanding," she said nervously. "I was only protecting my son."
Chairman Carter shook his head.
"No."
He gestured toward the security cameras surrounding the property.
"You insulted my daughter, pushed her into a swimming pool, and publicly humiliated her in front of hundreds of witnesses."
His legal team stepped forward.
"I've already preserved the video footage."
Victoria's confidence completely collapsed.
Meanwhile, Ethan walked toward Emma.
His voice trembled.
"Why didn't you ever tell me who you really were?"
Emma looked into his eyes.
"Because I wanted someone to choose me before they knew my last name."
Ethan lowered his head.
"I failed you."
"You didn't fail because you were poor or powerless," Emma replied quietly.
"You failed because when your mother attacked me... you stood there and watched."
Those words hurt more than anything else.
Ethan realized she was right.
Love required courage.
And he hadn't found his until it was too late.
Emma slowly removed her wedding ring.
"I loved the man I thought you were."
She placed the ring in his hand.
"But I won't spend my life begging to be accepted by people who already decided I wasn't enough."
May you like
She turned and walked away beside her father.
This time, no one stopped her.
