Sierra reached up and covered her eyes with her hand, careful not to touch the


    bandages on her cheek. But the tears still kept falling, soaking into the fabric until


    it stung. The pain only made everything worse.


    "Sierra, are you okay?" Sophia asked, her voice full of concern.


    Hearing Sierra bring up their childhood made her think back too. They were two


    little girls, curled up on her big bed, whispering secrets in the dark until they fell


    asleep in each other''s arms. Those were the moments that made her feel safe.


    Sierra took a few deep breaths to calm herself before finally lowering her hands.


    She forced a smile and looked at Sophia, saying, "I''m fine, so don''t worry. Sophia,


    I want to divorce Samuel. Even though I wasn''t actually assaulted, in his eyes,


    any girl who''s been through something like that is beyond saving.


    "You''re his biological sister. Yet, he still treated you like that. What about me? I


    have no blood ties with him. We only got married because we''d been together for


    years, and it just felt like the next step. Sophia, this is the first time I''ve realized....


    that maybe I never really knew who Samuel was."


    She picked up her coffee and took a sip. Then, she looked up at Sophia and


    smiled again. "Sophia, I''m going to divorce him. Whether he agrees or not, I''m


    done with this marriage. Back then, he never said anything bad about you or your


    mother in front of me.


    "Not until we got to Dithoria State and visited Ms. Walker''s home, that is. We


    asked her parents to help us arrange a meeting with you and your mother. But her


    parents politely turned us down."


    Sierra continued, "I still didn''t know why at the time. It wasn''t until we got back to


    the car that Samuel finally said something, and my dad became furious. He told


    my mom they were leaving, and I didn''t feel safe letting them go alone, so I got


    out of the car with Samuel.


    "Then, Samuel got a call and left me there. That call was to meet you and you


    know everything that happened after that. He ended up getting his leg broken by


    Mr. Holden''s men. I rushed over right away and even yelled at Mr. Holden''s


    bodyguard.


    "But thinking back on it now, I realize I was yelling at the wrong person. That


    bodyguard wasn''t wrong. Samuel has no empathy, no gratitude. We''d lived


    abroad for years in peace, never really facing anything serious, so I never saw


    just how selfish he really was."


    As Sierra spoke, her lips pulled into a bitter smile. "On the ride to the hospital, I


    heard what he said. I was stunned. I couldn''t hold it in, so I argued with him-but I


    didn''t want to fight. So, I told the driver to stop, paid him to take Samuel to the


    hospital, and walked away alone.


    "That''s when everything happened. Even though someone saved me, I kept


    thinking-if Samuel found out I''d really been assaulted, would he feel sorry for


    me? Or would he say something cruel, like he did to you?


    "That''s why I decided to test him, and now, you''ve seen the result for yourself.


    Sophia, whether you believe me or not from the beginning, I never thought of


    you the way Samuel did. I''m a woman, too. I know exactly how much it hurts


    when something like that happens to another woman.


    "Even if it were a stranger, any decent person would feel somepassion. But


    your own brother? I''m disappointed. More than that, I''m heartbroken. It pains me


    to realize that the man I loved for years is actually so selfish and rotten inside."


    Seeing Sierra''s tears begin to fall again, Sophia quickly grabbed some tissues


    and handed them to her. She said softly, "Sierra, don''t be sad. Sometimes,


    walking away at the right time isn''t a bad thing. But honestly, I''m still thankful you


    didn''t go through what I did."


    Sierra stood up and walked over to sit beside Sophia. Then, she wrapped her


    arms around her. "Sophia, do you think it''s only us women who truly understand


    each other? Is it only us women who can genuinely feelpassion for one


    another?"


    "Everything''s going to be alright," Sophia whispered as she hugged her back.


    "Trash like Samuel? We don''t need him. Let him figure out life on his own."


    She added, "He acts like the whole world owes him something, but has he ever


    thought about what would''ve happened if he''d never been sent overseas? Julia


    would''ve destroyed him."


    Sophia gritted her teeth. She had


    suffered more than enough at Julia''s


    and Ruby''s hands. Ivan had been a


    total failure as a father, always


    siding with his mistress and


    illegitimate daughter while treating


    Sophia and Samantha like garbage.


    He did not just ignore them. He was


    outright abusive.


    Sophia hissed, "Samuel got to live peacefully abroad all these years because of


    me. It was my sacrifice that gave him that life, but instead of being grateful, he


    used my trauma to stab me where it hurts most. I want nothing to do with a


    brother like that!"


    She added, "And I''m not giving him Sinir Group either. Sierra, if you''re


    divorcing him for your own reasons, then I fully support you. But if you''re just


    upset for my sake and still have feelings for him, then I think you should really


    take your time to think it through."


    Right now, Sophia did not feel any resentment or judgment toward Sierra


    anymore.


    "Sophia, if I had to choose between you and Samuel, I''d choose you," Sierra said


    as she wiped her tears away.


    "I still remember the day Mom brought me to the Sinirs. The first person to


    show me kindness and warmth was you.


    "I''ll never forget how you held my hand, took me to your room, ran a warm bath,


    showed me how to use body wash and shampoo... How you helped me get clean


    and cozy, then gave me your new clothes to wear.


    "Sophia, what Samuel did broke my heart. My biological parents are wealthy, but I


    don''t want a single dor of my father''s money going to a man who has zero


    each other."


    Sophia looked at Sierra, her eyes red, and her face pale. But her voice and


    expression were firm as she asked, "Sierra, are you really sure about this?"


    Sierra nodded without hesitation. "I


    am. I''ve been thinking about this


    since that fight with Samuel. The


    robbery, the couple who saved me...


    All of that just added fuel to the fire.


    It gave me the final push. Sophia,


    you''re strong and brave. And as your


    older sister, I refuse to be any


    weaker than you."


    Sophia did not say anything else.


    Instead, she just held Sierra tighter.


    "As for Samuel, we''ll let him live his


    life alone. My parents still feel


    indebted to Mom for saving me all


    those years ago. And with some of


    the Remingtons eyeing things back


    in Amberton, they''ve decided to


    relocate and retire in Dithoria State.


    "They said that even though I''m their biological daughter, they could never forget


    the kindness Mom showed them and everything the Sinirs did to raise me.


    "If they''re moving to Dithoria State, they want to be close enough to help take care


    of her too. Sophia, if you''re willing, I''ll talk to them about merging all of the


    Remington assets under your name."