âDad, I donât know a thing about showbiz, and as for who Clara managed to tick off, thatâs her mess, not mine!â
Finn hadnât expected Ivy to be so defiant and snapped, âIvy, have you grown too big for your britches that youâre not showing respect to me anymore?
If you didnât want to set up a date with Vincent for your sister from the start, you shouldâve just said so.
Why agreed and then bailed? I wonât get into this matter now, but tomorrow weâre going to pay a visit to this Mr. Vincent, and youâre coming with us to clear up what happened that day!â
Ivy felt a deep sense of helplessness. It seemed no matter how she tried to explain, her words fell on deaf ears; her parents always took Claraâs side without question.
She knew from her fatherâs tone that Clara had been spinning tales at home, playing the innocent.
Taking a deep breath, Ivy closed her eyes for a moment.
Well, if thatâs how it is, time to cut the cord! She thought to herself.
When she opened her eyes again, there was a new resolve in them. âDad, Clara should clean up her own mess. I never agreed to help her with Vincent, and I wonât be explaining anything for her.â
With that, she hung up the phone.
This was the first time she had flat-out refused Finnâs orders. Maybe it was because she no longer had to worry about where to live if she got kicked out; she felt more grounded.
After ending the call with Finn, Ivy didnât bother with her family drama and continued packing her things.
During her stay in the guest room, she knew sheâd eventually have to move back in after Balfourâs grandparents got out of the hospital, so she hadnât taken much with her in the first place. Moving back now didnât require much effort.
As she was sorting her belongings, Tessaâs call came through.
Staring at the phone, Ivy felt dizzy. Her family were certainly in a hurry to drag her back to their chaos.
It had only been five minutes since she hung up on Finn!
Like a bad penny, her family just kept turning up.
âHello, Mom, if youâre also trying to force me to meet with that big shot, save your breath. Iâm not going,â Ivy cut to the chase.
Tessa was about to lay into her but suddenly softened her tone, remembering the reason for the call.
âIvy, I know Iâve done you wrong, sometimes neglecting you.â
Her words caught Ivy off guard, and her tone mellowed. âMom, what are you trying to say?â
âIâve always taken more care of your sister, and I know thatâs sometimes been unfair to you. But Ivy, I didnât have a choice.â
It was the first time Tessa admitted to favoring Clara, and Ivy wasnât sure how to respond.
She had kept this hurt bottled up for so long and had never spoken of it to anyone.
After a long silence, Ivy sighed, âMom, what are you trying to say?â
âYour father married me because I was obedient and could take good care of Clara. If I fail to do so, heâd divorce me in a heartbeat. Ivy, your dad hasnât spoken to me several days. Iâm scared that if this continues, he might really kick me out from the family.â
Tessaâs voice was tinged with tears.
Deep down, Ivy also knew that Tessaâs life with the family hadnât been easy over the years.