Chapter 2 Fallen Angel
Aviah’s POV
I covered my face and looked at my father.
He had never hit me before.
“From this moment on, you are no longer part of the Lynch family,” he said. “Get out. You are not my daughter anymore.”
Then he turned away and left.
I stood there in shock.
When I looked toward August’s father, I saw the same expression on his face—disgust, disappointment, distance.
He also turned and walked away.
I looked at August.
There was confusion in his eyes, and something else I could not fully read.
“You...”
But he did not finish the sentence.
In the end, he left too.
One after another, every person who should have stood by me walked away.
I could not stay there.
I ran.
I ended up crouching in a corner of a building across the street.
Not long after, Scarlett followed me.
I looked up at her.
“You did this,” I said. “You set me up.”
She gave a quiet laugh.
“Aviah, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
I looked at her and said, “Stop pretending. You wanted August, but he was my fiancé. So you seduced him the night before the wedding, drugged me, and arranged for another man to violate me. You did all this to take him from me. Why?”
My throat tightened as I spoke.
“Wasn’t my family good enough to yours? My father brought your father into the company when he had nothing. He let your family live in our home. He took care of all of you. Is this how you repay us?”
“Repay you?” she said, and laughed again. “Fine. Since you already know, I’ll say it clearly. Yes. I did it.”
I stared at her.
“Why?”
She looked at me with open resentment.
“The first time I walked into your mansion and saw you sitting at the piano, I understood everything. You were the princess. Everyone looked at you. Everyone cared about you. Standing next to you, I was invisible.”
She stepped closer.
“Why were you always the one people chose? Why did you get to have everything? Even August—the man I loved for years—was obsessed with you.”
I said nothing.
She continued, “Do you know what it feels like to stand beside someone like you? To watch everyone admire you? Every bit of kindness you gave me felt like pity.”
Then she said, “I hated you. I envied you. I wanted to destroy what you had and take it for myself.”
She looked me over.
“And now I have.”
I could barely speak.
“Last night must have been memorable,” she said. “How did it feel?”
I tried to stand. I needed to tell my father the truth. I needed to make someone listen.
Before I could steady myself, Scarlett kicked me in the shoulder.
I fell back to the ground.
Then she pressed her heel against my head and forced my face down.
“I almost forgot,” she said. “Did you enjoy watching August and me together last night?”
I went still.
“He wanted me,” she continued. “Your man is mine now. And everything that was yours will be mine too.”
Her words landed exactly as she intended.
I cried without trying to stop myself.
Scarlett looked down at me.
“Look at you,” she said. “You’re no different from a stray dog now. If I were you, I’d disappear quietly.”
Then she lifted her foot and stepped away.
“I should go,” she added. “August needs me.”
She turned and left.
I stayed on the ground for several moments before forcing myself up.
I had to go home.
I had to find my father.
If I told him everything, surely he would listen.
He was angry, but he was still my father.
That was what I told myself as I made my way back.
When I reached the entrance, something fell from above.
A body hit the ground in front of me.
I froze.
It was my father.
For a moment, I could not process what I was seeing.
Then the truth settled in.
My father had jumped.
Had he chosen death because he could not bear the disgrace?
Had I caused this?
I dropped to my knees beside him.
His body was still warm.
Just hours earlier, he had still been alive.
“Dad...”
My voice was hoarse.
I called to him again, but there was no answer.
There would never be one again.
The only real family I had left was gone.
