Kneel For The Sinclair Heiress

"Don't bother, Dad. I want to do this myself. Let me handle it."

Dad paused for a moment, then sighed. "Alright, have it your way. Just remember, no matter what happens, I'll always be your staunchest supporter."

After hanging up, I took a deep breath and headed for the door, ready to leave this life behind. I didn't expect to run into Jaxon and Kendra blocking my exit.

"Happy now?" Jaxon snarled, rushing in to block my path and stomping down hard on my foot. He ground his heel in, the pressure immense. Pain lanced up my leg, and I bit my lip to stifle a cry as my vision swam.

The sharp pain in my foot echoed an old wound. The day I'd met him, a hurricane had nearly swept him off his feet in ankle-deep floodwater. Trying to steady him, I had stepped on a shard of broken glass, a wound that ached with a phantom pain to this day.

Jaxon flinched, pausing for a split second, but after a quick glance over his shoulder at Kendra, whatever flicker of guilt had been in his eyes was gone.

"Apologize to Kendra," Jaxon demanded. "If it weren't for you, she wouldn't have rushed back in such a panic. She almost got into a car accident on the way here."

I glanced at Kendra, who was standing behind Jaxon, looking perfectly unharmed. I couldn't see a single scratch on her.

"That car almost took her foot off! If she wasn't okay, I swear to God, I would never forgive you!"

Jaxon continued to roar, his eyes burning with a hatred usually reserved for a mortal enemy.

"You'd better give me the apology I want, Scarlett, or else... I can have a no-name like you blacklisted from this entire industry in a heartbeat! Know your place. You think you can fight me? Don't be a fool."

Kendra wrapped her arms around Jaxon's, shaking her head softly. "Jaxy, don't. She comes from nothing; she doesn't know any better. Someone like me, with my background, shouldn't stoop to her level. Let's just go."

"What did you just call me?"

My fists clenched. I fought the burning urge to slap them both. For five years, Kendra had been a fly buzzing in my ear, a constant, irritating drone in the background of my life.

"Kendra, I am so done with you."

The sharp crack of a slap echoed through the room. Jaxon's face was white with rage, his hand trembling. "I told you to apologize!" he roared.

My cheek stung, and I tasted the metallic tang of blood.

Kendra's lips curved into a triumphant smile.

Rage, humiliation, and a crushing sense of helplessness churned in my gut.

"Is it that hard to say you're sorry, Scarlett? You're the one in the wrong!" Jaxon bellowed. He then seized one of Kendra’s discarded stilettos and viciously slammed the heel into my knee.

"You should be on your knees thanking Kendra for her mercy! And you have the audacity to make a scene? Who the hell do you think you are?"

To think that just a few days ago, I would have been the one on my knees, crying and begging for his forgiveness.

But now, I was just done. The only thing I wanted was to get away from him as fast as possible. Even arguing felt like a waste of breath.

"You walk out that door, Scarlett, and we are done!" Jaxon roared. Seeing I wouldn't yield, a flicker of raw panic—almost imperceptible, but there—crossed his eyes.

"So be it," I replied, nodding. I limped out of the apartment, my composure a mask of ice.

What a fucking waste of five years.

Suddenly, a forceful shove from behind sent me flying down the stone steps. I threw out my right hand instinctively to break my fall.

A searing pain shot up my arm. I yanked my hand back to find a raw, bloody patch of skin had been scraped away, the flesh beneath exposed and glistening.

By the time I processed what had happened, I had already tumbled to the bottom, my head cracking against the hard pavement.

And Jaxon, my boyfriend, was anxiously shielding Kendra.

His face held no concern for me, only cold fury, as if I’d gotten what I deserved.

He dragged Kendra back inside, his final words a venomous declaration: "You brought this on yourself! Stay out here and think about what you did wrong. Don't you dare get up until you've figured it out!"