Chapter 2
"I hate you all, and I pray that none of you ever find peace."
Those were Amelia Cosgrove's last words before she jumped off the bridge into the rushing river.
Amelia Cosgrove, the first daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Country A, had everything money could buy but nothing her heart truly needed. Her life had been anything but rosy.
Her parents' marriage had merely been a business transaction, a deal to build both the business and political power of the Cosgrove and Stallion families. And just like most arranged marriages, theirs was loveless. Her father, Mason Cosgrove, was constantly caught having affairs with mistresses and celebrities, while her mother, Rose Stallion, tired of being stuck in such a marriage, ran away with her lover and was never seen again, leaving Amelia and her little brother, Ray, behind.
Amelia was just 10 years old.
Ever since then, Amelia's life had been a downward spiral. At least before her mother ran away, despite knowing her parents despised each other due to their constant fights, her mother had still shown her small bits of affection. But after her mother left, her father wasted no time bringing in his first love, a commoner named Eve, the woman his parents had once forced him to break up with, deeming her unworthy of the Cosgrove name.
Her father quickly made Eve his wife and took in her little daughter, Lilac.
Amelia, feeling abandoned by both her parents, fell into depression. This depression caused her to unconsciously distance herself from Ray, who was just seven years old at the time. As a result, Ray drifted away from her, and Eve and Lilac only furthered the distance by accepting him with open arms.
Seeing the love they showed Ray, Amelia thought that maybe... just maybe...she could start a new life with them. Perhaps Eve would finally shower her with the affection she had always craved. Perhaps, just maybe, Eve would welcome her with open arms, just like other mothers welcomed their children.