The days following my birthday party were filled with a mixture of relief and lingering tension. Cassandra had been removed from the estate, stripped of any influence in Bellamy Enterprises, and was now facing serious legal consequences. But the echoes of her deception still reverberated through the Wilson household, leaving behind a fractured family and a daughter who had just begun to grasp the weight of her mother's lies.
Delphine had disappeared from the public eye since that night. I had expected her to fight, to lash out as she always did, but instead, she had retreated into silence. I knew our years of animosity couldn't be undone overnight, but there was an unfamiliar sense of vulnerability in her now—something I had never seen before.
Meanwhile, my father, Timothy, had wasted no time in taking action. The morning after the party, he filed for divorce, cutting all ties with Cassandra. The truth about Delphine's paternity had shaken him, but not in the way Cassandra had hoped. Instead of rejecting Delphine, he had made it clear that he intended to fight for full custody, ensuring that she had a chance to escape the shadows of her mother's schemes.
I was in the study when Delphine finally emerged. She lingered in the doorway, hesitant, her usually sharp green eyes dulled by exhaustion. I watched as she fidgeted with the sleeves of her sweater, a stark contrast to the confident, calculated girl I had always known.
"Can we talk?" she asked quietly.
I closed the book in my hands, keeping my expression neutral. "That depends. Are you here to insult me or to gloat?"
Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she let out a slow breath. "Neither. I just... I just wanted to apologize."
That took me by surprise. I leaned back in my chair, studying her. "For what, exactly?"
Delphine swallowed hard, stepping further into the room. "For everything. For lying about you. For trying to take Louis from you. For making your life miserable just because I was jealous."
I stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.
She took a shaky breath. "You were always better than me, Elise. You were smarter, stronger, more loved. I spent my whole life thinking I had to prove I was just as good, but the truth is... I was never trying to be better. I was trying to be you."
A lump formed in my throat at her confession. I had spent so many years seeing Delphine as my enemy, never once considering what it must have been like to live in the shadow of a legacy that was never meant to be hers.
"I believed everything Mom told me," she admitted, her voice breaking. "That I deserved what you had, that you were the one taking from me. But she was lying to me just as much as she was lying to everyone else."
I exhaled slowly, my anger softening as I saw the guilt and regret written all over her face. "So, what happens now?"
She hesitated. "I don't know. Dad says he wants custody, but I don't know if I deserve it. I don't even know if I belong here anymore."
I stood up, crossing the room until I was standing in front of her. "That's not for Cassandra to decide anymore. If Dad is willing to fight for you, maybe it's time you let him."
Delphine blinked rapidly, as if fighting back tears. "Do you think I can change?"
For the first time in a long time, I saw her not as my rival, but as my sister.
I gave her a small nod. "That's up to you. But if you're really sorry, then prove it."
She swallowed hard, then nodded. "I will."
Later that evening, my father called for a family meeting. Delphine and I sat across from him in his office, the weight of the moment pressing down on all of us.
"I know this has been difficult for both of you," he began, his tone softer than I expected. "But I need you to understand that Cassandra's manipulation doesn't define who we are as a family. We move forward from here—without her."
Delphine flinched at the mention of her mother, but she didn't argue. Instead, she sat quietly, absorbing his words.
Timothy turned to her. "I want you to stay, Delphine. I want you to be my daughter in every way that matters. But I won't force you. The choice is yours."
Delphine bit her lip, her hands tightening in her lap. "I don't know how to be anything else. I don't know how to be a Wilson."
My father reached across the table, placing his hand over hers. "Then let me show you."
Her walls finally broke. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she nodded, her fingers clenching his in silent agreement. I watched, my own emotions threatening to overwhelm me, as the girl who had once been my greatest enemy took her first step toward becoming my sister in truth.
Cassandra's fall from grace was swift and brutal. With her lies exposed and her schemes unraveled, she was left with nothing. The divorce was finalized within weeks, and she was cut off from the Wilson estate, the company, and the social circles she had so carefully cultivated. Her attempts to fight back were useless; she had burned too many bridges, betrayed too many people. In the end, she was left to face the consequences of her own greed.
Rumors swirled about where she had gone—some said she had fled the country, others claimed she was living in a small rental house on the outskirts of town. But I didn't care. Cassandra was no longer a threat, and for the first time in years, I felt free.
As for Delphine, the road to redemption wouldn't be easy. But she was trying. She had started therapy, begun repairing her relationship with our father, and even reached out to some of the people she had hurt in the past. It would take time, but she was making the effort—and that was more than I had ever expected.
One evening, as we sat on the patio watching the sun dip below the horizon, she turned to me with a small smile. "So, do you think we'll ever be real sisters?"
I thought about everything we had been through, the years of animosity, the betrayals, the pain. And yet, here we were, side by side, trying to move forward.
I met her gaze and smiled. "I think we already are."