Too Late, Richard

For eight long years, I was trapped in Richard Blackwood’s mansion, an agreement to care for his son, Ethan, after my sister Eleanor’s death, but I called it a cage.

Just as my contract neared its end, Ethan accused me publicly at a glittering gala, screaming that I was trying to replace his mother.

Richard, ever the dismissive patriarch, instantly took his son’s side, leaving me humiliated and isolated.

His cold indifference deepened when Ethan destroyed my sentimental belongings, culminating in the heart-wrenching death of my beloved dog, Buddy, at Ethan’s hands, which Richard shrugged…