The Girl We Drove Away
When I was ten, my mother, a woman of humble origins, married a titan of New York commerce—the patriarch of the Andrews family.
My stepbrother, Alvin, never let me forget that my background tainted the pure bloodline of their "old money" family.
With his silent blessing, the entire Upper East Side elite became his personal army against me.
At a summer party in the Hamptons, he gave a look. That was all it took. His followers then “accidentally” shoved me into the icy swimming pool. I felt my lungs burn as water filled them.
He stood at the pool's edge, gazing down, his gray eyes cold with contempt. "Just because your mom married my dad doesn't mean you're one of us. Outsiders get weeded out. And I'll be the one to personally kick you out of my world."
On his command, they sabotaged the charity gala proposal I had meticulously prepared. They stained the six-figure custom gown for my coming-of-age ceremony with red wine.
Through it all, my mother could only offer me a shameful glance. My stepfather, the titan who controlled Wall Street, saw me as nothing more than a blemish on the family name.
I made myself as small as possible, just to earn a sliver of kindness.
But it only cemented my status as a high-society pariah. Despised and utterly alone.
Until Alvin's best friend, Linus, the heir to the Riverdale Group, took an interest in me at our Ivy Prep school.
For the first time, Alvin stopped his relentless torment.
I thought Linus was my only light in the darkness. On my birthday, I gave him everything.
The next day, I accidentally overheard a conversation between him and Alvin.
Alvin's voice was a low, venomous drawl. "Did you get the video? The one of that little hick going wild in bed?"
Linus chuckled. "Of course. I have to admit, she's passionate. Like an untamed little wildcat. A pity. If it weren't to help you drive her out of the family, I'd never touch someone like her."
I clamped a hand over my mouth as silent tears streamed down my face.
My only hope had been a lie.
But they didn't know. I had already received my acceptance letter from Stanford University.
I was never coming back.