Page 14 of The Omega Switch: Part 2

"You want to forgive me." I said, my mind spinning at her audacity.

"Ivy-"

"No." My voice remained remarkably calm despite the anger simmering beneath the surface. "You don't get to talk about forgiveness."

There was silence from Clara, for once.

"You knew Arabella stole my work," I continued before she could interrupt. "You knew she stole my Bond Match profile. Then she stole my perfume, and all of you stood there while she lied to Pack Vale over and over again. Then, when I finally tried to tell the truth, you watched while I was Alpha Barked into silence by my own father, and let everyone believe I was some unstable omega having a breakdown." I said, growing angrier.

“Ivy, calm down, let’s discuss this rationally,” Clara said, her tone growing sharper.

"I am rational,” I said, my voice matching hers. The words came out sharper than I'd intended, but once they started, I couldn't stop them.

“And where is your apology?” I asked, my anger rising.

“Me? Apologize? Excuse me?” Clara asked as if I offended her.

“Yes. Because you and I both know that all of you protected Arabella instead of telling the truth, because letting her get her way mattered more to you than what happened to me."

"Ivy, you're getting emotional," Clara said with a sigh.

"Of course I’m emotional," I snapped. "I spent years wondering what was so wrong with me that my own family never looked at me the way you all looked at Arabella." My breathing was coming out fast and ragged, but I didn't care if she heard it.

"You isolated me from everyone outside this family. You monitored what I ate because you were terrified I'd gain weight. You forced me onto heat suppressants because Arabella's schedule was more important than my health, you hid me whenever anyone came to the house, and lied about my work while Arabella accepted praise for things I created." I was on a roll. I was finally letting it all out.

"And somehow," I said, "you've convinced yourself that I'm the one who owes you an apology."

Clara's voice hardened immediately. "You are being unbelievably rude and selfish."

I laughed. “Selfish? I gave you everything. I followed every rule, and even those kept changing. I gave way more than I could, or should have.” I said.

"We gave you a home." Clara hissed.

"That was my home. It belonged to me, and my mother, long before you set foot inside of it and turned it into a prison." I said, my voice tight.

"Oh, stop. We’re your family. We’re all you have left." Clara said.

"No." The word came more softly this time, but somehow carried even more conviction. "You aren't. I have so much more now than when I lived there."

Movement stirred on the other end before Phillip’s familiar voice replaced Clara's.

"Ivy." For years, hearing his voice had been enough to make my stomach knot with anxiety, to make me apologize before I even knew what I'd done wrong. I waited for that familiar instinct to make myself smaller, quieter, more agreeable - but it never came.

"You've had your little tantrum," he said flatly. "Now come home."

"No." I said, and it felt amazing. I realized I loved saying no. He was quiet for a moment - probably shocked that I stood up for myself. But then, he spoke.

"You've embarrassed this family long enough." I leaned back against the kitchen counter and closed my eyes.

"I was wondering how long it would take before someone mentioned the family needs over mine," I said, shaking my head. He didn’t seem to understand and kept talking.

"You've ruined Arabella's reputation. It’s time for you to come back and fix this.” He chided me.

"No," I replied quietly. "She ruined it herself. Maybe let her deal with the consequences of her own actions for once in her life." I said, my frustration growing.

"She’s your sister, you’re being cruel!" Phillip said, and I couldn’t believe I actually thought this might be productive. “Now get back here and clean up your mess. You’ll be better off in our home, with access to your funds. You can have your job back. Just get back here, and we can let this all slide.”

I couldn't help smiling. Of course they wanted me back for the company. I highly doubted I’d get access to my funds without having to beg permission for every purchase.