Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 57:

From her place at the top of the stairs, Maia looked down at them — the family she once would have bled for. Her heart felt heavy, but her face was cold.

Four years ago, they had believed every lie Rosanna fed them and hadn’t even hesitated before casting Maia aside. And now? Things had only gotten worse. The Morgans were still the same.

Did it hurt?

The truth was, the pain had burned itself out long ago. Only numbness remained.

Maia’s lips curled into a slow, icy smile. “You want the police to take me? Fine. Where’s your evidence?”

“Evidence? All of us here saw it, Maia.” Sandra raised her chin, wearing an air of righteous certainty.

Maia came down the stairs one step at a time, stopping when she stood face-to-face with the Morgan family, her gaze level with theirs. Her eyes were steady, but there was something in them now that hadn’t been there four years ago.

When she locked eyes with them, an uneasy guilt crept up on them, though none could explain why.

“You all saw it?” Maia repeated, her voice calm and steady. “Did any of you actually see me push her?”

For a beat, the Morgans froze, caught off guard.

Recovering quickly, Sandra let out a disdainful laugh. “Even if no one saw it happen, it was just you and Rosanna there. If you didn’t push her, then who did? A ghost? Or are you seriously suggesting Rosanna made it up?”

One eyebrow arched, Maia met her stare head-on. “Why not?”

“That’s complete nonsense!” Sandra burst out, unable to contain her fury at hearing her daughter accused. “Do you really believe Rosanna could be as shameless and deceitful as you? Rosanna has always been polite and kind, and she’s never once told a lie. How could she possibly trick us? Don’t think that just because you have no real proof, you can go around smearing Rosanna’s name without consequences!”

A soft laugh escaped Maia’s lips — sharp, humorless. But the girl standing before them now wasn’t the Maia from four years ago.

“What if I can prove Rosanna’s lying?” Maia asked, her eyes gleaming with quiet confidence. “Would you, as her mother, actually punish her?”

Sandra stiffened. “Rosanna would never lie!” she retorted, clinging to her certainty like a shield.

Maia lifted her voice and said, “If I really pushed her, I’ll hand myself over to the police. But if she’s the one lying, would you have the courage to slap her as punishment?”

For the first time, Sandra faltered. She stood there, mouth opening and closing, unable to summon a response.

Off to the side, Jarrod sneered. “Maia, quit bluffing. If you really have proof, even if Mom won’t act, I will. As her brother, I’ll make sure Rosanna pays.”

Richard sneered. “Maia, my advice is to come clean. We might show you a little mercy for the years we spent raising you.”

Upon hearing that, Maia didn’t bother saying anything else. She pulled out her phone, downloaded an app, and used facial recognition to log in.noveldrama

A few swift taps later, and the phones belonging to Sandra, Jarrod, and Richard buzzed loudly all at once.

“Take a look,” Maia said lightly, slipping her phone back into her pocket as she casually leaned against the stair railing.

Suspicious, they unlocked their screens, brows furrowing. What they found was a video message waiting for them.

One by one, they clicked play, and as the footage rolled, their expressions twisted into something grim and complicated.

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