Lane's POV
"Love me?" Lane repeated the word, her voice entirely flat, a chilling chuckle escaping her lips.
She looked down at the desperate older woman clinging to her fingers. This past year, Brenda had always treated her decently enough on the surface, but Lane knew better than anyone that it had never been out of genuine affection. It had never come for free.
Lane had to pay for that decency first—with her tireless care, her family’s gold, and the continuous sacrifice of her own dignity. Yet, the very second someone else came along—someone Brenda deemed more useful or powerful—she had immediately tossed Lane aside like garbage.
"I don't need that kind of calculated affection, Brenda," Lane said, her eyes flashing with a sudden, razor-sharp warning.
"Enough. Stop with these pat
