Grace Sinclair walked toward Selene and took out a little kajal from the corner of her eye, ready to apply it behind Selene's ear to ward off evil.
But Selene immediately grabbed her hand.
Her voice was cold.
"You lost that right a long time ago. So stop this pretending.
Give all your love to your one and only daughter—Mia.
Not me.
Understood?"
She let go of Grace's hand.
Grace's eyes turned misty.
The same pain flashed across the faces of Kevin, Ronald, Reed, and Ryan.
Selene then walked up to Victor Sinclair and said softly,
"Grandpa, I'm leaving for college. I'll have breakfast there."
She turned to leave when Daniel suddenly spoke:
"I'm going to college too. Whoever wants to come with me, come."
Everyone was shocked.
Daniel never offered that.
But no one said a word.
Ronald, Reed, and Ryan left for the office.
Daniel stood by his car, leaning against it, legs crossed—
one hand in his pocket, the other scrolling through his phone.
That was when Mia walked up to him.
"Shall we go?" she asked with a hopeful smile.
Daniel's brows knit together sharply.
He looked around.
Selene wasn't there.
His irritation rose instantly.
"Where is your sister?" he demanded.
Mia quickly replied,
"Don't worry, I sent her ahead."
Flashback
As Selene was about to leave, Mia stopped her.
"Selene, Daniel didn't ask you to come with him.
You know how angry he gets.
Maybe… he told me to come because your brothers left early and Dad isn't well.
And I don't go anywhere alone so…"
Selene rolled her eyes.
"Go with whoever you want. I don't need your half-hour explanation.
And I'm not interested in either you or Daniel.
Get it?"
And she walked away.
Flashback Ends
Daniel heard all this as he sat in his car.
His jaw clenched in rage.
He didn't even spare Mia a glance before speeding away.
She watched him leave with teary eyes.
Daniel drove fast—too fast.
His hands tightened on the steering wheel.
"You shouldn't have done that, sweetheart…
You shouldn't have…"
His speed increased even more as anger burned in his chest.
At the College
The moment Selene reached the college gate, she saw a stunning girl walking toward her—
dusky skin, big expressive eyes, long waist-length hair,
wearing a blue top and white jeans.
"Hey princess! Where are you going?" she teased.
"Are you angry at me for scolding you on the phone?"
Selene looked at her—
and a small smile appeared.
"No, Nisha… I was just hungry.
I didn't eat anything at home, so my brain stopped working."
Nisha laughed.
"Then let's go to the canteen!
We still have plenty of time before the lecture."