Once I was on the mend, Elias said he wanted to bring me back to Levy Manor for the family’s monthly dinner. 

I was worn out and still reeling from one thing after another, and all I wanted was to rest, so I turned him down. But he wasn’t having it. His concern for me had vanished. 

Elias had always been the most eager to attend these dinners. This time, his persistence made it painfully clear who he was so desperate to see—Laura. 

After taking my place in that performance, Laura rode the wave of fame and continued dancing. She was always on the go, only coming back to Levy Manor for the monthly dinners. 

“Is that Sorensen cripple coming along too? Just looking at her ruins my appetite.” 

“Bertha didn’t invite her. When’s that useless cripple, who can’t even have kids, going to kick the bucket?” 

“I still don’t get why Elias insisted on marrying that filthy, lowborn trash. Was he trying to drag the Levy name through the mud even further?”