The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 458

Once she got her hands on the bread, she tore the wrapper open and stuffed it into her mouth, barely stopping to breathe. She looked a mess—pathetic, even—her desperation painfully clear.

Sawyer’s chest tightened as he watched her. In his memory, Citrine was always clever and understated; she carried herself with a quiet pride, always planning her escape before stepping into anything. To him, she had always been poised and dazzling—never had he seen her so broken, so vulnerable.

His heart ached. He couldn’t understand how, even in a dream, he could ever be so cruel.

Suddenly, the scene shifted. Sawyer blinked, disoriented, and found himself tied to a rooftop. Standing before him were Jeanette and her daughter Aline, flanked by several burly men.

He was suspended over the edge, with nothing but air and a deadly drop beneath him; the smallest slip and he’d plummet to the ground.

Jeanette, completely unconcerned for his life, fixed her gaze coldly on Citrine. “Citrine, if you want your beloved father to live, you have two choices: jump off this roof yourself, or sign over every company and asset you own to me. You choose.”

Sawyer barely had time to process what was happening before he heard Citrine’s voice, calm and clear: “Let Sawyer go. I’ll do whatever you want.”

Jeanette and Aline exchanged a satisfied smile. “Fine. Two options—pick one.”

Everyone expected Citrine to surrender her fortune and companies to Jeanette. But Citrine’s answer caught them all off guard.

“I choose the first one.”

Her words floated in the air. She shot Sawyer a look—half-smile, half-bitterness—then suddenly laughed.

“Well, if this is what you want, you can have it all.”

She turned to Sawyer, her voice steady. “Sawyer, whatever I owed you, I’ve paid back. In the next life, I hope I don’t have a father like you.”

Without another word, Citrine hurled herself off the rooftop.

The nightmare was still fresh in his mind—Citrine’s leap from the rooftop replayed over and over. She had looked utterly resigned, not a trace of fear in her eyes, only relief.

Her words echoed: “Well, if this is what you want, you can have it all.”

“Sawyer, whatever I owed you, I’ve paid back. In the next life, I hope I don’t have a father like you.”

She’d known all along it was a setup—a cruel game to steal everything she had. And knowing that, she’d still played her part to the end, giving her life for the charade.

Sawyer felt ice settle in his veins.

Was it really just a dream?

It felt all too real—so vivid, it was as if it had truly happened.