Side Chick Era Over (Sharon and Carter) novel Chapter 385

Chapter 385

“When Mom passed so suddenly, and the Kalen family kicked me out, if it hadn’t been for you, I would’ve ended up on the streets. I probably wouldn’t have even made it to see her one last time,” Sharon said.

But John wasn’t comforted by her words. “I still feel useless… I couldn’t protect you then… I couldn’t even protect Teacher Shayla. I didn’t even know she was terminally ill.”

Sharon shook her head. “John, this wasn’t your fault. None of it. You shouldn’t blame yourself.”

Her mother had hidden her illness from everyone. She’d even sent Sharon to live with the Kalen family to keep her from noticing anything.

Despite raising Sharon alone, Shayla’s life had never resembled some tragic melodrama. They weren’t poor. In fact, they lived comfortably-upper middle class by most standards.

If not, how could her mother have afforded to help John financially back then?

When her mother left the Kalen family, she’d taken a sizable sum with her. On top of that, she was an accomplished violinist. Whether performing or teaching, she earned well.

So Sharon never went without. Never.

Her mother always gave her the best she could afford-clothes, food, education. Everything.

As Sharon grew older, she’d once told her mother she didn’t need everything to be the best. That she could live more simply.

But Shayla just smiled and said, “I give you the best so you won’t be dazzled by scraps some man offers you one day. So you won’t ever mistake small kindness for something bigger than it is.”

She took Sharon to concerts, art exhibitions, and fashion shows. They traveled often and saw the world together.

But for all the generosity, her mother’s expectations were strict.

Mastering the violin wasn’t an excuse to neglect her studies. From the time she could speak, Sharon was learning multiple languages.

In school, she was always at the top of her class.

On top of that, her mother enrolled her in everything-painting, calligraphy, etiquette. Her childhood and teenage years were

scheduled down to the minute.

There was no space for silly things like crushes or puppy love.

She hadn’t had the time.

Back then, she didn’t understand why her mother was so harsh with her.

But once she returned to the Kalen family, she finally understood.

Her mother hadn’t just raised her. She’d raised her to be a lady. A true heiress.

She’d expanded Sharon’s world so Sharon would never be intimidated by wealth or power.

And compared to ordinary families, Sharon had believed-honestly believed-her life was already a good one.

But when she set foot back in the Kalen household, she finally understood what real wealth looked like.

Her bedroom alone was larger than the entire home she’d grown up in.

In some corner, a casually placed porcelain vase was worth millions.

Chapter 385

And the house… no, it wasn’t a house. Not even a mansion. It was an estate. A private castle.

Driving from the main gate to the residence itself took nearly twenty minutes. The sheer size of it was staggering.

Her mother had raised her to be confident, self-assured, and proud.

But for the first time in her life, standing inside the Kalen estate, Sharon understood what it meant to feel… small.

It wasn’t like the obvious disdain someone like Nate would throw in her face. No, the Kalen family’s way was different.

Her three brothers, and her half-sister Victoria…. they never said anything cruel to her. Not once.

But the distance was there. The subtle air of indifference. The invisible wall.

They were polite. Courteous.

But with Victoria, they were warm, affectionate, and protective.

Sharon could see it clearly-they had never truly accepted her as family.

To them, she was just… someone who happened to share their blood. A stranger with familiar DNA.

And what finally ripped away the thin veil of civility between them… was that one incident.

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