Chapter 894

It wasn't Maryanne's words that prompted Hayden—it was that he wanted to leave all that negativity outside the door. He turned back into the apartment and dropped onto the couch. Then, he ran both hands through his hair, messing up the short strands into a chaotic tangle. "They're not that bad to you, actually." Maryanne offered a fair assessment. "But I want them to treat Lily and me equally. I'm their son, and what, and Lily isn't their daughter?" Hayden's voice was laced with frustration and pain. "You know what? Sometimes I wish I were the one they favored less." He always felt the need to treat Lily twice as well to make up for the favoritism their parents had shown. But he knew no matter how much he did, he could never erase the damage they had already done to her. And if things kept going like this, he honestly didn't know how he was supposed to face Lily. He was scared that one day, because of their parents' favoritism, a rift would form between him and Lily. "Lily doesn'