Chapter 10
In order to stand up for the fake daughter who was rejected in a proposal,my husband of three years abandoned our wedding ceremony and fled on the spot.
And my biological brothers,instead of questioning anything,also got up and left.”
When I saw the secretly filmed video from the assistant,my eyes burned with rage.”
“Jason,three years ago when I ran away from the engagement banquet,it really wasn’t on purpose. It was just that I had just been diagnosed with cancer back then and my sister scolded me,saying I was a sickly burden to you all. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to stay with you for long,so I…“Fiona spoke pitifully,twisting the truth.”
“I know you’ve already been married to my sister for three years, you must have fallen in love with her too,right?Simon, Ethan…. do you not like me as your little sister anymore either…”
Jason was silent for three seconds,then spoke,his voice as gentle as water,“No,I don’t love her. From beginning to end,the only one I’ve ever wanted to marry is you.“}
Then,my eldest and second brothers also stepped forward,pulling her into their arms with deep distress.“Foolish girl,you were so seriously ill–why didn’t you tell your brothers? In our hearts, you’re the only sister.“”
I stood there,as if stabbed straight through the chest,blood gushing out.”
Then what was I supposed to be?”
Ever since I,the true daughter who had been lost and later brought back to the Corvin Family,returned home,I had been living like an invisible shadow.”
It wasn’t until three years ago, when Fiona fled at her engagement banquet with Jason,that my life finally began to change.
My eldest brother,Simon,publicly declared that he was severing ties with the fake daughter,and from then on,he would only acknowledge me,the true daughter.
Jason, without a moment’s hesitation,pulled me along to register our marriage.“It doesn’t matter who it is–my wife can be anyone!“\
For those three years, I lived as if in a dream. My brothers doted on me endlessly and my husband was gentle and considerate.§ I thought I had gained the love of my brothers as well as the love of Jason.
Today was the wedding ceremony I had spent three years planning and finally obtained. But because Fiona came back,every single one of them chose to abandon me.
Tears nearly blurred my vision. As I tore apart the hundred–thousand–dollar wedding dress with all my strength,my trembling hands dialed that long–forgotten number.“Sir…could you….come and take me away?“}
Since I could never truly fit into this family,then I chose to leave and never come back.
The man’s voice came through the phone.“Come with me. I’ll arrange immigration for you. But think it through carefully–once you leave with me,you’ll never return to this country.”
I froze for two seconds,a bitter smile spreading across my face.“I know.I don’t plan on coming back.”
“Alright. Wait for my people to finish the paperwork and come get you.”
I hung up the call and returned to the dressing room,wiping away the heavy makeup from my face,stroke by stroke.
A stolen dream was bound to end sooner or later–perhaps I was never meant to be loved.§
That night,the moment I stepped through the Corvin Family’s doors,the sight before me stabbed at my eyes with unbearable
pain.
Jason–who had never cooked,who hated the smell of oil and smoke–was standing at the stove in an apron, clumsy yet careful as he simmered soup for Fiona.
Simon and Ethan sat on either side of her,attentively asking what kind of wedding she liked and where she wanted to go for her honeymoon.
I froze in place,my chest feeling as though it had been struck by a heavy hammer–because this was the scene I had dreamed of countless times.
Fiona and I were switched at birth on the day we were born.
The family that took me home looked down on me for being a girl and neglected me completely from childhood.
It wasn’t until I was fifteen that I was told the truth–that I was in fact the daughter of the prestigious Corvin Family.
Having never known a father’s or a mother’s love,I couldn’t help but place all of my hopes and expectations on my blood relatives.
But who could have known that my biological parents had long since passed away,leaving only my eldest and second brothers in the Corvin Family.
8:30 AM
In order to keep Fiona with them,they paid a huge sum of money to the family that raised her and forcibly adopted her.”
From that moment on,I became nothing more than a shadow.”
When I was shivering with pneumonia at home,my brothers were busy accompanying Fiona to a concert.”
When she locked me in a dark little room full of spiders and I cried the whole night,begging my brothers for help,I was scolded for lying and left without food for three whole days.”
In high school,when my family found my diary where I had written about liking Jason,Fiona immediately said she liked him too.”
That very night,my eldest brother decided on an engagement between her and Jason–completely disregarding the fact that it was my feelings on the line.\
Fiona was the one who grew up with them,the princess who had been cherished for years.\
I was nothing more than an ugly duckling who had mistakenly stumbled into a castle that was never mine.
I thought my life would remain that way forever–until three years ago, when Fiona,out of rebellion,ran away from her engagement banquet with Jason.
At the moment Jason pulled me to register our marriage,I made up my mind.I would seize this chance to make my elder brothers accept me and to make Jason fall in love with me.<
And I truly did become someone visible in their eyes.<
In these three years, whenever Simon returned from a business trip,he would always bring back a chest full of the latest gowns and jewelry.
My second brother, Ethan,had a globally limited–edition piano custom–made just for me,presenting it publicly at my birthday banquet.
Jason would raise his paddle at jewelry exhibitions until the price soared sky–high,all for the sake of a pink diamond ring my gaze had lingered on for just a moment.”
He once took me on a private jet,just to fulfill a casual remark I made about wanting to see the aurora.}
Naively,l believed that all the boundless affection that once belonged to Fiona had finally fallen upon me.
But now I realized–it wasn’t like that. What I received was nothing more than the scraps that slipped through Fiona’s fingers.
Jason would spend a fortune on extravagant gifts for me, yet he had never once cooked a single meal with his own hands for my sake.[
My brothers could order me the hundred–thousand–dollar wedding dress without even blinking, yet they never once asked me directly about what kind of wedding I wanted, or where I wished to go for my honeymoon.[
All the true love belonged only to Fiona.”
When Jason lifted his gaze and saw me,a frown creased his brow. He pulled me straight into the kitchen, lowering his voice. “Callista,don’t bring up the marriage in front of Fiona again. She’s sick and we’ve decided to fulfill her wish–to give her the wedding she’s always dreamed of.I told her that you and I never registered our marriage three years ago.“”
My pupils contracted,a chill seeping into my heart.“Is it really about fulfilling her…or just satisfying your own selfishness…” “Don’t forget,you took the place that should have belonged to Fiona!“Jason’s tone was gentle,yet carried a warning. “So you,of all people,should be more understanding and be good. Listen,this is only temporary. Of course,my wife will always be you.” My breath caught in my throat. Before I could utter a word, Fiona suddenly burst into the kitchen.
“Callista…” she called softly,her voice dripping with honey. “You’re not unhappy that I’ve come back, are you?Thank you for taking care of Jason and my brothers for the past three years. It’s really such a relief that you didn’t register your marriage with Jason…No, I don’t mean anything else by that. Anyway, from now on, let’s get along well, okay?“N
My back went rigid like a drawn steel wire. Every time she smiled like that,disaster always followed.§
Sure enough,Fiona’s sleeve gave the slightest tremble and a large,pitch–black spider slowly crawled out.N
Its eight legs crept along her wrist,like a malicious greeting.
My breath caught violently.Ever since Fiona had once locked me in with spiders for an entire night,I could no longer breathe whenever I saw one.
“It’s very tame,“Fiona said with an innocent smile. “Come on,say hello to Callista.”
Terror clenched around my throat. With a scream,l instinctively shoved her away.
Fiona’s body tilted and she fell straight to the ground.
“Callista,why did you push me?“Tears welled up in her eyes instantly, her voice trembling as though frightened. “Do you really hate that I came back?”
“You’re talking nonsense-”
Before I could even react, Jason’s expression had already darkened,his face cold as ice. “Callista,are you out of your mind?
200
8:30 AM
She’s sick and you still laid hands on her?“\
He shoved me hard and my whole body was flung against the stove.
The scalding soup pot overturned,lid and all,the thick boiling liquid splashing straight down onto my back.”
In that instant,it felt as though my skin was being torn open alive,the burning heat searing straight into my bones.\
