Just to spite me, even when they went to a hotel, they used my number for the booking.
That was the moment I knew—any relationship that required no effort or investment was doomed from the start.
Looking back now, it all feels impossibly far away.
“Sis, don’t be mad at Ethan. That’s just how he is,” Sophia Brooks said softly, her expression gentle but laced with false concern.
“You disappeared for five years without contacting us. Mom and Dad were so worried. Where on earth did you go?”
She spoke like a saint, but the undertone was pure malice.
“You don’t know the awful things people have been saying. Some claim you ran off with another man.”
Sophia covered her mouth with a dainty laugh. “But I know you wouldn’t—after all, you’ve always loved Ethan too much to accept another man…”
I chuckled along with her.
“How do you know I wouldn’t? Don’t act like you know me so well.”
I was smiling, but my tone was cold and distant.
“And stop calling me ‘sis.’ I’m an only child—my parents never gave me a sister.”
Her smile froze instantly, and the color drained slightly from her face.
I hadn’t held back one bit.
Everyone in our circle knew I—Lily Anderson—was the true Brooks heiress.
Sophia was the one who had been switched at birth, enjoying eighteen years of wealth and privilege that were meant for me.
When they found me, they couldn’t bear to part with the girl they had raised for nearly two decades, so they kept her in the family and told us to call each other sisters.
If not for what happened five years ago, I might have swallowed my pride and tried to coexist with her.
But we were always meant to be strangers.
My words clearly stung her; tears welled in her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I know I’m not Mom and Dad’s biological daughter. I don’t deserve it…”
“Lily, are you crazy?” Ethan snapped, hurriedly handing her a tissue while glaring at me.
“Don’t you know? Robert Brooks has already written his will, leaving everything to Sophia.
“So what if you’re the real daughter? They cut ties with you years ago.
“Five years ago, you humbled yourself to return to the Brooks family and agreed to marry me just to secure your position.
“Well? How does it feel hearing this now—are you furious?”
His eyes were full of triumph, clearly hoping to see me twist in rage.
But my face remained impassive. “Oh. Good for you.”