"Seeing you is like having my mom back. Can you marry my dad? I want him to divorce that scheming, barren woman; I want you to be my mom!"

Tessa gently wiped the sweat from his forehead, her voice soft and soothing. "Stephen, you shouldn’t say such things about others. But if your father is willing, of course, I can be your mother. Your sister in heaven would be happy, too."

Then, as if only just noticing me, she turned with a feigned look of apology. "Miss, Stephen is still young and speaks his mind. Please don’t take it to heart."

Despite sharing the same birth mother, Tessa had never once called me her sister.

Stephen shot me a glare before grabbing Tessa’s hand and pulling her toward the study, no doubt to ask Carlos to divorce me.

That suited me just fine.

Just as I was about to leave, a firm hand seized my arm.

My brother Ezekiel Cavendish’s voice was sharp and accusative. "What kind of wife are you? You can’t even hold on to your own husband? How could you let Tessa and Carlos be alone together? Thank goodness Stephen was there last night!"

"Carlos only loves Evie. Tessa looks like her; what if she catches his attention? I refuse to let my sister be anyone’s substitute."

I met his gaze; my voice calmed yet cutting. "I’m your sister too. Why is it fine for me to be trapped in a marriage where I don’t even have a place in his heart?"

Ezekiel frowned, blurting out without hesitation, "That’s different! Even if Tessa never marries, I can still ensure she lives in luxury. But if you leave the Davis family, you’ll have nothing."

So that was the truth.

He couldn’t stand the thought of Tessa being used as a replacement, yet he had no qualms about keeping me shackled for the sake of his own interests.

So, I was the one meant to be sacrificed.

Ezekiel studied my silence before speaking earnestly. "Dahlia, I heard about your adoptive mother, but you’re carrying the future of this family on your shoulders. The South District development project is about to be approved. If you walk away now, what if President Davis pulls out of the deal?"

"And Stephen is your child, too. Can you really bear to abandon him like this? You can’t be so selfish."

A slow smile curved my lips. "You forget, I was never a Cavendish to begin with. That name was something you forced upon me, and now I’m giving it back."