I was the wicked fake heiress, raised in a gilded cage since childhood. After I died, my childhood sweetheart, Alexander, publicly released my scandalous photos, calling me a cheap tramp who only knew how to seduce men. Strangers tracked down my family home, shouting that I deserved to die. My parents, eager to distance themselves from my perceived bad karma, burned down the entire mansion overnight. They even fed my ashes to the dogs. Everyone claimed I got what I deserved. Until the day of the true heiress, Evelyn’s, lavish wedding to Alexander. That’s when they received my wedding gift. … Evelyn and Alexander’s grand wedding was packed with guests. My parents sat in the audience, wiping away tears, sniffling, “Evelyn’s finally married, our precious darling.” My spirit drifted in the air, a pang of sorrow in my chest. They used to dote on me just as much. Suddenly, someone called out loudly, “What a perfect match! Lord Alexander and Lady Evelyn, truly made for each other!” “Right? Not like that Imogen. She hogged the Thorne family name for years, but she was always a fraud, a commoner. Even in death, she’s a nuisance.” Evelyn seemed to catch my name. She paused, a faint, scornful smile touching her lips. “Right,” I thought, a bitter self-mockery. “I did usurp her aristocratic life for over two decades. She’s entitled to laugh.” But the next moment, Evelyn looked directly into the livestream camera. “Speaking of which, I actually have Imogen to thank.” “Because she even prepared a wedding gift for us.” “A gift?!” I froze mid-air. “I sent a gift?!” “How could I not know?” Before I could even recall, the audience erupted. “She’s dead, and she’s still pulling stunts? How cunning!” “Arrogant and overbearing in life, and still trying to cause trouble even after death!” “She was so malicious. Is it some kind of curse?” My mother’s face instantly paled, and she shot to her feet. “She used to covet everything Evelyn had! How could she possibly send a gift?!” “Get rid of it! We can’t let such an ill-omened thing spoil Evelyn’s wedding!” Alexander frowned, waving his hand dismissively. “Forget it, don’t bother. It’s certainly nothing good. Let’s just continue with the wedding.” But Evelyn raised a hand, silencing the commotion. “Is that so? I’d like to see what she sent.” My parents tried to object, but Evelyn had already opened the gift box. Inside was a thick journal. I recognized it as mine. But… my belongings were supposed to have been burned by my parents. How could it be here? Before I could ponder further, Evelyn picked up the journal and began to read aloud: February 1st, 2024. The Thorne family’s true daughter, Evelyn, has returned. She’s dark-skinned, thin, and terribly shy. Mom and Dad said Evelyn suffered a lot out there and that I should always defer to her from now on. As she finished, a photo of Evelyn appeared on the big screen, wearing a faded plaid shirt and jeans. It was a picture I’d secretly taken, hiding in a corner that day. Back then, her hair was dry and brittle, her eyes vacant, a stark contrast to the radiant woman she was today. Alexander, seeing the image, angrily ripped off his tie. “Turn it off! Who authorized this?! The past is the past! Evelyn isn’t like that anymore!” “Exactly!” Someone in the audience immediately chimed in. “Imogen is so manipulative! Keeping such an ugly photo!” “Could it be that she resented Evelyn the very first day she came back?!” “It seems all those things Imogen did later to frame Evelyn were premeditated!” Hearing this, my parents were even more furious. “If we’d known she was so vicious, we should have sent her away that very day!” I listened to their words, a knot of complex emotions in my chest. Just one photo, and I was being slandered like this. Evelyn paused, then continued to read. But she didn’t seem to dislike me much. She wiped the sweat from her palms and reached out to me, but I refused. She froze, then quietly asked if I didn’t like her. I was about to answer when my parents’ scolding voices exploded in my ears. Mom said, “It’s Evelyn’s first day back. Can’t you rein in your pampered heiress act?” Dad said, “Do you know what Evelyn went through these past twenty years? If it weren’t for that mix-up, you would have been the one suffering!” I was somewhat bewildered. Just the night before, they had told me that even if Evelyn returned, they would still treat me as their own daughter. I never expected that simply by not shaking Evelyn’s hand, they would reveal their true feelings. But… I only saw the calluses on Evelyn’s hand. I was afraid she’d feel self-conscious. Reading this, a flicker of confusion crossed Evelyn’s eyes, and she instinctively bit her lower lip. Mom reacted, snapping her head up. “I… I might have said that, but she got so out of hand later, I just…” “If she was really thinking of Evelyn, why didn’t she explain herself then? I think she’s just trying to cover her tracks now!” My father hugged her, softly comforting her. “It’s alright. She’s dead; consider it repayment.” Alexander frowned, cutting in. “I think she just didn’t want to accept Evelyn, afraid of losing her position when Evelyn came back!” Evelyn smiled faintly, saying nothing. The next second, her fingers turned to the next page. March 15th, 2024. The accompanying picture was of Alexander kneeling, tying my shoelace. Alexander came today. His first words were that he wanted to break off our engagement. He said that since the true Thorne heiress had returned, his family, the Scott’s, couldn’t possibly marry a fake. But he used to say he was marrying me only because he loved me. We’d known each other for over two decades. Did that count for less than being “real” or “fake”? How could he change so much just because Evelyn returned? I rushed out without thinking, wanting to ask him why. But then I heard him on the phone with a friend, saying, “Imogen’s just an impostor, she really thinks she’s something.” “She’s good for a bit of fun, but for an alliance, you need the real heiress.” The person on the other end said something I couldn’t hear, and he suddenly burst into laughter. “Yeah, it’s a shame, though.” “Five years with her, I was so good to her, and she wouldn’t even let me touch her. What a pretentious little ice queen.” “But that Evelyn… she looks like she’d be easier to get.” That’s when I realized all his past affection was a lie. I was so incredibly sad. I did consider telling Mom and Dad. But as soon as I mentioned Alexander, they assumed I was trying to compete with Evelyn again and wouldn’t give me a chance to speak. What about Evelyn then? I couldn’t just stand by and watch her marry such a scoundrel, could I? But would she even believe me? Reading this, Evelyn instinctively glanced at Alexander. He swallowed hard, then retorted, “She must have been jealous that you were marrying me, that’s why she wrote such nonsense!” Lord and Lady Scott also shot to their feet, roaring, “If my son really said those things, then what about Imogen’s plot to drug my son to get into his bed?!” Whispers started in the audience. “That’s right! On Evelyn’s birthday, Imogen deliberately put something in Alexander’s drink, and the next day, shamelessly demanded he marry her! She can’t deny that!” Evelyn nodded. “Yes, why would she do that?”
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