In the earthquake, both my brother and my childhood fiancé abandoned me, choosing to save the real heiress first. My right leg was crushed and fractured as a result. After I was pulled from the rubble, I heard my fiancé, Brook, give my brother a quiet order. "I'm planning to break off our engagement, so I need to keep my distance. She's your sister. You take care of her." "Like hell she is!" Leo shot back, his voice dripping with resentment. "My real sister is back. What's an outsider like her still doing hanging around our house?" They both happened to glance back then. Our eyes met, and an unspeakable awkwardness hung in the air. 1 The rescue worker carrying my stretcher froze, his gaze dropping to me. "Didn't you say they were your family?" he asked, confused. "Why'd he call you an outsider? Who am I supposed to leave you with?" The moment he spoke, the two boys who had been pushing responsibility onto each other fell silent. They turned in unison, their eyes locking with mine again, a flicker of unease in their expressions. They clearly hadn't expected me to be right behind them, to hear every word. I tried to speak, but the pain overwhelmed me, and the world went black. 2 I woke to the sound of hushed voices outside my hospital room. "That poor girl. Her leg is completely fractured, and not a single person has come to look after her since she was admitted." "Well, it's her own fault, isn't it? I heard she was the one switched at birth. Now that the real daughter is back, she should have the decency to leave. No wonder they don't want her around." "I suppose you're right..." I stared blankly at the thick plaster cast on my right leg. The sharp agony had dulled to a throb. When I was trapped under the debris, hearing Leo's voice had felt like salvation. "What are you waiting for? Of course you save my sister first!" he had yelled. "She's claustrophobic! If anything happens to her because you dragged your feet, I'll kill you!" The one with claustrophobia was Missy, the real daughter. The rescuer's tone turned grave. "Then the family needs to be prepared. The girl on the other side... there's a high probability her leg will be crushed by the collapsing wall." Leo hesitated. His voice dropped to a near whisper. "I... I understand..." Then, a little louder, defensively, "What was I supposed to do? I could only save one of them." Threads of light pierced through the cracks in the rubble, faintly illuminating my leg, pinned between slabs of concrete. In that moment, when the pain was so intense it stole my voice, my resentment for Leo peaked. But now, lying here, I couldn't summon any of that emotion. I could even analyze the situation with a strange detachment. Leo wasn’t wrong. Choosing his own flesh and blood… it was only logical. He was right. It was time for me to leave. There's nothing more pathetic than someone who overstays their welcome. 3 Leo and the others came to visit while I was clumsily trying to reach the heating pad on my bedside table. My hand was icy from the IV drip. Missy led the way, practically bouncing over to my bed. "Faye! Did you really break your leg?" she asked, her eyes wide as she stared at the cast. Then she let out a breath of relieved air. "Oh, I can't even imagine. If that were me, I'd be crying every single day. Thank goodness..." A wave of exhaustion washed over me, and I couldn't be bothered to decipher how much of her tone was genuine sympathy and how much was thinly veiled glee. Leo stood farthest away, deliberately avoiding my gaze. He was clearly still hung up on the embarrassment of that day by the ruins. Not like Brook. His expression was as cool and distant as ever. His eyes swept over my injured leg, a flicker of a frown, barely noticeable. After a long moment, he spoke. "We'll talk when you've recovered." I froze. I remembered his words from the wreckage. I'm planning to break off our engagement. That must have been what he couldn't bring himself to say. Missy looked back at him, her eyes shimmering. "You're getting soft, aren't you?" Brook's lips thinned. "And you think I should kick her while she's down?" Missy's gaze fell. After a few seconds, she murmured, "That's not what I meant. I'm a little tired, I'm going to head home. You two should stay and take care of Faye. It must be hard for her to do things on her own." She rushed the words out and then fled the room, the sound of a choked sob echoing behind her. Leo glared at Brook like a wolf pup guarding its food. "Brook," he growled. "You dare make my sister cry?" Brook's focus was still on the girl who had just left. He ignored Leo's warning, his voice low and firm as he followed her out. "You stay here and look after her." "What?" Leo sputtered. He shot me a panicked look before scrambling after them. "Wait! I don't know how to take care of anyone! Don't just leave me here!" He bolted as if he were fleeing the plague. The door, left ajar, swung back and forth in the draft from the window. Just like that, I was alone again. From start to finish, no one had given me a chance to say a word. To tell them I agreed to end the engagement. Or that I didn't need anyone to stay and take care of me. In the week I'd been in the hospital, I had already learned how to take care of myself. 4 No one else came to visit before I was discharged. My adoptive mother called once, right after I had the cast removed. She sighed, her voice gentle and persuasive. "Faye, don't blame Leo for choosing Missy. She's his real sister, you understand? I don't want this to create a rift between you two." "I don't blame him, Mom. He didn't do anything wrong." "You've always been the understanding one," she said, relieved. "Your father and I will pick you up when you're discharged. We're on a business trip right now, so we haven't had time to visit. You need to take good care of yourself." Just then, I heard Leo’s impatient voice in the background. "Mom! Who are you talking to? Hurry up! Let's get a family picture before… you know who… gets back." The silence on the line was deafening, filled only with a faint electronic hum. I kept my voice even. "I will, Mom. I'll take care of myself." I heard a distinct sigh of relief from her end. "Oh, good... Well, I have to go. I have a meeting." The call ended abruptly. The night was quiet. I put my phone away and, gripping the handrail, began another round of physical therapy. In the silent hospital corridor, it was just me, dragging my atrophied leg one small step at a time. Half an hour later, with beads of sweat on my forehead, I managed a small smile. I'd walked two feet farther than yesterday. 5 No one came to pick me up on the day of my discharge. Fortunately, I wasn't waiting for anyone. I had just stepped through the front door, luggage in hand, when I realized I’d come back at the wrong time. The Bennetts—all four of them—and Brook were gathered around the dining table, enjoying hot pot. My arrival shattered the cheerful atmosphere. Their expressions shifted, none of them welcoming. The only sound was the gentle bubbling of the broth. My adoptive mother recovered first, forcing a smile. "Faye! You're back! Why didn't you tell us you were coming... You haven't eaten, have you? Come, sit down and join us." The spicy aroma filled the air, and my healing leg seemed to ache in phantom pain. But unlike before, I felt no surge of self-pity, no urge to lash out about how no one truly cared, how no one remembered that I needed to avoid spicy food while I was recovering. I didn't step forward to ruin their meal. "It's okay, Mom," I said. "I ate before I came back. I'm just going to go upstairs and unpack." Later that evening, in my adoptive father's study. He tapped a rhythmic beat on the mahogany desk. "You're leaving?" I nodded. "My flight is in a week." I added, "Please, don't tell Mom or the others just yet." I'd chosen to tell him, and only him, because he was the least attached to me. He wouldn't try to guilt me into staying with some soft-hearted appeal. As expected, he didn't try to dissuade me. "It's for the best," he said. "You can see for yourself, your presence has thrown this family into disarray." He looked at me, his gaze direct. "Once you leave, don't contact your mother or the others again. It's better to make a clean break." I promised him I would never appear before them again. He studied me for a few seconds, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, but said nothing more. 6 A heavy weight I hadn't even realized I was carrying suddenly lifted. I felt impossibly light. I walked out of the villa, needing some fresh air. A familiar angry shout erupted nearby. "Brook, you asshole, you ditched me again!" Leo was yelling into his phone. "You take my sister out on a date and leave me to deal with her all by myself? What kind of friend are you?" He trailed off, muttering, "God, I can't believe it... why did she have to come back? Doesn't she get how awkward she makes it for everyone..." Leo ended the call with a frustrated jab at the screen. He turned and his eyes met mine. His furious expression morphed into something complicated and unreadable. As we stood there in a tense silence, a car sped down the street. Leo was standing right on the curb, lost in thought. Years of habit took over. I lunged forward and yanked him back onto the sidewalk. The car honked twice and shot past. I let out a breath, feeling no desire to speak to him. I released his arm and started to walk away. Leo stood frozen for a second before jogging to catch up. "Hey, Faye... thanks." I gave a curt nod, not slowing down. He stammered for a moment, then suddenly grabbed my hand, his voice a torrent of frustrated confession. "I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have said all that stuff about wanting you to leave. You know me, I've always had a big mouth. I didn't really mean it..." I turned my head and looked at the boy whose face still held a trace of childishness. "I know." "So... can we be okay again?" he asked, his awkwardness betrayed by the red tips of his ears. I tried to pull my wrist free. I didn't answer his question. Instead, I said, "Can you let go of me, please? Holding my hand like this... it feels strange." Leo's hand dropped as if he'd been burned. His stunned expression was laced with a flicker of hurt. He had held my hand like this our entire lives. I didn't know when it had started to feel so wrong. 7 Just as I was about to leave, a convertible Aston Martin pulled up beside us. Missy was in the passenger seat, her eyes darting between Leo and me. She addressed Leo, her voice syrupy sweet. "Leo, aren't you a little old to be so clingy? Hop in. This is the last time, I promise. Next time, we're really not bringing you." Leo didn't move. He frowned. "Missy, you should probably wipe your mouth." His comment made me look closer. There was a smudge of lipstick blurring the edge of her lips. A matching smear was visible on the corner of Brook's mouth. Missy's ears turned pink. She grabbed the rearview mirror, dabbing at her lipstick as she complained, "I told you not to kiss so hard. This is so embarrassing." I looked at Brook and our eyes met for a brief, charged moment. He quickly looked away. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. "You getting in or not?" he asked Leo. This time, Leo didn't rise to the bait and start an argument. Instead, he took my hand again. "You guys go have fun," he said quietly. "I'm not going to intrude. I'll just walk Faye home." Before I could react, he was leading me away. "Wait," Missy called out. "Brook has something to say to you." She poked Brook's shoulder playfully, a wide smile on her face. "Faye's out of the hospital now. You can say it." I stood still, watching Brook, waiting for him to officially break our engagement. He looked down, his gaze fixed on nothing. After a long pause, he finally spoke. "How's the physical therapy going?" Missy's smile froze. I was taken aback. "It's going well." Brook gave a slight nod, then let out the clutch and the car pulled away. He still hadn't said it. Inappropriately, I remembered something a nurse had told me while I was in the hospital. She'd mentioned a tall, handsome young man who had come to see me twice while I was asleep. I was only now realizing it must have been Brook. 8 Brook was dragging his feet, but my adoptive mother brought it up the very next evening at dinner. Brook, sitting next to Missy, jerked his head up at her words, clearly as surprised as I was. "Faye," my adoptive mother began, her tone gentle but firm, "this engagement was always meant for Missy. Be a good girl and step aside. I'll find you another suitable young man." I placed a stalk of asparagus in my bowl. "Okay, Mom," I replied softly. "Whatever you think is best." My easy compliance seemed to startle everyone at the table. They hadn't expected me to agree so readily. My mother's expression relaxed into a smile. "You've become so much more sensible since you've been back." I kept my head down and focused on my food, saying nothing more. I hadn't become more sensible. I had just accepted reality. The moment I stopped seeing them as my family and started seeing them as outsiders to whom I owed a debt of gratitude for raising me, I finally understood my place. There was nothing left to resent. After dinner, I was carrying a glass of water upstairs when I passed Missy's room. The door was ajar. She was hugging our mother, her voice a whiny murmur. "Mom, you can't set Faye up with anyone too good, okay? She got to live my life for twenty-one years. It's time she had a taste of hardship. She owes me that much." My mother's hand, which had been stroking Missy's hair, paused. "Faye is an orphan, Missy. She was abandoned at the hospital right after she was born. It was a nurse's mistake that got you two switched. She's innocent in all of this..." Missy pulled away, her eyes flashing. "So I deserved to suffer for all those years? I'm not asking her to pay back the money this family spent on her. I'm not even kicking her out. I just want her to face a few setbacks, so I can feel like things are a little more balanced. Are you going to defend her even on this?" Her last words were choked with tears. She threw herself onto the bed, her sobs growing louder. Our mother rushed to comfort her. "Okay, okay, Mommy promises. What about Ricky Dawson? His father is that big real estate developer. Everyone knows Ricky is the wildest party boy in the city. I'll introduce him to Faye, how about that? Please stop crying, my sweet girl." I lowered my eyes and walked away. Downstairs, I set my glass on the counter. The ice had almost completely melted. I looked at my hand. It was pale and numb from the cold, a sensation I was only just now registering. 9 Brook found me as I was washing the glass. He sat silently at the bar behind me. Just as I turned to leave, he spoke, his voice low. "Don't go on some random blind date." His words hung in the air. "Everyone knows you're not a Bennett anymore. Any man you meet now will just look down on you." I kept walking. "That has nothing to do with you." His hand shot out, grabbing my arm. He pulled me around to face him, his eyes burning into mine. "Are you angry with me for breaking the engagement? Faye, I didn't have a choice. To protect the alliance between our families, I have to marry the real Bennett daughter." I struggled against his grip. "And I suppose you were forced to fall for Missy, too? Stop acting so innocent." His grip tightened, a bitter smile twisting his lips. "And whose fault is that? When Missy first came back, you were so paranoid you were barely recognizable. You were constantly accusing me of having something going on with her. If she so much as said hello to me, you'd pick a fight. Think about it, Faye. You're the one who pushed me away." I didn't want to rehash the past—the time I saw Missy deliberately fall into his arms, the late-night texts they exchanged. I just focused on trying to wrench my arm free. He watched me struggle, his face a mask of indifference. "Brook! Let go of my sister!" Leo's roar came from the top of the stairs, followed by the thunder of his footsteps. He charged down and shoved Brook away from me. "I'm warning you, stay the hell away from her. You have Missy now. Leave my other sister alone." He positioned himself in front of me, a protective stance so familiar yet so foreign after all this time. After Brook left, the tension in Leo's shoulders eased. He turned to me. "Faye, if he ever bothers you again, you tell me. I'll deal with him." "Thank you." He chewed on his lip, then asked quietly, "Are you busy this afternoon? Do you... want to hang out? I can go with you." It felt like the old Leo was back. Before Missy, he had always been stuck to my side like this. "No, thank you," I said. "I have a follow-up appointment at the hospital." "I'll go with you," he insisted, speaking before I could refuse. "Don't say no again, Faye." He stood there, a six-foot-two giant, his face a mixture of awkwardness and dejection. "Your leg... it's my fault. The least I can do is go with you to your appointments. If you end up with any permanent damage, I'll take care of you for the rest of your life." He looked at me, his eyes filled with a desperate, pleading hope, as if waiting for me to give him some sign of forgiveness. But I said nothing. There was no 'rest of your life' to talk about. In six days, I would be gone. 10 The blind date was set for noon the next day. When my adoptive mother told me, she couldn't meet my eyes. "Um... Faye. His name is Ricky Dawson. His family is one of the biggest new players in the city, very successful. Just go meet him, get to know each other." Leo, sitting nearby, scowled. "Ricky Dawson? Mom, isn't he the one who's always in the tabloids? Drunk driving, getting into brawls... you're setting Faye up with a guy like that?" She forced a weak smile. "Don't listen to rumors, Leo. I've met the boy. He's quite polite." Leo started to protest again, but I cut him off. "It's fine. It's just lunch." My mother shot Leo a warning look. "See? Faye doesn't mind. Why are you making such a fuss? If you have this much energy, maybe you should spend it on your real sister. Always sticking your nose where it doesn't..." She stopped abruptly. In my peripheral vision, I saw both she and Leo glance at me nervously. I didn't look up from my phone, where I was checking the weather forecast for my departure day. Their reactions meant nothing to me. They didn't know yet. I had become immune to the word 'outsider'. 11 Leo insisted on coming with me to the lunch. "If I'm there, that scumbag won't dare say anything disrespectful," he declared. "And if he does, I'll make him regret it." I glanced at him in the driver's seat. His profile was still boyish, the last traces of teenage awkwardness fading away. He was only nineteen, a straightforward kid with a simple philosophy: be good to those who are good to you. When Missy first arrived, she had been gentle and attentive to him. She sided with him in everything, even when he was wrong. It made my occasional lectures seem harsh and uncaring by comparison. During one argument, he had yelled at me, "Who do you think you are, Faye? You're not my real sister! You think this is still your house? You're just an outsider, got it?" That was the start of our cold war. During that time, he and Missy grew inseparable, and he and I grew completely distant. I think seeing me instinctively save him the other night made him remember how things used to be, and he started trying to get close again. It also magnified his guilt over choosing to save Missy during the earthquake. I thought for a moment, then tried to reason with him. "Leo, you don't have to do this. You don't have to try and make it up to me. I don't blame you for choosing Missy. She's your real sister. You didn't do anything wrong." His knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. Staring straight ahead, he said after a moment, "It's not about making it up to you. You're my sister, too. Shouldn't I be good to you?" His Adam's apple bobbed, his voice turning husky. "Can you please... just stop pushing me away?" How could I explain it? I wasn't pushing him away. I just wasn't waiting for him anymore. So when he turned around to find me, all he could see was the growing distance between us. 12 Ricky Dawson showed up radiating pure scumbag energy, a fresh hickey blooming on his neck. His cocky smirk vanished the second he saw Leo. Leo picked up a butter knife, tapping it against the side of his plate. "Ricky," he said, his voice deceptively calm. "What's that on your neck? You knew you were meeting my sister today, right?" Ricky nervously covered his neck with his hand. "It's just a mosquito bite, Leo, seriously! Don't get the wrong idea..." The rest of the lunch went by relatively smoothly. He was polite, if a little stiff, and didn't say anything out of line. On the way home, Leo was humming. "See? You need your little brother to protect you. You didn't want me to come, but if I hadn't, you would've been bullied." I didn't know what to say, so I just thanked him again. He pulled up to the house as usual. As we got out of the car, we came face to face with Brook. He looked like he'd been waiting for a while, his eyes dark and stormy. "You went on the date?" he demanded. Leo stepped in front of me. "What's it to you? Move." Brook's gaze shifted slowly to Leo's face. Then, without warning, he threw a punch. Caught off guard, Leo stumbled back, hitting the wall. "Brook, what the hell is wrong with you?" I cried, rushing toward Leo, but Brook grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back. He seemed to be fighting to control a raging fire within him, his face eerily calm. "You knew what kind of person he was, and you still went?" he hissed. "Faye, have you really stooped this low? You're that desperate?" He sneered. "He's nothing. If you're trying to marry into his family for a connection, you'd be better off waiting until Missy and I are married and being my mistress. I can give you far more than he ever could." I stared at him in disbelief. I never thought I would hear such vile words from the lips of the self-controlled, proper Brook I knew. His grip was so tight I couldn't even raise a hand to slap him. Leo staggered to his feet. "Brook, I dare you to say that again!" He grabbed a decorative garden stake from a nearby planter and raised it high. But before he could bring it down, our mother's sharp voice cut through the air. Brook, jolted back to his senses, let go of me. My mother stalked toward me, her eyes locked on my face. I swallowed hard. "Mom..." A sudden, sharp slap cut off my words, my head snapping to the side. Brook flinched. Leo yelled, "Mom! What are you doing? This asshole was harassing Faye!" "You, be quiet!" she snapped at him, then turned her fury back on me. "Faye, answer me. Did you or did you not promise me you would let Brook go for Missy's sake?" Even the slightest movement of my jaw sent a sharp, stinging pain through my cheek. "Mom, I didn't..." "Did you or did you not?" she shrieked. After a few seconds of silence, I nodded. "I did." "Then what are you doing still getting tangled up with him? Are you doing this just to spite your sister?" Her shoulders trembled with rage. "You even provoked Leo into fighting for you." I stood frozen, able to feel her hatred in every word without even looking at her. "If you had died in the hospital all those years ago," she said, her voice venomous, "my daughter might never have been switched, and our family wouldn't be in this goddamn mess."
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "394442", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel