Chapter 1

1

On my engagement day, my brother brought home a girl my age, claiming she was their real biological sister.

He accused me of stealing twenty years of her life.

My fiancé declared that she was his true bride.

I was thrown out of the house like trash.

My brother and my fiancé took the real heiress on luxury vacations, even gifting her the custom mansion originally built for me.

Two weeks later, they finally remembered my birthday.

By then, they discovered I had signed up for a top-secret, classified ten-year national research initiative.

I was gone, and they would never see me again.

The two men who should have been celebrating were suddenly drowning in regret.

……

"Sadie, are you absolutely sure about this? This project is fully classified. Once you enter the facility, you won't be able to see your family for years."

Director Henderson's voice pulled me back from my spiraling thoughts.

My eyes were still burning with unshed tears.

Over the past few days, chaos had consumed my family.

Everyone in the research institute already knew that Sadie Miller was nothing more than an imposter.

"I know this has been devastating for you," the director said, folding his hands behind his back with deep concern.

"But don't make a reckless choice out of spite. This is your career, your life."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and secretly wiped away a tear before he could notice.

"Please don't worry, Director. I'm not acting out of anger," I answered steadily.

"I hesitated before only because I couldn't bear to leave my family. Now that things have unfolded like this, leaving is the right choice."

My heart ached with profound sorrow, yet there was also an unexpected sense of relief.

Deep down, I knew this was always meant to be my path.

Instead of lingering and making everyone miserable, it was better to step aside now that they had their real daughter back.

"Alright, I trust your judgment," the director patted my shoulder gently. "Take good care of yourself. We deploy in two weeks."

He didn't push further.

He knew I needed comfort, and his silent support spoke volumes.

"Thank you," I said, bowing slightly before turning toward the exit.

As I walked down the hallway, my colleagues looked at me with deep sympathy.

Ever since the truth came out, they had felt awful for me.

To them, every achievement I had made was earned through my own relentless sweat and tears.

Yet my brother had posted publicly on his company account, declaring that everything I owned was solely due to the Miller family's grace.

He claimed I had no right to complain, and that I was utterly unworthy.

"Sadie, don't go back to that house," one colleague urged softly.

"Yeah, you can stay in my guest room," another chimed in. "You're leaving in a few days anyway. There's no need to go back and suffer."

They all offered shelter and warmth, but I gently shook my head.

"It's precisely because I'm leaving that I need to go back one last time," I replied.

I had to settle my debts.

Jason's words were cruel, but he wasn't wrong about one thing―I had enjoyed twenty-four years of a life meant for his biological sister.

That was my sin to bear, and my debt to repay.

"Sadie..." They looked at me with worry.

I forced a faint smile and gave each of them a brief hug.

"Don't worry about me. You know I'm tougher than I look. If I can survive brutal lab deadlines, I can handle this."

With a reassuring thumbs-up, I walked out of the facility and headed toward the estate.

The Miller estate wasn't far, mainly because this research institute had been co-funded by Jason and my fiancé, Jared Cole.

To stay close to me, they had built two lavish, adjacent mansions right in this neighborhood.

Those were supposed to be my homes.

Now, there was no room for me in either of them.

When I reached the front gate, the housekeeper sneered at me with open hostility.

"Mr. Miller made it clear that you are no longer part of this family. Why do you keep crawling back?"

"Some people steal twenty years of someone else's luxury, yet their skin is still thicker than a brick wall."