Chapter 2

2

Cold glares drilled into me, making my entire body freeze.

The words on the tip of my tongue vanished into thin air.

I only came to pack my things and say a quiet goodbye.

"What are you doing here?"

A sharp voice broke my daze as Jared stepped out of the villa, holding a plush teddy bear.

That bear was the token of our promise from when we were eighteen.

It had gone missing on our engagement party, and I thought I had lost it forever.

"Jared..."

A fragile spark of hope flared in my chest, and I reached out my right hand instinctively.

In the next second, Jared casually tossed the bear into the nearby trash can.

"Do you need something?" he asked, his face masked in cold indifference.

I quickly pulled my hand back into the chill air, feeling like all the oxygen had been ripped from my lungs.

When we were eighteen, Jared had sworn, "I would give up my life before I ever lost this bear."

Now, he threw it away without a second thought.

Was it because I was no longer his life?

"Sadie, we made everything clear," Jared's voice dropped into a harsh tone.

"The woman I got engaged to was the true daughter of the Miller family. You simply stole her identity. Do you really not understand that she is the one I'm marrying? How can you still have the nerve to cause a scene?"

He spoke with such cruelty, as if he weren't the very same man who once promised to love me forever.

"I just came back to get my belongings," I explained in a low, quiet voice.

A mocking scoff echoed from the doorway.

"Finally decided to come back? We barely scolded you, and you threw a tantrum and ran off? Sadie, what right do you have to act out? Roxie spent all these years suffering in poverty in your place!"

Jason stormed out of the villa, his face dark with fury.

I bowed my head immediately. "I'm sorry."

I truly felt remorseful.

Getting switched at birth wasn't my choice, but I had undeniably reaped all the privileges.

"It's okay! I'm just glad Sadie is back," Roxie appeared last, stepping out behind Jason.

"I was so worried about you these past few days. It's all Jason and Jared's fault―I told them to go look for you."

She had spent the last few days frantically learning how to act like a wealthy socialite.

Yet years of malnutrition and hardship still made her look fragile and awkward in designer silk.

That harsh life was what I should have endured instead.

"It's my own fault. They were right not to look for me," I murmured, keeping my head down in shame.

Roxie looked flustered and rushed forward to grab my arm.

"Don't listen to them, Sadie! This will always be your home. I'm the one who ruined your life."

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.

Before I could react, Jared shoved me backward with a harsh push.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Your presence only triggers Roxie's trauma! Haven't we given you enough money? Can't you just stay away for the rest of your life?"

Once upon a time, he used to protect me with that exact same intensity.

Once upon a time, he despised Roxie just as fiercely.

Back then, I was still the cherished heiress of the Millers, and Roxie was merely an intern assistant in Jared's office.

Jason had hated her because she spent too much time around Jared, fearing she would get between us.

Jared had thought she was clumsy and incompetent at everything she touched.

When did it all change?

Perhaps it began when Roxie made mistakes, and Jared started laughing off her blunders with fond amusement.

Later, to mend her relationship with Jason, Jared brought her over for dinner repeatedly, until Jason was completely won over by her pure, gentle nature.

I had never felt threatened back then.

I was their pampered princess, convinced no one could ever take my place.

Who could have predicted that on my engagement day, I would fall from heaven straight into hell?

She became the rightful heiress overnight, while I became a shameless thief.

Fate truly loved playing cruel jokes on people.

"Sadie, I'm not as ruthless as Jared," Jason warned, glaring at me.

"I only have one rule. You can stay, but don't you dare bully Roxie. Do you hear me?"