8
Alexander was temporarily released on bail. He returned home, numb, only to be met by a visibly nervous Seraphina. She looked at
him with a hint of confusion, still somewhat disbelieving. Seraphina didn’t notice his strange demeanor; she hugged him, her voice
playful. “Brother, you had me so worried! I’m so glad you’re back. Brother, did you find Sister? Or should I just go apologize to her?”
As she spoke, she managed a couple of quick coughs.
But this time, Alexander didn’t comfort her. Instead, he stared intensely at her face, searching for any sign of falseness. “Brother,
you…” Seraphina started to say something else, but Alexander pushed her away abruptly. “I’m tired. I’m going upstairs to rest.” His
steps as he ascended the stairs were unsteady. He had deliberately pushed Seraphina’s “surgically repaired” arm just now, but Ser-
aphina hadn’t even flinched.
The answer now lay starkly before him.
Back in his room, he curled into a ball. He couldn’t understand why Seraphina would do this. Hadn’t he been good enough to her?
He didn’t know that it was precisely because he had been too good.
When I first came home, Seraphina feigned weakness, making a grand show of returning my room to me. As she moved her things,
she “fainted” dramatically in the hallway, causing Dad and Alexander to inexplicably dislike me. During school, she secretly spread
rumors that I was an old man’s child bride, leading to endless gossip and ridicule from my classmates. When I merely questioned
her about it, she went home and aimed a knife at her own face. In the end, with a scar less than a centimeter deep, she ensured I
was expelled from my prestigious school.
On my birthday, Dad and Alexander finally agreed to let me eat dinner at the same table. But as the banquet began, she burst into
tears before the cake, repeatedly apologizing to me, even slapping herself. From then on, I was no longer allowed in the main hou-
se, never celebrated another birthday, and never again shared a meal with Dad or Alexander.
Every single incident. She had long convinced herself that she was the true daughter. And my existence, the true daughter, was her
biggest threat. But if it was just about being the true daughter, why would she lay hands on Alexander? It seemed her ambition
stretched far beyond mere identity. Alexander, I wondered if he would be able to bear the full weight of it all when the time came.
Alexander drifted into the night, unable to sleep. He couldn’t give up, wanting to find Seraphina and ask her himself. The closer he
got to her room, the more distinct the intimate sounds of a man and woman became. Alexander clamped a hand over his mouth,
treading softly. He leaned against the door, straining to hear, and the moment he recognized the other man’s voice, he almost cried
