###Chapter 1
The city smelled like rain and broken dreams as I crouched on the cracked sidewalk, wrestling with stray dogs over scraps of food.
Suddenly, a sleek black Maybach rolled to a stop beside me.
The door swung open and out stepped a man who was so handsome he might've been plucked right out of a fairy tale with a presence that silenced the world around him.
He barked an order to his men to buy me ten loaves of bread. Then, hesitating, he looked my way, like he wanted to say something but couldn't.
I swallowed the bread fast and stepped forward, breathless with gratitude.
"Thank you!"
Yet, this so-called prince charming wasn't quite the fairy tale hero I imagined. I wasn't his Cinderella, dreaming of being swept away on his noble steed from my darkest moments.
Contrarily, pure revulsion etched his features as he sneered at me before redirecting his gaze.
He recoiled as though I were infectious and then climbed back into the car, holding a stunning young woman.
From the corner of my eye, I caught her.
The girl was straddling his lap, tugging at his collar.
"Michael," she cooed, "you wiped Kristen's memory and let her become homeless so that I could claim the Lawson fortune. Aren't you worried she'll remember and take everything back?"
The man smirked coldly. "She had everything and still wanted to compete with you, the adopted daughter! The doctor said you've got a year left. That time's mine to spend with you. After that, I'll fix Kristen."
Suddenly, pain exploded in my head. Memories crashed over me like a tidal wave.
I dropped to my knees, clutching my pounding skull.
I remembered...
I'm Kristen Lawson.
The true Lawson heiress.
...
Kristen's POV
Michael Donovan, my fiancé and the man I loved more than anything stole everything from me to give it to Courtney Lawson, my adopted sister.
More than six months ago, I was thrown into traffic and hit by a speeding car at the intersection.
Blood soaked my lower body.
Right on that same day, I had just discovered I was pregnant. I was planning to tell Michael the good news.
Instead, I lost my baby.
I lost my memory and had no recollection of who I was.
For six months, I wandered the streets, barely living on the leftover scraps of the garbage and the alms I got from passersby.
But, perhaps, the heavens had heard my pleas.
Looking at my fiancé and my adopted sister cuddling in the car, everything became crystal clear.
I wasn't just homeless. I was erased.
A cold shiver ran through me as I looked up at an LED billboard outside the shopping mall. The screen showed images of Michael and Courtney, looking like the perfect couple.
As I listened to the live news streaming on it, the cold tingling against my skin intensified.
The reporter announced:
[Donovan Enterprises' CEO spares no expense to make his beloved fiancée smile. Private jets fly nonstop to Champs-Élysées, Paris, delivering the latest for Miss Courtney Lawson.]
Jewelry, luxury watches, and cars worth fortunes were all paraded on the news.
Adding to that, there was another featured news story, and it was my brother William, the heir to the Lawsons' fortune. Also making headlines, he was reported to be streaming his sister's high-profile birthday party.
Announcing on his social media account, William gifted his 'only beloved sister' a mansion worth over $100 million.
They must have forgotten one thing.
Courtney's birthday was also my birthday.
I looked down at my tattered clothes and my bare, scarred feet and then back at Courtney in the car, all dolled up with high-end luxury brands.
I lived beneath a bridge, drinking dirty water to survive.
Meanwhile, they pampered Courtney, treating her like the real Lawson heiress and turning her into a golden princess.
Trembling, tears streamed down my face.
As I watched them inside the Maybach, their conversation continued.
Flashing a sweet smile, Courtney said, “The doctor told me my condition’s getting better. I might have a few more years. Michael, will you stay with me forever?”
“Of course,” he replied without hesitation. “That was our deal. No matter how long you live, I’m yours.”
Courtney let out a soft sigh. “But... I’m scared you’ll go back to Kristen. The way you looked at her just now... it hurt, Michael. You still care, don’t you? Seeing her like that, you felt sorry for her, didn’t you?”
Michael went quiet for a beat, then gave a cold, dry laugh.
“Sorry for her? Why would I? Kristen’s selfish. She’s always scheming against you. I told her I’d still marry her—she should be thankful for that.”
Every word tore through my soul.
Courtney's eyes flicked toward me from the shadows. She curled her lips into a cruel smile, wrapping her arms around Michael's neck.
Like a kitten, she stuck out her pink tongue and licked his cheek. "But my birthday's coming, Michael. I want the most special gift."
I watched them kiss, trapped in that cramped car.
Courtney's cheeks flushed.
Michael's breath hitched, his throat tightening. "What gift, baby?"
Nestled in his arms, Courtney's hand slipped under his shirt, caressing his rising chest.
"I want your baby, Michael," she cooed.
Her dreamy eyes sparked something primal in him.
Aroused by her words, Michael growled, "You little devil, I'll fuck you hard tonight until you're pregnant with my babies."
He turned to face her, pinned her in the car seat, and kissed her.
Courtney giggled playfully as they frolicked, then gently pushed him and asked, "What if I really get pregnant?"
Michael grinned—dark, dangerous, and utterly heartless. "Then Kristen will raise the baby. That way, our child can have a perfect, happy life."
The words struck like a dagger. I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails pierced my skin, but I couldn't feel anything past the agony swelling in my chest.
My body could no longer hold the grief within. Tears continuously flowed down my cheeks, seeing them together.
For years, Michael had never been like that to me in our relationship.
He touched her like he worshipped her, his fingers curling around her chest as he slid down the strap of her dress and pressed his lips to her collarbone.
Courtney moaned softly, breathy and sweet, like she knew she had won.
Then, with a feline smirk, she straddled him.
She tugged his belt free, undid his pants, and dipped down without hesitation. Michael groaned in pleasure.
His hips flexed as he moved with her, into her, and in the next breath, she was beneath him, the car rocking to the rhythm of their bodies.
Courtney's soft, sultry, and victorious laugh danced through the air, blending with gasps and muffled cries.
My heart didn't just break. It fucking crumbled. Over and over again.
Meanwhile, I begged for scraps of his warmth, tried everything—softness, seduction, surrender.
Yet, Michael always pulled away, cold and repulsed, like I was something vile clinging to him.
I thought he was just like that. And that maybe he wasn't the kind of man who could be touched.
But here he was, giving Courtney everything.
No hesitation. No restraint. No shame.
His cold and indifferent attitude towards me was now evident.
Michael didn't want my child. He didn't want me.
But Courtney? She had his body, soul, and future.
That was the moment I finally saw the line between love and indifference.
Let them have each other.
They belong to the hollow world they built.
