"Congratulations to you both. I'm truly happy for you.
"I wish you nothing but happiness from here on out. I'll be going now."
Althea froze.
Solomon frowned. "Doreen, what kind of act is this?"
Althea's eyes turned red. "Please don't be like this. I really didn't expect Solomon to propose to me either. If you're upset, I'll give you the ring."
"No need."
"I mean it. Take the ring."
"I said I don't want it!"
"Ah!"
I pushed her hand away. The ring slipped right off and clattered to the floor.
Althea's eyes glistened instantly. "Do you really hate me that much?"
"Enough!" Solomon pulled Althea behind him. "Doreen, who do you think you are? You may be the real daughter, but Althea and I have known each other for twenty years. If we're being honest, you're the outsider here."
I couldn't take it anymore.
"That's right! I am the outsider! I'm not the real heiress, and I'm not Doreen! My name is Sybilla Sawyer!"
The entire room went dead silent.
My breathing came quick and shallow.
Althea covered her mouth. "You'd really say something like that just to spite me? How am I supposed to live with that?"
I stared at her. "Excuse me?"
Were these people incapable of understanding plain English?
I pointed at my own face. "Look closely. I don't look exactly like Doreen. Her eyes are slightly larger than mine, and her earlobes sit lower."
"Enough!" Solomon shoved me back. "I told you—you are never to give Althea a hard time again."
Behind him, Althea pressed her hand to her mouth and sobbed.
Every pair of eyes in the room turned on me with open disapproval.
"What is she playing at? She looks identical to Doreen."
"She's making things up just to humiliate Althea. This is obviously a ploy to guilt-trip her into giving up Solomon."
Solomon fixed me with a cold stare. "Doreen, my patience has a limit. If you keep making a scene and tormenting Althea, don't expect me to show you an ounce of mercy."
…Was there a single rational person in this room?
I was out of options.
"Fine! You don't believe me? Then let's go get a DNA test. Right now."
Solomon and Althea both stiffened.
I pointed at Althea. "We go home, get samples from Mom and Dad, put a rush on it, and wait for the results. Then you can all see for yourselves whether I'm a Winfield or not."
Solomon's brow furrowed. He looked at me with something close to surprise.
The guests who'd come to witness the proposal exchanged uneasy glances.
"She doesn't sound like she's bluffing. She's not actually going to do it, is she?"
"What if she really isn't Doreen?"
"She looks serious."
Solomon opened his mouth to speak.
Before he could, Althea burst into tears, both hands pressed to her face. "I know I'm the outsider. You don't have to humiliate me to remind me of that!"
She flung the engagement ring aside, turned on her heel, and stormed toward the exit. When someone tried to stop her, she wrenched free and kept going.
My mind went blank. "Wait, that's not what I—"
A brutal shove sent me stumbling backward.
Solomon was livid. "How long are you going to keep this up?"
"I'm telling you the truth! I'm not Doreen!"
"That's enough!" He spun around and took off after Althea. "Althea! Althea, where are you going?"
