Over the phone, he’d brushed me off with, “Depends on my mood. If you wait for me at the restaurant for five hours, I’ll come.”
That day, I really did sit there from sunrise to sunset.
When the restaurant finally closed, there was still no sign of him.
No surprise—he’d stood me up.
That very night, my phone lit up with a message:
“Hello, your reservation for the hotel suite with a king-size bed…”
I’d laughed bitterly.
Just to spite me, even when they went to a hotel, they used my number for the booking.
That was the moment I knew—any relationship that required no effort or investment was doomed from the start.
Looking back now, it all feels impossibly far away.
“Sis, don’t be mad at Ethan. That’s just how he is,” Sophia Brooks said softly, her expression gentle but laced with false concern.
“You disappeared for five years without contacting us. Mom and Dad were so worried. Where on earth did you go?”
She spoke like a saint, but the undertone was pure malice.
“You don’t know the awful things people have been saying. Some claim you ran off with another man.”
Sophia covered her mouth with a dainty laugh. “But I know you wouldn’t—after all, you’ve always loved Ethan too much to accept another man…”
I chuckled along with her.
“How do you know I wouldn’t? Don’t act like you know me so well.”
I was smiling, but my tone was cold and distant.
“And stop calling me ‘sis.’ I’m an only child—my parents never gave me a sister.”
Her smile froze instantly, and the color drained slightly from her face.
I hadn’t held back one bit.
Everyone in our circle knew I—Lily Anderson—was the true Brooks heiress.
Sophia was the one who had been switched at birth, enjoying eighteen years of wealth and privilege that were meant for me.
When they found me, they couldn’t bear to part with the girl they had raised for nearly two decades, so they kept her in the family and told us to call each other sisters.
If not for what happened five years ago, I might have swallowed my pride and tried to coexist with her.
But we were always meant to be strangers.
My words clearly stung her; tears welled in her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I know I’m not Mom and Dad’s biological daughter. I don’t deserve it…”
“Lily, are you crazy?” Ethan snapped, hurriedly handing her a tissue while glaring at me.
“Don’t you know? Robert Brooks has already written his will, leaving everything to Sophia.
“So what if you’re the real daughter? They cut ties with you years ago.
“Five years ago, you humbled yourself to return to the Brooks family and agreed to marry me just to secure your position.
“Well? How does it feel hearing this now—are you furious?”
His eyes were full of triumph, clearly hoping to see me twist in rage.
But my face remained impassive. “Oh. Good for you.”
This was getting boring. I glanced at my watch—my husband and daughter would be arriving soon to take me out for hot pot.
I stood, picked up my bag, and headed for the door. Then, remembering something, I turned back.
“Correction—five years ago, I didn’t agree to marry you to secure any position.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
I gave Sophia a cool glance.
“A phoenix is a phoenix. No matter how many feathers you glue onto a sparrow, it will never be a phoenix.”
With that, I turned to leave—only for the door to slam shut with a loud bang.
