It began with an apple pie I baked, which sent Serena's daughter to the ER. My husband, Alistair Vance, summoned us to the hospital. In the hallway, his men forced my head toward the pie, now a mess on the floor. "Eat this filth," he commanded, "and I might forgive you." I refused. Calmly, Alistair then fed a shrimp to our three-year-old daughter, Annie, who is deathly allergic. She eagerly swallowed it. Her reaction was immediate and violent—welts, swelling, convulsions. Anaphylactic shock. I begged him to call a doctor, but he let her collapse to the floor in disgust. "Now you know how Serena felt," he hissed. "Save her by eating." That night, I got on my knees and licked the filth like a dog while Annie fought for her life in surgery. After two weeks alone outside the ICU, I left with nothing but my recovering daughter. "Serena can have her title back," I vowed. "And she can have Alistair, too." 1 “Thirty million dollars to buy out my marriage to Alistair. After that, your daughter and her love child can waltz into the Vance family, no questions asked. It’s a good deal, don’t you think?” I stood by the hospital window, watching the happy little family of three on the lawn below, my voice devoid of emotion. The woman across from me flinched, her hand jerking as she wrote the check, accidentally adding another zero. I took the check from her hand, a sliver of the darkness in my soul receding. Three hundred million dollars. It wasn't just buying out a failed marriage; it was severing the twisted, poisonous bond of blood between me and the Reed family. My mother—our mother—shot me a disdainful look, clearly disgusted by my greed. “Your father and I never deprived you of anything, yet you’ve always been so… unrefined. It’s no wonder Serena is so much more beloved. And Chloe is not a love child. She is Serena’s daughter, a treasure of the Reed family.” A bitter, mocking smile touched my lips. I ignored her, picked up my daughter, and turned to leave. “Alistair has me blocked, so I can’t reach him directly. But by the family gala this Saturday, at the latest, he will have signed the divorce papers.” A chill ran down my spine as I stepped out of the hospital. My phone buzzed. A new post from Serena. “Love is the reward for the brave. Three years ago, I wasn’t brave enough and let you go to someone else. Thank god I found my courage three years later, and you were still waiting for me.” The accompanying photo was of her, her daughter, and Alistair, their faces pressed close together in a happy selfie. Annie stirred in my arms, her voice weak. “Mommy, why do Auntie and Chloe get to take pretty pictures with Daddy? Daddy said he hates pictures.” Her sad little question was a dull ache in my chest. In her entire life, Annie had never had a single photo taken with her father. Because Alistair didn’t like it. In fact, he despised it. I scrolled through Serena’s feed. Post after post, filled with smiling photos of the three of them. Every caption was a declaration of their perfect happiness. She had even tagged me in this latest one, just to make sure I’d see it. I locked my phone and stroked my daughter’s hair. “Maybe… maybe it’s because Daddy loves them, sweetheart.” Alistair loved Serena. He had loved her since they were children. I was the intruder, the obstacle they could never quite overcome. I had been his wife for three years, a perfect, devoted homemaker, and his heart had remained a fortress. “So… Daddy doesn’t take pictures with us because he doesn’t love me and Mommy?” My mouth opened, but the words wouldn’t come. How could I tell my child the simple, brutal truth? An unknown number flashed on my screen. I answered. Alistair’s voice, cold and commanding, cut through the line. “I’m sending you an address. Go there and pick up the gown Serena needs for tonight.” “No.” A flicker of annoyance. “Elara, you don’t have the right to refuse.” My heart sank. My eyes fell on the faint scar peeking out from under Annie’s collar, a permanent reminder of the emergency intubation. Two weeks ago, Serena had a sudden craving for apple pie. Alistair called and told me to bake one and deliver it to the Reed estate. He failed to mention that Serena’s daughter, Chloe, was allergic to apples. So when Chloe eagerly took the box from me, I simply turned and left. I had no idea that simple act would make me the laughingstock of our entire social circle and nearly cost my daughter her life. In the two weeks Annie was in the hospital, fighting for every breath, Alistair never visited, never even called. He was right. I had usurped Serena’s place. The old me wouldn’t have dared to refuse his command. But the old me was gone. I was about to give her place back. I had seen the gown in Serena’s posts. A custom couture piece Alistair had commissioned for tonight’s event—the annual Reed family gala. It was a major affair, filled with relatives, friends, and business partners. It was also the night my parents planned to officially sign over all their assets to Serena. At three o’clock the next afternoon, I arrived at Alistair’s private penthouse with the gown. His assistant blocked my path, his face a cold mask. “Mr. Vance and Ms. Reed are busy. They are not to be disturbed.” The door was slightly ajar. I could hear Serena’s breathless moans, Alistair’s own excited, guttural whispers of her name. I understood. I was used to it. Ever since Serena returned, this was their new normal. At first, he’d brought her to the house where Annie and I lived. I’d find evidence of their passion everywhere—the bedroom, the kitchen counter, the balcony. After a massive fight, he’d bought this penthouse specifically for their trysts. He spent twenty-five nights a month here. I don’t know how long I stood there before the sounds from inside finally ceased. I shifted my weight, trying to work the feeling back into my numb legs. “Can I go in now?” The assistant frowned, looking torn. From the look on his face, they were probably just taking a short break. I was about to leave the gown and go when Serena herself appeared at the door, calling my name. I turned. Even though I was accustomed to their affair, the sight of the fresh marks on her skin was still a sharp, unavoidable sting. No one knew that for a brief, fleeting time, I had actually loved Alistair. It was during my pregnancy. For those few months, his usual coldness had vanished. He would wrap his arms around me as I read on the sofa and kiss my hair. He would bring me flowers or small, beautifully wrapped gifts on his way home from work. And in the dark of night, he would hold me and whisper, “Elara… from now on, let’s just be happy together.” I had believed him. Then, the day my water broke, Serena, who was living abroad, went into premature labor. Alistair went mad with worry. He and his parents booked the first flight out of the country, leaving me to give birth alone. When he returned, he brought Serena with him. And their… love child. “Elara? You’re coming to the gala tonight, right? I’m sure Mom and Dad have something to give you, too!” Serena linked her arm through mine, her voice sweet. The cloying, metallic scent of sex clung to her. I subtly pulled my arm free. “I’m not going.” “Why not? Are you still mad at me and my parents for what happened back then?” Tears instantly welled in her eyes. Alistair emerged from the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. Seeing Serena’s tears, he shot me a dark look. “What happened back then was your own damn fault, Elara. You have no one to blame but yourself. Tonight is Serena’s night. It’s a family gala. As her sister, as the second daughter of this family, you have no reason not to be there.” There it was again. I took a deep breath, an unnameable bitterness filling my chest. “Alistair, do you have any idea what people in our circle are saying about me?” The video of me, on the floor of a public hospital, licking a vomit-soaked apple pie, had gone viral. “They’re saying I’m no better than a stray dog.” The same people who shared that video would be at the gala tonight. My presence would be nothing more than a sideshow for their amusement. “And Annie,” I added, my voice tight, “she was just discharged today. She’s not fully recovered. I need to be with her.” Alistair faltered, his expression unreadable for a moment. “What they’re saying is out of line, but you brought this on yourself, didn’t you? If you hadn’t deliberately given that pie to Chloe, knowing she was allergic, I never would have come after you. You’ve always been cheap. You drugged your own brother-in-law and crawled into his bed. What are a few words compared to that?” His voice hardened. “And it was just a simple allergic reaction. Does she really need to be in the hospital for so long? You’re making the child soft.” “She is not soft—” He cut me off. “Enough! I’ll arrange for someone to look after Annie. Tonight is important to Serena. I will not allow a single member of the Reed family to be absent.” I was silenced. When we arrived at the Reed estate, Alistair and Serena got out of the car first. Their daughter, Chloe, ran out to greet them in a pale green princess dress. Alistair swept her up into his arms, then took Serena’s hand. They walked ahead, a perfect, happy family. I followed behind them in silence. This was how it was supposed to be. This was how it always should have been. Guests swarmed them, and Alistair and Serena greeted them with easy grace. I tried to shrink into a corner, but it was no use. “Is that her? Elara Reed? The one who stole her own sister’s fiancé? Did you see that video? God, the wife of Alistair Vance, on all fours like an animal in a hospital. Unbelievable.” “And that daughter of hers… lost control of everything. So foul, so disgusting.” “What’s so surprising? If I were Alistair, I’d hate her and that little bastard, too. The Vances are saints for even letting a woman like that into their family.” “That’s not the story I heard. I heard she conveniently ‘forgot’ her birth control to trap him. You think a man as devoted to Serena as Alistair would have married anyone else otherwise? Especially not some scheming social climber.” Their words dragged me back four years, to a night of darkness and confusion, the phantom pain of being torn apart still echoing in my body. Four years ago, my sister Serena was engaged to Alistair Vance, the sole heir to the Vance fortune and her childhood sweetheart. As her only sibling, I was summoned from the rural hellhole I’d been raised in to attend the wedding. But my first night in the Reed mansion was not a peaceful one. I was woken by a bucket of ice water, my eyes meeting a gaze filled with utter loathing. The hours that followed were a blur of my sister’s tears and my parents’ accusations and blows. By morning, Serena had dramatically called off the wedding, pushed the bridal duties onto me, and fled the country. And just like that, the entire trajectory of my life had been violently altered. Serena noticed my pale face and came over, her voice dripping with false concern. Alistair stood behind her, his gaze on me heavy with meaning. He had heard the gossip too. I pushed her hand away and forced myself to walk into the main hall. My father stood in the center of the room, beaming. “From this day forward, I am officially entrusting the entirety of the Reed family enterprise to my daughter, Serena! She is still young, so I trust you all will offer her your guidance and support.” The room erupted in applause. Serena tilted her head back, a triumphant smile playing on her lips. “Thank you, Daddy. I will work hard and do my best to learn.” At the peak of the celebration, the butler announced, “Mrs. Vance, Senior, has arrived with a gift!” Alistair’s mother swept in, her face wreathed in smiles. Alistair opened the gift box she presented: it was filled with gold jewelry and the deed to a private island villa. “Serena, my dear, congratulations! I suppose I’ll have to call you Ms. Reed, the CEO, from now on.” Mrs. Vance took Serena’s hand, cooing over her. Alistair watched them, the love in his eyes overflowing. While they celebrated, the Vance family butler quietly pulled me aside. “The Madam has decided to combine next week’s Vance family dinner with tonight’s gala. She also requests that you return with her to the family estate tonight, so you can pay respects at the ancestral shrine tomorrow morning.” I froze, my hands trembling at my sides. Just then, a loud voice cut through the party chatter. “The Reeds and the Vances have both given Serena such wonderful gifts. What about the second daughter? What’s her gift?” “A gift? They should be grateful she doesn't cause more trouble!” “Seriously. If I were a Reed, I would have erased her from the family tree after that stunt with her brother-in-law. What a disgrace!” I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms, fighting the urge to scream the truth. Alistair’s assistant found me and pressed a box into my hands. “Mr. Vance said you are to take this and present it to Ms. Reed.” I opened it. Inside were three handwritten pages. An apology letter. “Mr. Vance said you are to read this. Publicly.” After a long moment, a dry laugh escaped my lips. I nodded. Alistair wanted me to publicly apologize to Serena for what happened four years ago. And he wanted to use the occasion to legitimize Chloe, so she could officially take the Vance name. “Alistair,” I whispered to myself, “why make it so complicated? Soon, everything will be back where it belongs.” Fifteen minutes later, I walked up to Serena, letter in hand. The gossips started whispering. “Look, what is she up to now?” Serena saw me, and her smile widened. “Elara, is that a gift for me?” Clearly, she knew exactly what was in my hand. I gave a self-deprecating smile and, instead of stopping at her, I walked directly to Alistair. “Oh my god, what is she doing? Is she going to ruin another one of her sister’s big moments?” “I bet she is. What is wrong with her? I almost feel bad for Serena.” Alistair watched me, a wary look on his face, and took an involuntary step back. But I stopped a few feet in front of him. No one noticed the extra pages tucked beneath the apology letter. I held out a pen. “This gift is for both you and… my sister. Just sign it. As a keepsake.” He looked at me strangely, but when his eyes fell on the familiar apology letter on top, he relaxed. As he signed, his voice softened. “You should have done this four years ago. Think of this as making up for it.” He paused. “Don’t worry. With the title of Mrs. Vance, no one will dare say too much… I’ll be free for the next few days. After the apology, I’ll take you and Annie away for a trip.” I nodded calmly, my eyes fixed on the signature at the bottom of the last page. Then I turned, walked past Serena, and began to read. “I, Elara Reed, four years ago, shamelessly drugged my own future brother-in-law and raped him. I then disgracefully stole my own sister’s husband and drove her, pregnant, out of the country…” I read the words mechanically, my voice fast and flat, my face a blank mask. When I finished, I stepped down from the platform. I ignored the cacophony of whispers behind me, ignored Alistair’s confused stare, and walked out of the Reed mansion. A maid was waiting outside with my daughter. I took the car keys, made a quick excuse, and drove us straight to the airport. As the plane lifted off the runway, I leaned back in my seat, finally able to breathe. Annie, beside me, was buzzing with excitement. “Mommy, where are we going?” “Somewhere far away,” I said, a real smile touching my lips for the first time in years. Alistair, you can have your Serena. I have my daughter. And we will never, ever see each other again.
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