Colton took the papers, his brows creasing.

“What agreement is this?”

Before he could even scan the first line, Kobe yanked the papers out of his hands, flipped straight to the last page, and shoved them back at him.

“What’s there to read?” he snapped. “Just sign the damn thing.”

“Who knows what she’s trying to squeeze out of you this time? Another storefront? Another piece of land? Hah. Has there ever been a year she didn’t ask for something?”

Kenzie dropped her gaze and let out a quiet, bitter laugh.

It turned out, in her brothers’ eyes, she had always been the one who kept asking.

But that was only because she had never been given a damn thing!

Every time she managed to hold onto something or anything, Kinsey would swoop in and take it from her.

At first, Kenzie had fought back. She’d argued. She’d complained.

And every single time, she’d been shut down with the same bullshit.

“Kenzie, you’re the older sister. What’s wrong with letting your younger sister have it?”

“Can you stop being so selfish for once?”

“If you hadn’t come back, those things would’ve belonged to Kinsey anyway.”

She’d heard those lines so many times they might as well have been engraved into her skull.

What they all conveniently forgot was that if Kinsey hadn’t been switched at birth, Kenzie would’ve been the Lundbergs’ real daughter.

Those things should’ve been hers from the very beginning.

She was just trying to take back what was already hers!

Yet in everyone else’s eyes, she was stealing from Kinsey.

Kendrick’s voice dragged her back to reality.

“Dude, it’s just a contract,” he said impatiently. “Hurry up and sign it. We still have to take Kinsey out for her birthday.”

Colton didn’t hesitate this time. He picked up the pen and signed his name at the bottom of the last page just like that.

Kinsey was immediately ushered away like royalty, surrounded on all sides, fussed over like a precious little princess.

For more than ten years, they had remembered only one thing. Today was Kinsey’s birthday.

They had completely forgotten something else. It was Kenzie’s birthday, too.

She knew it wasn’t that they didn’t remember. They simply didn’t care enough to celebrate her.

She used to wait anyway.

Now, she didn’t.

Some people get love. Others get money.

This time, she chose the money.

With her mind made up, she went down to the underground garage to get her car and go home to pack her things up.

Before she could even reach her parking spot, a car suddenly jerked forward and slammed into her, knocking her flat onto the concrete.

She had just given birth. Her body was already weak. The impact tore her stitches open, and blood spread fast across her clothes.

Kenzie clutched her abdomen as pain ripped through her, her body shaking uncontrollably before she collapsed onto the cold ground.

“C-Colton!” she gasped, struggling to breathe. “My wound… It tore open. It hurts… Please… take me to the hospital.”

Inside the car, Colton didn’t even bother getting out.

He rolled the window down halfway, irritation etched across his face.

“Oh, come on, Kenzie. What are you pretending this time?”

“My car barely touched you,” he scoffed. “And you’re acting like you can’t even stand up?”

“Today’s Kinsey’s birthday,” he snapped. “Just because you don’t want us celebrating with her, you’ll make up any bullshit now?”

“Hah. I’m not falling for it this time.”

From the passenger seat, Kinsey chimed in impatiently. “Colton, it’s the weekend. There are people everywhere. If we keep wasting time here, we won’t even get a table.”

Without another glance, he rolled the window back up and turned the wheel.

Panic and despair hit Kenzie all at once, tears blurring her vision.

“Colton!” she cried out. “I’m telling the truth! Please! Save me…”

But he didn’t hesitate for even a second.

The only thing he left behind was the cold blast of exhaust as the car sped away.

Kenzie curled in on herself on the concrete, her body folding inward as pain tore through her.

Warm blood kept flooding from her wound, no matter how hard she tried to stop it.

She knew then that if this kept going, she wasn't making it out alive.

As her consciousness began to slip, memories flooded in; it was the promises Colton had once sworn to her.

“Kenzie, marry me. I’ll protect you for the rest of your life.”

“Kenzie, I like you. Just trust me one more time.”

“Kenzie, let’s have a child. We’ll be a happy family of three.”

As her consciousness started to slip away, every promise Colton had ever made came rushing back into her mind.

“Marry me, Kenzie. I’ll protect you for the rest of your life.”

“I like you, Kenzie. Just trust me one more time.”

“Let’s have a child, Kenzie. We’ll be a happy family of three.”

They flashed through her head, slipping away before she could hold onto any of them.

At that moment, she regretted ever loving Colton.

She regretted giving him chance after chance to hurt her.

‘Colton,’ she thought bitterly, ‘if I survive this, then between us, this won’t end until one of us is destroyed!’

When Kenzie regained her consciousness, it was already noon the next day.

In the end, it was a security guard on patrol who spotted her half-dead in the underground garage and rushed her to the hospital.

The second she was conscious, she grabbed her phone and called her lawyer.

“Colton already signed the divorce papers,” she said flatly. “But I’m not sitting through some bullshit one-month cooling-off period. I want this divorce done within a week.”

Kenzie was a lawyer. She knew damn well it could be done.

On the other end of the line, Attorney Larsson went quiet for a moment.

“Alright,” he said finally. “I’ll make it happen.”

Hearing that, she hung up. Almost immediately, her phone buzzed again.

It was a message from Clarkson.

[Hey, I called you so many times last night. You didn’t pick up. Did something happen?]

[Kenzie, I’m worried sick. Please answer once you see this.]

There were dozens of messages like that.

And yet, not a single one from Colton or from her so-called brothers.

If Kinsey had so much as stubbed her toe, they sure would have shut the entire New York down looking for her.

‘So this is the difference between being loved and being hated,’ Kenzie thought bitterly.

She typed back.

[I went to bed early. I’m fine. Don’t worry.]

A lie. But she wasn’t about to let the only person who cared lose sleep over her.

Clarkson replied almost instantly, as if he’d been staring at his phone the whole time.

[As long as you’re okay. The weather’s bad right now and all flights are grounded. Once it clears up, I’ll be in New York to get you.]

She sent back one word.

[Okay.]

Just after sending it, a nurse walked in.

“Ma’am, you’ll need to contact a family member.”

Hearing the word family, Kenzie answered flatly, “Family? I’m an orphan. I don’t have one.”

The nurse hesitated, clearly recognizing her.

“Aren’t you Mrs. Parkhouse? Your husband is upstairs with your sister. You could ask him to come down and take care of the hospital bills.”

Kenzie froze. “Why the hell are they here?”

“Oh,” the nurse said casually, “your sister bit her lip while eating. Mr. Parkhouse and your brothers completely panicked. They even called in multiple specialists.”

The nurse’s face darkened as she looked back at Kenzie, clearly pissed on her behalf.

“You’re family, too, aren’t you?” she snapped. “It was barely a scratch, yet they acted like the world was ending. You almost bled to death last night, and not a single one of them came to check on you.”

Fuming, the nurse turned and stormed upstairs to call them down.

Kenzie didn’t even have time to react.

Moments later, the three men were already standing at the foot of her bed.

She looked pale. Fragile. Weak enough that even Colton couldn’t ignore it.

For the first time, guilt flickered across his face.

“You weren’t feeling well and ended up hospitalized,” he said stiffly. “Why didn’t you contact us?”

Kenzie glanced at him just once then curled her lips into a cold, mocking smile.

She didn’t answer.

That silence unsettled him.

In his memory, she had always been dependent on him. A tiny cut from cooking would have her eyes red and watery, clinging to him.

On the way down, the nurse had told him her wound had been stitched again: more than twenty stitches.

He’d expected her to cry the second she saw him. Instead, she wouldn’t even bother speaking.

For once, he lowered his head.

“I’m sorry about last night,” he said. “I thought you were faking it. If I’d known it was real, I wouldn’t have left.”

Bullshit.

He’d said the same thing countless times before.

And every single time, when forced to choose between her and Kinsey, Kenzie was the one left behind.

On their wedding day, when the crystal chandelier came crashing down, the person he shielded wasn’t his bride. It was Kinsey.

Once, when both “sisters” had severe allergic reactions and there was only one dose of medication left, he gave it to Kinsey without hesitation.

This time, Kenzie had been bleeding out on the concrete, and because it was Kinsey’s birthday, she’d been abandoned all over again.

From start to finish, Colton had never chosen her.

Whatever. A man who’d already made his choice wasn’t worth clinging to.

Kenzie was done listening. She closed her eyes, cutting them all off at once. “I’m exhausted. I want to rest. You can all leave. It’s not like this is the first time anyway.”

Whenever she needed them, they didn’t give a damn.

Now that she was done with them, they could stop pretending they ever cared.

Colton looked like he wanted to say something, his lips parting slightly, when Kobe let out a cold, mocking snort.

“Oh, cut the act,” he sneered. “If you really didn’t want to see us, why have the nurse drag us down here? We showed up, didn’t we? Learn when to stop pushing your luck. If you piss us off and we walk out, you’ll be the one crying later.”

Even now, they were convinced she couldn’t survive without them.

Their arrogance earned a soft, humorless laugh from Kenzie, but she said nothing.

That silence made something twist uncomfortably in Colton’s chest.

“Kenzie,” he asked, frowning, “you weren’t with our son last night. Who’s taking care of him?”

Before she could respond, a nurse suddenly rushed in from upstairs.

“Mr. Parkhouse! Ma’am Kinsey is very upset upstairs. Please go check on her!”

Tension snapped across all three men’s faces at once.

Kobe grabbed Colton by the arm. “Kinsey needs us. What the hell are you waiting for? Move.”

Colton hesitated just for a heartbeat. But then, like always, he chose Kinsey.

“Kinsey needs me,” he said to Kenzie. “I’ll go check on her first. Once things calm down, I’ll come back.”

Just like that, all three of them turned and walked out without looking back.

Kenzie watched their backs disappear, the bitter curve of her smile deepening.

Hah. Colton’s words were dead in under a minute.

‘Colton,’ she thought coldly, ‘our son has been gone for a long time now. And whatever future we had died with him.’

After Colton went upstairs, he never came back down.

At the doctor’s insistence, Kenzie was stuck in the hospital for four long, shitty days before they finally discharged her.

The day she left, Clarkson texted her.

[Flight booked. I’ll be there the day after tomorrow.]

She checked the date.

Perfect. Same day she’d be getting the divorce certificate.

Once that piece of paper was in her hands, she’d be gone for good.

When Kenzie returned to the villa, the second she stepped inside, she saw servants hauling her things out of the bedroom, one item after another.

Before she could ask what the hell was going on, Colton showed up.

“Kinsey’s been diagnosed with cancer,” he said solemnly. “Late stage.”

“All she wants is to spend whatever time she has left living peacefully with me. Your room gets the best sunlight. It’ll be better for her condition. You’ll need to move out for now.”

Kenzie looked at Kinsey.

Pink cheeks, clear skin, bright eyes. She looked healthier than Kenzie did.

Late-stage cancer? Sure. Only a dumbass like Colton would buy that shit.

When Kenzie didn’t agree fast enough, Colton assumed she was about to make a scene. He was already gearing up to lecture her.

Instead, she cut him off.

“Fine. I’ll move. Put my stuff in the downstairs guest room.”

It’d be easier to leave that way anyway.

Her lack of drama threw him off.

For years, every time Kinsey was involved, Kenzie had been “the problem,” “too sensitive,” “too much.”

Now, she didn’t fight back, and somehow, something felt… off.

Kenzie walked right past them, packed her things neatly, and moved everything downstairs.

Colton couldn’t explain it, but watching her leave made his chest feel strangely tight.

It felt like what separated them now wasn’t distance but something already broken beyond repair.

Still, he brushed it off.

Kenzie loved him too much. She was just forcing herself to swallow her jealousy again.

Besides, Kinsey “didn’t have long to live.” Once everything was over, he could sit down and talk things out with Kenzie properly.

That reasoning eased the discomfort he was feeling.

That night, Kenzie went to the kitchen for some water, but Kinsey stepped directly into her path.

Not in the mood for games, Kenzie turned to leave, only to have Kinsey block her again.

Finally, her patience ran out.

She lifted her eyes, cold and sharp.

“Aren’t you scared,” she said, “that I’ll tell Colton your cancer is fake as fuck?”

Kinsey smiled with open contempt. She leaned in close to her sister’s ear.

“Go ahead,” she whispered. “Let’s see whether he believes you… or me.”

Kenzie’s fingers clenched tightly at her side.

Kinsey was right.

Even if Kenzie said something, Colton would still believe Kinsey like every damn time.

After all, you can’t wake someone who’s pretending to sleep.

“Move,” Kenzie said flatly. “A decent dog knows better than to block the road.”

She didn’t want to waste another word on her.

But Kinsey wouldn’t back off. She stepped in and grabbed Kenzie’s wrist, her smile stretching wider, uglier.

“Wow,” Kinsey sneered. “Still playing tough bitch at a time like this? I’ll give you credit. You’re lucky. Most people don’t cheat death this many times.”

Suddenly, Kenzie looked her dead in the eye. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Kinsey laughed softly. “Oh? Curious now? Sure. I’ll spell it out for you. Every ugly detail.”

“The first time you found Colton’s diary?” Kinsey said lazily. “I let you. It was on purpose. I was waiting for you to demand a divorce, and you didn’t disappoint me.”

“But then that fossil of a mother of his told him if he divorced you, he’d walk away with nothing.” Kinsey clicked her tongue. “So I improvised.”

“I figured, ‘why divorce him when I could just make him a widower?’”

“Last day of the cooling-off period,” Kinsey continued casually. “I had someone stage that car accident. But damn, you’re such a pain in the ass to kill.”

“If you’d died back then,” she went on, “no matter how much Alisha adored you, she would’ve accepted it. She wouldn’t have had a choice.”

“You stole my spot as Colton’s wife. You stole my identity as the Lundbergs’s real daughter. So, Kenzie, tell me. How the fuck could I not hate you?”

Every vile thing had been done by Kinsey. And yet she stood there, wearing the face of a wronged innocent.

Kenzie felt the blood surge to her head. Her hands shook. Her teeth rattled.

She couldn’t hold back anymore. She raised her hand.

The slap hadn’t even fully landed before Kinsey, that psycho, threw herself backward.

She tumbled down the stairs, second floor to bottom, her body rolling hard.

Just before everything went dark, Kinsey looked up at Kenzie and flashed a provoking, triumphant smile.

The next second, Colton burst out like some knight in shining armor. He scooped Kinsey into his arms and spun toward Kenzie.

His eyes were filled with pure, murderous rage.

Kenzie’s heart dropped straight to her gut.

Was it because she hit Kinsey, or was this the moment Colton finally decided he wanted Kenzie dead?