I have been the Donna of the Smith family for nine years—

but only in name.

I took my deceased twin sister Lily’s place, raised her daughter Emma as my own,

and lived beside a husband, David, who never once looked at me with love.

For nine long years, I gave everything.

Emma, however, only saw me as the woman who “killed her mother,”

never knowing it was Lily who stole my marriage, my identity,

and the man who was supposed to be mine.

She pushed me in public, screamed that I was a murderer,

and even used the gun I gifted her to shoot the only thing that brought me comfort—a tiny bird I’d been nursing back to health.

And David…

David, the man I once loved with my whole heart,

couldn’t hide the coldness in his eyes.

Every time he looked at me,

I could feel Lily’s shadow standing between us.

So I made a decision.

If this family wanted Lily so badly—

then they could have her ghost.

I would leave the Smith estate, the title of Donna,

the child who hated me,

and the man who never wanted me.

But the night I packed my bags,

David suddenly appeared in the doorway, blocking my path—

his eyes no longer cold,

but afraid.

As if he had finally realized

what losing me truly meant.

“I promise you, once I resolve all of this, I’ll return to help you manage the transportation point for the goods,” I said on the phone, then hung up.

Staring at the room I had lived in for nine years, I couldn't help but smile bitterly. Nine years of waiting, compromising, and giving. In the end, it was just a false dream.

Lost in memories, I accidentally knocked over a photo frame that had been placed on the shelf. It was a photo of Emma’s biological mother and my husband, David.

Today was the Smith family's usual banquet. Emma, at nine years old, pushed me hard in front of many core members.

I was off guard. Though Emma was very young, she was quite strong. I stumbled and knocked over a bottle of red wine on the table. The red liquid slid from my shoulder into my chest, a chill run through my heart.

She looked at me, embarrassed and disheveled, with a smug smile on her face.

“Why do you break things in this house?”

She didn’t allow the maid to help me up, holding the photo frame up to me:

“It’s your malice that killed my mother. Everything you’re going through is your own doing.”

I was wearing high heels, and the fall had twisted my ankle. I couldn’t get up by myself.

Signora Smith saw my embarrassment and hurried over.

She scolded the maid beside her:

“How can you listen to a child? Ashley is the Donna of this family.”

But she only scolded the innocent maid. With a charitable smile, her tone was as distant as David’s:

“Ashley, you know Emma is just used to the fact that David only loves her mother.”

Seeing me frozen and speechless, Signora Smith lost patience:

“Alright, go change your clothes. As the Donna of this family, this appearance is a disgrace to the Smith family.”

I took a deep breath, enduring the pain in my ankle as I went upstairs. The woman in the photo frame was not only Emma’s mother but also my twin sister. She died after giving birth to Emma.

But nine years ago, I should have become David Smith's wife.

Though we were the result of a family arranged marriage, we had known and loved each other long before. — Now it seems I was the only one who thought so.

Before the wedding, a sudden change occurred.

He married my sister Lily, and shortly after, she got pregnant, living the life that should have been mine. But after Lily died during childbirth, I was labeled as the "monster."

Because of jealousy, I wanted to replace my sister. Unfortunately, David loved Lily deeply.

Even with the same appearance, he could immediately tell I was not Lily.

But as the only remaining daughter of my family, I went from being the fiancée to being Lily's replacement bride, marrying David, and taking care of her daughter.

There wasn’t even a wedding ceremony, just a simple family meal.

After the meal, my father repeatedly reminded me:

“Do not affect the family business, our transaction point relies entirely on the Smith family.”

Over these nine years, I treated Emma as my own daughter, always loving David. But now I finally understood my foolishness.

David never loved me.

The indifference from him and Emma over the years made me clearly realize that I was just an empty Donna.

Doing Donna’s work but still lower than a servant.

If it were four years ago, when David lost his temper today, I would have patiently soothed him, begging for his forgiveness — simply because I loved David.

But now, I’ve had enough.

What’s laughable is that Emma has no idea that the photo in the frame was stolen from me by her mother.

At the time, Signora Smith hired a photographer to take a photo of David and me. But Lily lied, saying Father wanted to discuss family matters with me, and I missed it.

Signora Smith blamed me for being unreliable and had Lily take the photo with David.

Little by little, everything of mine was stolen by Lily.

“The core members have arrived, the banquet is about to begin, where are you, Ashley?” David’s voice came from outside the bedroom, pulling me back to reality.

I collected myself and was just leaving the bathroom when he barged in.

Seeing me take off the white dress stained with red wine, he frowned.

“I heard from my mother about what Emma did. Don’t take it to heart, she’s just a child, she loves you,”

David said, the explanation unchanged after nine years.

I thought, even when Emma comes of age, she will still be a little child in David's eyes.

I smiled and sarcastically remarked:

“But in that child’s heart, I’m just a murderer.”

David’s face showed displeasure:

“Don’t say that, she could never think that way.”

I took a few steps back, putting more distance between us, and started to zip the back of my dress in front of the mirror.

“I’ll help you,” he said, without waiting, and took the zipper from my hands.

His fingertip warmth touched my back, making me feel a slight itch.

Had this been in the past, I would have blushed, my heart fluttering, even aroused.

But now, it only made me gross.

“Be patient with her,”

he murmured, his breath brushing my neck.

I pushed him away sharply:

“I have something to say to you.”

David furrowed his brow:

“Can’t it wait? The family banquet has already started.”

“No.” I said firmly, “Today marks the ninth year, and I’m leaving.”

“You’re talking nonsense,” David shouted angrily.

I looked at his face, tense with anger, the air freezing for a moment.

But I didn’t back down and repeated:

“It’s been nine years, David, I’m leaving.”

David glared at me:

“Have you had enough of making a scene? Emma is just a child, don’t take it to heart. Today’s an important family event, the elders are here. I’ll talk to her later.”

He grabbed my wrist and tried to pull me out. I forcefully jerked my hand free.

“Wasn’t it you who was persuaded by my father? That’s why you stepped back and gave me these nine years? Now that I want to leave, you’re unhappy?”

I raised my voice, continuing to argue.

Before he could respond, an angry voice came from behind:

“Ashley, can you stop throwing tantrums at the wrong time?”

Without turning around, I knew it was my father.

Back then, Father and David had agreed that once Emma turned nine, I could leave.

But now, why are they stopping me?

“I’m not throwing a tantrum, Father, you said after nine years, I could leave.”

I was tired, but I had no choice but to explain repeatedly.

Father scoffed:

“Did you have to bring this up today, of all days, during the family banquet?”

“Alright, Ashley didn’t mean it.”

David immediately stepped in to smooth things over.

Had this been a few years ago, I might have blushed, my heart racing at his defense.

But now, I clearly understood that this was just his dirty trick to make me stay.

To continue playing the role of Lily’s replacement.

“Let’s go, to the banquet.”

David said to me.

I silently let him pull me into the banquet that had already started.

Emma was playing happily with her cousins.

But when she saw me, her face immediately darkened.

“Look, Emma, your mother is here!”

The younger Smith family members all knew about my position, shamelessly teased.

Emma sneered:

“She’s not my mother!”

I stood right beside her, and David sighed, pulling Emma closer:

“Don’t speak like that, Ashley is your mother, and she’s always taken good care of you.”

Emma’s face turned red with anger:

“No! She’ll never be my mother! Listen, everyone, this woman killed my mother!”

The elders, who were also core members of the family, turned their disdainful eyes toward me:

“She’s not the child’s stepmother?”

“Why doesn’t she like her so much?”

“Looks like she didn’t treat the child well.”

“Apologize to her right now.”

David ordered Emma, but there was no sincerity in his voice.

I stopped him:

“Forget it, no need.”

I expressionlessly walked out of the banquet hall.

I had long gotten used to it; no matter what I did.

David’s heart would always belong to Lily.

And Emma would always see me as the sinner who took her mother’s place.

“Do you really have to cause a scene today?”

Father quickly walked up to me, his voice full of anger and disappointment.

“Father, what more do you want from me? Haven’t I done my duty for nine years? Is that not enough?”

I had grown tired of these repeated explanations.

“You and Lily are biological sisters, wasn’t it only right for you to tolerate her child? If Lily were still here, she would never have been so unaware of reason!”

He scolded me sharply.

I shrugged, having lost all patience for today’s farce:

“Well, it’s too bad, Lily is already dead.”

Father raised his hand to strike me.

I grabbed his wrist:

“Father, it was you who changed the marriage partner, after Lily died, it was you who forced me to help continue this marriage, so now what do you still want? Do you try to force me to do something that harms the family’s interests?”

Father yanked his hand back, disgustedly looking at me:

“Do as you wish, Ashley! This is why no one will ever love you, not even your own mother wants to see you!”

He turned and left.

A sharp pain pierced my heart, leaving me dazed.

I hadn’t seen my mother in nine years.

Since she lost her favorite daughter Lily, she had never come to see me, not even at the family dinner.

I felt immense pain, and no wonder others thought I was jealous of Lily.

Because I truly had nothing.

“Sorry, I’ve prepared a gift for you.”

A childish voice came from behind.

I turned around and saw Emma standing there, a naive smile on her face, holding a wrapped gift box.

Looking at her, she had some resemblance to David, and I couldn’t help but feel a twinge in my heart. I smiled and said:

“You don’t need to be so polite.”

Emma giggled:

“I’m happy to give you a gift, open it and see!”

I took the gift box, opened it, and was immediately hit with a foul smell.

Inside the box lay the corpse of the little bird I had raised, a bullet hole through its body.

It had already lost its life.

“If you don’t leave me and Dad, next it’ll be you!”

Emma’s face wore a harmless smile, as if her threat was nothing but a childish joke.

My body went weak, and I felt the coldness and lifelessness from the bird mirrored in my own self.

I wanted to touch it, but my hands trembled and froze in place.

It was the only thing in this house that belonged to me.

For these nine years, I had poured all my loneliness and sorrow into it.

“Don’t make me angry, and don’t let Dad get upset with me!”

Emma’s true face showed as she spoke with a menacing tone.

Watching her stomp off, I focused on the gun that had been used on my bird.

The gun Emma had was still the one I gave her, a gift I had specially picked out for her.

Just because she admired the gunmen who transported goods in the family.

My attempts to please, to make peace, had turned into a weapon to hurt me.

Looking at it now, I couldn’t hold back the tears in my eyes.

“Why are you standing in the cold? Ashley, don’t catch a cold!”

David’s voice came from the door.

He immediately walked up behind me, draping his coat over my shoulders, but I threw it off immediately.

“What’s wrong?”

He asked, puzzled.