‘How could he forget why I can’t have children? How could he forget our baby?’

Seeing me crying like my whole world just collapsed, a flicker of guilt crossed Orville’s face.

“Presley,” he said softly, “I know it’s a lot to take in right now. But it’s okay, you… you’ll come around. You see, Blaire has already paid the price. We can’t just let her die out there. Life has to go on…”

I grabbed his arm, my voice shaking with rage.

“Orville! She killed our baby! And you’re telling me to accept her child?! That’s not moving on but stabbing me again and again and asking me to say thank you! Oh, my god, Orville, do you even hear yourself?!”

His whole body tensed, and the room fell into suffocating silence.

I followed his gaze—and that’s when I realized, ‘Oh, he didn’t come back alone.’

Standing in the doorway was my dear little criminal sister.

Three years later, here she was again.

She clung to our father’s sleeve, trying to peek out from behind him like a lost lamb. Her face was small and pale but glowing with that soft “motherly” innocence pregnancy gives a woman.

Meanwhile, I looked like I’d clawed my way out of hell—eyes swollen, face blotchy, even the fine lines around my eyes screaming heartbreak.

Seeing that criminal, I felt my chest rise with a wave of anger.

Orville gently pushed me aside and stood up.

“You didn’t wait for me. I told you I’d come pick you up.”

Blaire gave a shy smile and cast a glance my way.

“You said I’d get to meet my sister, remember? I couldn’t wait, so I begged Dad to bring me here.”

Then, as if she hadn’t just shattered my world, she walked up to me with those wide, watery eyes.

“You’re Presley, right? They told me you always loved me so much growing up…”

She tilted her head, frowning slightly, with a pitiful softness that made me want to scream.

“Too bad I hit my head and forgot everything… Isn’t that tragic?”

Looking at her, exactly the same delicate little act she used to put on, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. Rage boiled over, and I slapped her hand away.

“Get out! You monster! How dare you stand in front of me? You murdered my child—you’re a devil in disguise!”

She stumbled backward, nearly falling.

And of course—of course—Orville rushed to her side like some kind of knight in shining armor, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Blairie! Did you hurt your back? Is your belly okay?”

Dad practically sprinted over to her too, fussing and fretting like she was made of glass.

“Quick, sit her on the couch!”

“I’ll call Dr. Haines!” Orville said in a panic. “I’ll have him come over right now!”

Blaire gave him a soft, saintly smile.

“I’m fine, Orville. Don’t worry.”

Then she turned to me, and the next second she was all tears and trembling lips.

“Presley… I don’t know what happened. Did I do something terrible before I lost my memory? If I did, let me apologize now, please…”

Hah. She even started to kneel.

But Dad caught her and turned on me, his face twisted with anger.

“Presley! We’ve always been patient with you—because of your health, we’ve given in to you over and over. But look at you now! So spoiled, so heartless!

“You want to blame Blairie for the loss of your baby? Fine. But sweetie, she’s been punished. She was like half-dead in the hospital bed for a year!

“If it weren’t for Orville finding every specialist he could, your sister wouldn’t even be alive. And now she’s lost her memory.

“Isn’t that enough? Do you really have to keep torturing her?”

I stood there frozen, staring at the man I once called Dad.

The same man who used to call me his precious little princess.

The dad who swore he’d skin anyone alive who dared hurt me.

The man who held my hand when I miscarried… who cooked for me… who said, “I should’ve never trusted that girl!”

Back then, if Blaire had still been alive?

He’d have killed her himself.

‘So when did he start wishing she’d survived? When did he start giving a damn about that fucking bitch?!’

Orville must’ve seen me zoning out because I felt his hand gently reached for mine.

“Presley, can you stop already? We’re doing this for your own good. Besides, Blaire’s still a McDowell. And what’s done is done. Wouldn’t it be better if we all just lived peacefully together?”

I stared at the man I had loved for 20 freaking years.

‘Live peacefully? Together?! What the hell is he planning?!

‘What, he gets to enjoy two women? Me as the dutiful wife, and Blaire as his charming mistress? Or maybe he wants no labels at all. Just two women under one roof, worshipping him like some divine gift to womankind?’

I opened my mouth, only to find that my voice had become unbearably hoarse.

“Orville… are you saying our baby died for nothing? And now you want me to share my husband with the woman who killed our baby?!”

Before I could even finish, he cut me off—annoyed.

“Presley, it’s in the past. The baby’s gone. Talking about it now won’t change anything.

“That baby just… didn’t make it. He wasn’t strong enough to live. That’s not on anyone.”

I had never seen him like this. Cold. Unbothered. Like it was just some small thing that happened.

That baby was our first! We picked his name together! We used to talk about what he might look like. Maybe he'd have thick eyebrows like his dad’s and almond eyes like mine!

‘But now? All Orville cares about is Blaire, Blaire, Blaire!

‘Three years. That’s all it took for him to forget our baby!’

I braced myself and stood up, my gaze scanning the room before locking onto his face.

“Orville. Tell her to leave. This is your last chance.”

“No!” He didn’t even hesitate at all.

I rubbed my forehead in exhaustion and suddenly gave up any hope of fighting for him.

“Fine. Then let’s get divorced. I’ll let her have you.”

My father stormed over in rage and before I knew it, he had already slapped me across the face.

“Orville’s a great husband and you want to divorce him? I’ll break your legs before I let that happen!”

His finger jabbed at me like a knife as he yelled.

“You’ve gotten so petty, Presley! Your sister’s been sick and Orville’s been taking care of everything while you sit around being bitter. And now you can’t even be civil to her? How could you be this selfish?!”

I held my cheek, letting out a breathless laugh.

‘So that’s what I am now? Petty. Selfish. Spoiled. People destroy me, and I’m supposed to smile and thank them for it?’

Orville’s face shifted a little when he saw me—like he felt a twinge of guilt.

“Presley, stop. You know I’ll never divorce you. Twenty years… No one else compares. My love for you—”

But he stopped mid-sentence.

He looked at Blaire.

And I saw it.

Guilt.

She looked at my husband like a sad little angel after a storm, all shaky and pale, big teary eyes about to spill but not quite, staring at him like she was about to break.

“O-Orville… So you really love my sister? You’re just with me out of… pity?”

Orville frantically tried to explain.

“No, Blaire!” he rushed to say. “That’s not what I meant. You and Presley are… different. She’s family. But you—you’re the one I want to protect.”

He was scrambling now, talking way too fast.

Blaire sniffled and sobbed through her words. “It’s… all my fault. I… I ruined everything between you and my sister.

“If you hadn’t said… you loved me… If you hadn’t promised… you’ll stay by my side forever, I never would’ve done it. I didn’t want to hurt my sister! I’m a monster!

“I’ll… I’ll end it. I’ll get rid of this baby! I-I don’t want to bring a child into a home with no love. I don’t want people pointing fingers at my child!”

She cried and cried, and Orville freaked, trying to reassure her.

“Blaire, no! Please don’t say that.

“Look at me. Things have changed now. I love you now. And this baby?

“This baby is ours. He’s proof of our love. No one’s gonna point fingers, okay? I promise.”

“I’ll buy him a big house… send him abroad… let him take over my company one day… Shh, don’t cry, okay? You’re not well. The baby will feel it too.”

Every word out of Orville’s mouth stabbed me in the gut.

‘He used to love me… didn’t he? But when Blaire jumped that day… he must’ve panicked. He must’ve felt something.

‘That’s why he saved her. Held on like she was some lost treasure finally back in his arms. And now, all he does is protect her, coddle her… worship her like she’s made of porcelain.’

Then he grabbed my hand and pushed me toward her.

“Presley, say it. Tell Blairie she didn’t ruin us. That she was only thinking about what’s best for everyone.

“Tell her you’ll love the baby like your own. That we’ll give him everything… our love, the company, everything…”

Blaire clung to my hand and looked at me like she was sorry.

“Presley… Will you love this baby too? Are you mad at me? I didn’t mean for it to be like this. It was Orville. He said he loved me. It’s not what I wanted, Presley.”

Then, suddenly, she threw her arms around me.

“If it really hurts you, I’ll leave with this baby. I’ll never bother Orville again. I won’t ruin your life anymore.”

I was just about to push her off. But then she leaned in, her voice barely a quick whisper in my ear.

“You lost, sweetheart. Orville loves me now.”

And then—she grabbed my hand, slapped it to her chest, and let out a scream like I’d shoved her.

“Don’t, Presley! Don’t hurt me!”

And just like that, that insane woman threw herself backward.

Even Orville couldn’t catch her—he just grabbed the edge of her shirt as she crashed to the floor with a loud thud.

Everyone was stunned.

Even me.

I stared at her in utter disbelief.

‘What. The. Fuck. So, she didn’t lose her memory?! She’s still the same manipulative, obsessed liar she’s always been!’

Orville dropped beside her like a worried sick husband as he scooped her up.

“Blairie! Are you okay? Where does it hurt?”

Blaire winced.

“My belly… My baby… I think the baby’s scared…”

Dad stood slowly. His eyes were dark. Cold.

Then—he hit me so hard my vision blurred.

“You heartless girl! You want your sister dead?! You’ve always been jealous of her!

“Get out. Get out of this house. You’re not my daughter anymore!”

Orville shot me a look so cold I thought it might kill me on the spot. Then he picked Blaire up in his arms like a damn prince and stormed out of the room.

My father pointed at me, his hands shaking.

“If anything happens to her… you’ll pay for it, Presley. You hear me?!”

Then he strode out the door too.

Just as they crossed the threshold, I caught a glimpse of Blaire turning her head toward me, her lips curling into a faint smirk.

And then, she lifted her middle finger at me.

Moments later, the living room fell into complete silence, as if everything that had just happened had been a dream.

I hugged myself, curling into the shadows. For the first time in years… I didn’t know what to do.

Then—the door slammed open.

Orville stormed back in.

Before I could react, he grabbed my wrist and yanked me to my feet.

“Let go of me! What are you doing?!”

But he didn’t listen. He dragged me out like a madman and shoved me into the passenger seat of his car.

I stopped fighting once we hit the main road. He was driving so fast, weaving through traffic like he didn’t care if we lived or died.

At the hospital, he pulled me down the corridor and shoved me into the doctor’s office.

“She’s a match. Same blood type as Blaire. Draw her blood—now!”

I stared at him in disbelief.

“What?! She fell down! You’re telling me she needs a transfusion for that?!”

I jumped to my feet. I couldn't take this bullshit anymore!

“Why the hell should I? Do you even remember what I’ve been through these past three years?!

“All those treatments… the surgeries… the blood I lost when I miscarried… the trauma… the major depression…

“My body never healed. You fucking know that! You know I’m still severely anemic!

“And now you want me to bleed again… for that bitch?!

In fact, the past two years were the only time I started to feel halfway human again.

But Orville slammed me back into the chair.

“This is your fault! Blairie was overthinking everything—she’s anemic now! She collapsed today, she’s still unconscious, and she’s carrying our baby! Don’t you think you should save her?!”

I let out a cold, bitter laugh.

“Oh, come on, Orville, there’s plenty of blood in the bank! You want to save your precious darling? God damn it, buy it! It’s not like you can’t afford it. Why force me to give her my blood?

“Listen, I’d rather pour it down the drain than give it to that manipulative bitch!”

His eyes turned razor sharp.

“Presley, no more lies. You deserve the truth now—Blairie… She's your half-sister. You have the same father. I found out today while she was being resuscitated. Your dad told me himself. And your blood—it’s the safest for her.

“He was devastated, hitting his chest and crying over how he failed her. But heaven gave us one more chance. Blairie… she’s a real heiress. A rich man’s daughter. But she grew up in hardship, and she risked everything, even her life, just to love me.

“Can’t you just… let it go and forgive her? Help me make it up to her.”

I stared at him—my eyes wide.

‘What? Blaire… is my father’s biological daughter? Not some orphan he adopted out of pity?’

My mind spun, piecing together fragments I’d ignored before.

The day Blaire arrived… Mom stopped smiling.

Dad didn't seem to like Blaire, even often scolding her.

A year later, Mom flew to Switzerland.

And never really came back.

Later, she became depressed… and jumped to her death.

‘Now… Now it all makes sense.’