Chapter 2

The next day, I knocked on Milo's door. He was always the collected and logical one in the family. When my hand was injured, Milo stood in front of me, expressionless, insisting I submit my resignation and set Alaiya up to take over my position.

As I entered, Milo slowly lifted his head and regarded me with indifference. "Is your hand getting better?" he asked.

I looked at my hand, which had improved yet could never hold a scalpel again, and gave a bitter smile. "Thanks for your concern, Milo. It doesn't hurt anymore."

Milo nodded with apparent satisfaction. "Morgan, you're a practical person, and you know that becoming Mrs. Austin isn't simple. Alaiya needs a respectable job."

I spoke evenly, stating the facts. "But the role of Mrs. Austin was originally meant for me."

Milo’s expression hardened, and his tone grew severe. "Morgan, isn't it a bit shameless to say that? It was Alaiya who saved Calvin back then. Your envy led you to take the token Calvin left for her, making him mistake you for someone else. Every debt comes due."

His words pulled me into a whirl of memories. When I was ten, during a trip to the countryside, I helped a man who was lost and wandering. Before leaving, he gifted me a precious necklace, asking me to wait for him. I had no idea Alaiya’s mother witnessed this and dug into the man's background. Upon discovering he was the heir of the city's wealthiest family, she hurriedly brought Alaiya to accuse me of stealing the necklace. They got to my father and brothers first, planting their version of events, and took the necklace away. When Calvin came looking for our family, he recognized me, but my father and brothers didn’t believe me, thinking I had somehow deceived him. From that moment, Milo stopped caring for me and sided with Alaiya. Alaiya wanted to marry Calvin, so Milo would move heaven and earth to make it happen for her.

"Morgan, Alaiya is your sister. As her older sister, you should think about her happiness," he said.

I remembered the reason for my visit. "She is not my sister, but I'm willing to let her have Calvin. All I ask is that you sign this contract."

Milo glanced at the contract I handed him, his brows furrowed. "Severing family ties? Morgan Bell, are you sure?"

"Absolutely," I replied.

He hesitated for a moment but eventually signed his name. "Alright, as long as you stay away from Alaiya, I'll sign ten contracts if needed."

I picked up the contract, ready to leave, when Milo called out to me as I reached the door. "Once Alaiya has a child and secures her place in the Austin family, I'll send you to Europe to find the best specialist to treat your hand. Maybe you can return to the hospital someday."

I didn’t respond; the bitterness lingered. The optimal time for treatment had long passed, and those words felt empty. All I wanted was for him to stop hurting me.