Chapter 3

The phone rang, and Emily picked up right away. She called out, "Yvette."

There was a brief silence, then a voice she knew all too well, yet felt distant, came through. The voice said, "Emily, it's me. Benson."

Emily's grip on the phone tightened. She demanded, "What do you want?"

She had no intention of seeing the man who had abandoned their family and even hurt her mother, but Benson said he wanted to give her back her mother's bracelet.

It was the only keepsake her grandmother had left for her mother, and even on her deathbed, her mother had been longing to find it.

In the car, Emily called Yvette. She asked, "Yvette, could you help pick up Stella after school?"

Yvette didn't hesitate to agree, but there was a hint of suspicion in her voice as she asked, "Emily, is something going on between you and Andrew?"

Emily bit her lip, keeping the truth to herself. She knew Yvette was fiercely loyal and would surely break off the deal with Andrew's company to defend her if she learned the truth.

So she forced a light tone, steering the conversation away. She said, "It's nothing. I just have a craving for your cooking."

Yvette snorted, pretending to be annoyed. She said, "Typical. You only remember me when you need something."

After a bit of playful banter with Yvette, Emily felt like some of that heavy cloud hanging over her these past few days was finally starting to lift.

When she arrived at the café, she spotted Benson right away.

He was sitting by the window, a bit heavier than she remembered, with his salt-and-pepper hair neatly combed. He was stirring his coffee, his head down.

Emily walked straight over, pulled out a chair, and sat down. She asked, "Where is it?"

Benson looked up, a smile spreading across his face as he reached out to take her hand. He said, "Emily, you finally agreed to see me."

Emily yanked her hand back, her eyes icy. She said, "I'm not here to catch up. Just give me the bracelet."

Benson awkwardly pulled his hand back, his gaze flickering. He said, "After all these years, don't you miss me? Not even a little?"

Emily sneered, "Miss you for what? Should I miss how you beat up my mom just to make her leave you? Or should I be nostalgic about you cheating on her and having a kid three years younger than me?"

The atmosphere suddenly froze.

Benson's face went cold. He said, "I'll give you the bracelet, but you have to do something for me first.

"The Shea family's heir is in a coma after a car accident. They need a woman to marry him as a lucky bride, and your birth chart is a perfect match."

Emily froze for a second, then stared at him in disbelief.

Benson looked away, a flicker of guilt crossing his face.

A tidal wave of suffocating dread crashed over Emily.

Her hands slowly clenched into fists at her sides. She said, "So that's what this is about. Did you tell the Shea family that I'm already married and have a six-year-old kid?"

"W-What?" Benson stammered, his eyes wide with shock.

Seeing his stunned expression, Emily couldn't help but laugh. She said, "Looks like your little scheme just crashed and burned. I doubt the Shea family would want a bride who comes with extra baggage.

"Don't you have another daughter? If you can dig me up after all these years just to get what you want, why not sacrifice her instead?"

Benson blurted out, "How could Sophie marry someone like that?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Benson realized he'd slipped up. He was about to say something when his phone suddenly went off.

As the screen lit up, Emily instantly recognized the caller. She froze, a cold dread shot through her bones.

Benson answered with a gentle, doting tone. He asked, "Sophie, what's wrong?"

Emily sneered to herself. She realized why the girl Andrew had cheated with looked so familiar. The shape of her eyes was just like hers.

It suddenly dawned on her. That girl was her half-sister, the child of the mistress who had torn her family apart.