Chapter 5

I started secretly gathering evidence at home.

Thanks to Sophie, all my tutors got reassigned to her, so for once, my schedule was wide open.

With the weekend ball coming up, my parents were all about Sophie now. To them, I was basically invisible.

I secretly kept an eye on Sophie for a few days, but surprisingly, she didn't do anything weird.

She was either out on shopping sprees with my mom or clinging to my dad and acting all cutesy. At night, she'd say goodnight to them after bringing them some health tonics.

My parents liked her even more, and with every day, they forgot a little more about their real daughters.

As for Emma, she was way too timid to be any help.

In fact, Mom had reluctantly signed her up for a few arts classes as well.

But after just a couple of days, the teachers came to Mom, frowning, saying Emma just wasn't as gifted as Sophie.

Just like that, Emma lost her shot at those classes.

Most days, she was either at school or eating. As for the rest of the time, she was holed up in her room. Even I barely saw her.

And it wasn't just that. Maybe because she'd never lived in a place this fancy before, Emma acted like she was walking on eggshells even during meals.

She'd watch what I picked up to eat and copy me, and she'd only drink from the pitcher after I did.

Compared to Sophie, who had the whole house wrapped around her finger, Emma seemed more like the real imposter.

One night, I caught Emma tiptoeing into the kitchen for a midnight snack. She looked so scrawny that I couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh, then started stuffing whatever food I could find into her room whenever I got the chance.

Seriously, Emma was supposed to be the legit second daughter of the Brooks family, and yet she couldn't even get a proper meal at home.

The weekend ball was really just a pretense for my parents to formally introduce Emma and Sophie to high society.

At the crack of dawn, stylists wheeled in rows of clothes, all eager to please Sophie as she chose her dress.

Among the makeup artists, I recognized one who was the go-to for some A-list celebrities.

Seeing everyone in the room doting on her beloved daughter, Mom wore a satisfied smile.

But nobody even looked at Emma or me.

I didn't really care. After all, I wasn't the star of this story.

But... Mom hadn't even prepared a single dress for Emma.

Emma was still in those worn-out clothes she'd come in with, watching everyone else with longing in her eyes, looking completely crestfallen.

She shrank behind a pillar in the banquet hall, her eyes glued to Sophie, who was making her entrance down the spiral staircase like royalty, gracefully lifting her dress.

The spotlight hit Sophie dead-on, and even the strands of her hair seemed to shimmer with a captivating, almost hypnotic charm.

When Sophie met my gaze, her smile grew even brighter—she was showing off, and she knew it.

All around me, I caught snippets of guests whispering, some even calling her the real heiress. My parents just let it slide, like it was the truth all along.

James was right up front, and for a second, I saw that flash of amazement in his eyes. I remembered he used to look at me like that, too. Back when I won first place at that dance competition, he was in the crowd, and his eyes held the same amazement in them.

I couldn't help but smile bitterly. Real feelings could actually fade so easily.

Sophie glided over to James, her every move graceful, while my parents clinked glasses with them in celebration.

James let Sophie bring the glass right to his lips, drinking as she watched, and with my parents smiling on, he let her lead him out into the garden.

It seemed that everyone had forgotten one thing: I was supposed to be James' fiancée.

Before I knew it, I wandered over to where they'd just been and casually grabbed a glass of wine.

"Don't drink that!" A woman's voice rang out, quick and anxious.