Chapter One

On the very first day the true heiress returned, she falsely accused Summer Woods of pushing her down the stairs.

Ethan Woods, the brother who had always doted on Summer, was consumed by a violent rage. He personally called the police and had her sent to prison.

Meanwhile, her childhood sweetheart and fiancé, Julian Rivers, hired the best lawyers in the country, demanding the harshest possible sentence.

A family elder, unable to bear the sight, stepped in to plead for mercy. "Ethan, Julian, is it really necessary to go this far? It’s just a matter of an apology. Going to prison will ruin her entire life!"

Ethan sneered, "She has occupied Skylar’s life for so many years. Instead of being grateful, she turned around and harmed her! If I don’t let her taste the bitterness of a prison cell, she will never learn her lesson!"

Julian’s tone was calm but bone-chilling. "If you do something wrong, you must be punished. As for the criminal record... it doesn't matter. I’ve loved her since we were children; I will still marry her. The Rivers family wealth is enough for her to live peacefully at home for the rest of her life. Spending a few years sober in prison might actually be good for her."

And so, Summer went in.

Three years in prison was a nightmare from which she could not wake.

The bullying, the illness, the despair... it ground her down from a spoiled socialite into a hollow shell with vacant eyes.

On the day of her release, the sun was bright. Ethan and Julian came together to pick her up.

She stood at the prison gates wearing the same old dress from three years ago—now ill-fitting—looking at the two men who remained as dazzling and radiant as ever. Inside her heart, there was only a dead, desolate silence.

"Get in the car."

Ethan frowned. The Summer Woods in his memory was always bright and lively, with a touch of spoiled arrogance, but never so... lifeless.

Julian opened the car door for her. His gaze lingered on her face for a moment, appearing as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he simply pressed his lips together.

Returning to that familiar, luxurious estate felt like a lifetime ago.

"It’s been so long, and you haven't even greeted us?" Ethan sat down in the living room, finally unable to hold back. "Are you still angry with us? We did it for your own good! You were out of control back then; you needed to be taught a lesson!"

Julian also spoke softly, attempting to ease the tension. "Summer, one of us was your brother for so many years, and the other has loved you for just as long. How could we not care about you? It’s just that Skylar had just returned; her emotions were unstable, and she had suffered so much for years. We had to give her justice. Sending you... there... was a last resort. You must have suffered a lot inside, haven't you?"

They looked at her, seemingly waiting for her to do what she used to do—to throw herself into their arms crying, or to throw a tantrum and demand answers so that they could helplessly coax her back to happiness.

Summer slowly raised her head and looked at them.

She shook her head, her voice raspy and terrifyingly calm. "I’m not angry."

Both Ethan and Julian froze.

The corners of Summer’s mouth twitched slightly—a movement so small it was almost invisible, looking more like a mocking convulsion. "Because to me, you both mean nothing now."

The words were light, yet they felt like a blade forged in ice, stabbing directly into the hearts of Ethan and Julian.

Mean nothing?

One was the brother she had called "Ethan" for twenty years, and the other was the fiancé she had been attached to since childhood! How could she say they meant... nothing?

"Summer Woods! You—" Ethan’s fury was instantly ignited.

But Summer didn't look at them again. She turned and walked straight upstairs toward her old room.

Just three days before her release, she had received an unexpected call in prison.

A man claiming to be her biological brother had found her. He told her that their biological parents had long since passed away, but they had left her a significant inheritance and a... fiancé.

They would come to take her away in a week.

At the time, she felt it was both absurd and tragic.

A biological brother? An inheritance? A fiancé? These words felt worlds away.

But regardless, it was a chance to escape.

A chance to leave the Woods family, Ethan, and Julian forever.

So now, all she had to do was wait quietly.

She returned to her room and closed the door, shutting out their shocked, angry stares and the words they left unsaid.

That evening, Ethan and Julian came up together to call her for dinner.

"Summer, stop throwing a tantrum. Come out and eat," Julian knocked on the door, his voice still relatively gentle.

There was no response from inside.

Ethan’s patience ran out. His face darkened as he spoke coldly toward the door. "Summer Woods, how long are you going to keep this up? You’ve been acting like this since you got back! What do we owe you?! You pushed Skylar down the stairs, and we sent you to prison to teach you a lesson. Was that wrong?! You’ve always used our love to do whatever you wanted! Now that you know you were wrong, you won’t even eat? Who are you trying to impress?!"

Julian frowned, seemingly wanting to stop Ethan from being so harsh, but in the end, he remained silent for a moment, whispered "Forget it," and turned to leave.

Inside the room, listening to Ethan’s scolding and the sound of Julian’s departing footsteps, Summer’s heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand. A sharp, familiar pain washed over her.

Yes, once, she really was a pampered princess.

Ethan spoiled her to no end, giving her whatever she desired. Julian was gentle and attentive, his eyes only seeing her; they were the "golden couple" everyone envied.

When she first learned she was a "fake" heiress and the real one was coming back, though she was sad and terrified, she had been prepared to leave quietly.

She didn't want to steal what belonged to someone else.

It was Ethan and Julian who stopped her.

They held her hands, their eyes sincere and their voices firm: "Summer, don't overthink it. Is twenty years of affection fake? You are our sister and our fiancé. Nothing will change. There will always be a place for you in this home."

So, she believed them.

She naively thought that while blood might be important, twenty years of companionship and emotional bonds were equally precious.

But what she got in return was a flimsy lie from Skylar and three years of living hell.

Were they wrong? Perhaps not.

They truly should have cherished their long-lost, real sister and fiancé.

And she, the fraud who had taken that place, deserved any punishment she received.

It’s just that... it hurt too much.

So painful that she had gone numb; so painful that only a desolate coldness remained.

It was for the best.

Soon, everything would finally return to where it began.

Chapter Two

The next day, as soon as Summer opened her door, she saw Ethan and Julian standing there.

The anger from the previous day had vanished from Ethan's face, replaced by a tone of command. "Skylar returned from her trip abroad today and she’s in a good mood. She wants to buy some gowns. You’re coming along, and we’ll pick a few out for you too. Look at what you’re wearing—it’s disgraceful."

Julian looked at her as well, his eyes complicated. "Summer, come with us. Just... to clear your head. How did you become so distant after only three years?"

Distant?

Summer’s lips curled.

Those three years in prison were pitch black—filled with bullying, humiliation, and the ravages of illness. Every day she had teetered on the edge of collapse and death.

Every time she felt she couldn't go on, she hallucinated that her brother and Julian would suddenly appear, tell her it was all a mistake, and take her home.

But all that came was a despair that grew deeper with each passing day.

After three years like that, how could she not be distant?

She didn't want to go, but Ethan and Julian clearly weren't giving her a choice.

At the high-end boutique the Woods family frequented, Skylar was already waiting.

Dressed in a new-season designer suit, she greeted them joyfully the moment she saw them.

"Ethan! Julian! You’re here!" Her gaze landed on Summer, and she paused. "Sister... you came too? That’s wonderful. You’ve... you’ve suffered these past few years. I... I missed you so much."

As she spoke, she reached out to take Summer’s hand.