Chapter 4Vanishing Point

When I remained silent, Jake, as if overcome by a sudden, furious shame, lashed out and slapped me hard across the face. "My wife is dead, so I'm keeping Sarah by my side forever! You'll never take her from me!"

Just then, Sarah rushed in. Seeing Jake’s hand raised to strike my face, she instinctively darted forward, throwing herself between us.

Sarah’s eyes landed on the angry red mark blooming on my cheek, and a flicker of anger crossed her brows. "Jake! He's our brother-in-law! How could you—"

Before she could finish, Jake pulled the baby tighter, his voice a quick, panicked defense. "I didn't mean to! It's just... Alex hates us for having this baby, and he tried to snatch him and throw him down! I only hit him out of a father's instinct to protect!"

In an instant, Sarah’s allegiance shifted. The supposed "family hierarchy" was forgotten, replaced by a furious glare. "Emily's death isn't our fault! Why would you try to hurt my baby? You are utterly heartless!"

"A cruel man like you doesn't deserve our pity! Maybe Emily just didn't want to see you anymore, that's why she secretly hid herself away!"

My hands fell limply to my sides. This, I realized, was likely the truth she had harbored in her heart for years. Sarah, her eyes blazing red, glared at me, her chest heaving with uncontrolled fury. When I still didn’t speak, her tone softened, a veneer of pity in her voice.

"Don't worry, Emily will come back someday. They haven't declared her legally dead yet, right? Then, you two can just have another child together."

I numbly shook my head. "I'm not looking for her anymore."

In an instant, Sarah’s face darkened, a look of utter disbelief twisting her features. "How can you just suddenly stop looking? You always said you loved Emily! Are you just giving up so easily? You…"

Jake grabbed Sarah’s arm, pulling the agitated woman closer, then roughly tilted her chin up. "Let 'brother-in-law' rest. Let's go back to our room and work on baby number two, my good wife."

Sarah’s eyes lingered on me for a few more seconds, a fleeting, unreadable expression in their depths, before she finally let Jake lead her out of the room.

The next morning, as I carried my luggage downstairs, I heard a tremor of panic in Sarah’s voice. "Last night, Alex suddenly said he wasn't looking for me anymore. I… never mind. Just hurry up and help me. Help me get my old identity back."

Sarah Peterson, I thought, a grim satisfaction settling in. There's truly no need for that anymore. I walked out of the Peterson home without a backward glance, driving straight to the Sterling Estate to finalize the wedding arrangements.

After hanging up the phone, Sarah rushed to my room, flinging the door open, only to find it empty. "Al—" Her heart seizing with a jolt of panic, she started to call my name but stopped short as her mother, Mrs. Peterson, cheerfully bustled in.

"Oh, what a wonderful double blessing for our family!" Mrs. Peterson chirped.

Sarah paused, a bewildered frown creasing her brow. "Double blessing? Besides me giving the Peterson family a new addition, what else has happened recently?"

Mrs. Peterson puffed out her chest proudly. "Hmph! Your brother-in-law is getting remarried, of course! He basically cursed your sister to her death, and now he’s finally willing to get out of our family’s hair!"

The words hit Sarah like a punch. Her pupils constricted sharply, and she blurted out, "What? But I haven't divorced him yet! How could he possibly—"

Just then, her phone buzzed again. It was Chloe, her friend from the earlier conversation.

"Sarah, someone… someone seems to have voided your identity. If you want to get your original identity back, I don't think it's going to happen…"