Chapter 2The True Heir Who Died in the Fire Is Back

Chloe ran to the garden entrance, her back to the floor-to-ceiling windows.

She didn't seem to notice us in the living room.

A gentle breeze lifted her dress, revealing a slightly rounded stomach.

Was she... pregnant?

I froze.

Then I saw Noah, my former younger brother, anxiously following behind Chloe.

"Chloe, be careful! Do you even remember you're pregnant?"

Chloe pouted, cooing, "Oh, come on, I'm not a fragile doll."

Noah shook his head helplessly. Turning around, he saw me and froze.

Before Noah could react, Chloe, who had also seen me, already smiled sweetly at me.

"Anya. You actually came back. I was...so happy to hear you weren't dead!"

I scoffed.

"You look radiant. I can only imagine how comfortable these past five years have been for you."

Chloe's eyes instantly welled up. She tugged on Daniel's sleeve.

"Daniel, she's targeting me again."

Daniel frowned, but this time, he didn't scold me.

Just then, Noah excitedly stepped forward and grabbed my shoulder.

"These past few years, have you been okay, all alone?"

I sidestepped, avoiding his touch.

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Noah. I'm doing more than okay. I'm doing great."

Noah stiffened, as if my words had burned him.

Five years ago, at my engagement party, he'd smashed a wine glass and cursed.

"Anya, if anything happens to Chloe, I'll never forgive you! A cold-blooded, selfish woman like you doesn't deserve happiness!"

Now, he was feigning concern about how I was doing.

I sneered.

Just then, Chloe suddenly clutched her stomach, her expression twisting in pain.

"Noah, my stomach hurts."

"Chloe!"

Noah was instantly distracted. He scooped up Chloe, intending to call a family doctor.

Daniel walked over to me.

"Chloe is pregnant. The baby is from your ex-fiancé, Luke. After you ran away from the wedding, Chloe helped you complete the alliance. Don't blame her."

She stole my fiancé, and he called it helping me. I couldn't help but sneer.

"Right. My boyfriend of many years, who then turned around and married my sister. Isn't that an insult to me?"

I looked at him, my gaze icy.

"Besides, are you getting old and forgetful, or are you deliberately playing dumb? Do I really need to remind you why I ran away from that wedding?"

Daniel's face instantly turned ashen.

The next day, I personally went to choose a gravesite for Grandma.

She had lived a life of strict adherence to rules, and the most rebellious thing she ever did was help me leave the family five years ago.

Five years prior, Chloe had once again caused a scene, threatening suicide at my engagement party with Luke.

That time, I didn't let her disruptive behavior stop the wedding.

Instead, I called an ambulance and insisted the engagement continue.

Noah, the brother I'd protected since childhood, glared at me as if I were his enemy. "Why do you have to provoke her? You've already gotten the person Chloe loves, what more do you want?"

My brother, Daniel, looked at me with disappointment. "Anya, you're too cruel. Do you really have to hold the engagement now?"

My fiancé, Luke, said nothing. He simply carried Chloe away from the engagement, never once looking back at me.

All the guests' astonished gazes fell upon me.

All the years of pent-up hurt and fury surged within me.

I snatched a serving knife from a waiter and chased after them like a madwoman.

But Grandma stopped me.

"Pathetic!" she chided. "Is a fickle man, wavering between two women, worth you committing a crime for?"

Then she handed me a bank card and said, "Go. Don't come back."

I staggered, regaining my footing. When I looked up again, she had already turned away.

Later, I used those three hundred thousand dollars to establish myself in a foreign country.

And later still, I built my own family.

As I walked out of the cemetery, I saw Luke, my ex-fiancé.