Chapter 1Mending My Heart Without You

The day I was officially brought back to the Harrington estate as their long-lost biological daughter, Daphne—the girl who had lived my life for twenty years—stepped forward with tear-brimmed eyes and offered to give me back her engagement.

I rested my hand against my flat stomach, where a newly confirmed pregnancy was quietly beginning to take shape, and gave a soft, dismissive shake of my head.

"There's no need," I said, my voice barely a murmur. "I already love someone else."

The moment the words left my mouth, strange, semi-translucent words drifted across my vision like a floating chat feed.

[Lmfao, this villainess thinks she's so slick rejecting him now. Just wait till she sees the male lead; she’ll regret it instantly.]

[Too bad the male lead only has eyes for our precious female lead, Daphne. The villainess is just going to use her pregnancy to cling to him like a leech.]

[Ultimately, she drives Daphne to slit her wrists, gets disowned by the family, despised by the male lead, and dies on the operating table during childbirth—both her and the baby.]

I lowered my gaze, finding the floating words utterly absurd. Me? Obsessing over a wealthy stranger to the point of self-destruction?

Just then, footsteps sounded from the entryway.

Daphne wiped her tears and rushed toward the newcomer. "Adrian, this is Beatrice... my sister. The engagement was always meant to be hers."

I turned around, and my eyes locked with a pair of painfully familiar ones.

It was Adrian Kingsley. The man who had kept me as his private secret for five years. The father of the child growing inside me.

* * *

When Adrian saw me, a flicker of panic crossed his eyes. But it was gone in an instant.

He masked it, slipping into a cold, polite, and distant demeanor.

"Miss Harrington," he said, his voice smooth and empty. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

He patted Daphne's hand comfortingly, his tone gentle but absolute. "Don't say such things, Daphne. Our engagement was settled years ago. It isn't going to change."

The text in my vision flared up instantly.

[Here we go! The bitter second-choice sister is about to throw a tantrum, expose their secret affair, and force a wedding!]

[I bet she uses the pregnancy as a weapon to snatch the engagement right now!]

I took a slow, deep breath, pulling my gaze away from him.

"Mr. Kingsley," I said, keeping my voice entirely steady. "It's a pleasure to meet you, too."

The floating text hesitated.

[Wait... that's it? Why isn't she making a scene?]

[She's playing hard to get. Just watch.]

[Ah, the classic 'retreat to advance' strategy. High-level manipulation.]

Adrian hadn't expected this reaction. He cast a sharp, warning, and deeply searching look at me.

My biological mother, Catherine, immediately pressed, "Beatrice, you just said you love someone else? How far did things go with him?"

Everyone's eyes locked onto me. I looked at Adrian. He maintained a perfectly calm facade, but I saw the slight tremor in his clenched fist.

I smiled faintly. "Far enough... that he had to go back home to marry someone of his own social standing. So, I got dumped."

Silence fell over the room. Catherine looked like she had swallowed a fly. Richard, my father, coughed awkwardly, shifting his gaze. Adrian's face darkened, visibly and violently.

Daphne chimed in, "So, Beatrice... you really don't want the engagement?"

"I don't," I said, clean and absolute. "Since you two are so deeply in love, the engagement is yours."

The text drifted by:

[Fake! So fake! She’s definitely going to corner him in private and cry to him later!]

My biological parents looked visibly relieved. Catherine stood up. "Beatrice, let me show you to your room. Daphne's health isn't great, and she shouldn't sit up too long."

My room was at the very end of the hall. It was small, cold, north-facing, and lacked any natural light.

Catherine gave a dismissive shrug. "You'll stay here for now. Daphne has lived in her room for twenty years; it wouldn't be fair to make her move. You're the older sister, Bea. Be understanding."

Richard stood by the door, adding, "Daphne has always been fragile and sensitive. Try to let her have her way. We need peace in this family."

I looked around the room, which was smaller than Daphne's walk-in closet, and nodded. "Alright."

After they left, there was a knock. It was Adrian. He stepped inside and hissed, "Beatrice, keep your mouth shut. The last five years were nothing but an act of charity on my part. A transaction."

"Daphne is the one I am marrying. You'd better remember your place."

I touched my stomach, feeling the weight of the positive pregnancy test in my pocket. I had thought returning to my biological family would bridge the social gap between us. I thought I could finally stand by him openly.

It turned out it was all in my head.

I choked down the bitterness. "Adrian, we're done."

He froze. I shut the door in his face.