Chapter 4

I stared at it, frozen.

For eighteen years.

I was seeing my very first period.

My throat tightened, and tears hot and fast blurred my vision.

An overwhelming wave of ecstasy flooded my chest.

I had a uterus.

I gently touched my abdomen. I could finally be a normal woman.

I could fall in love, get married, and carry my own child without carrying the weight of being "defective."

My phone buzzed.

It was Julian.

He called me by his usual nickname.

"Sera."

But his next words were completely different.

"Melody was crying for hours."

I said nothing.

His voice dropped, carrying a hint of frustration.

"She genuinely wants to make peace with you. Why do you have to humiliate her?"

I gripped the phone.

"I humiliated her?"

"Sera, stop acting clueless," he snapped, accusing me for the first time. "She just came back to the family. She's insecure. You've enjoyed the Vance lifestyle for eighteen years, and you're engaged to me. You took so much from her. Do you really have to play the victim now?"

I listened to his voice—once so familiar, now so cold.

It was like watching a cherished photo get splattered with mud.

"So?" I asked.

"I'm coming over to your house tonight," he said. "The engagement was always an alliance between the Vance and Sterling families. Now that the real daughter is back, the engagement should be returned to her."

Returned to her.

He said it so casually.

As if my eighteen years of life were just a coat I was keeping warm for Melody.

"Is this your decision?" I asked quietly.

"Yes." He paused, delivering the final blow. "It's only fair to everyone."

I let out a soft laugh.

"You change fast, Julian."

He was silent for a few seconds. When he spoke again, his tone was icy.

"Don't use that tone with me, Sera. You used to be reasonable."

I hung up.

When I returned to the Vance estate that evening, Julian was already there.

Melody was sitting next to him, his jacket draped over her shoulders.

Eleanor looked relieved. Richard looked pleased.

Seeing me walk downstairs, Julian stood up.

"Sera, we need to talk."

"No need," I said. "I heard you on the phone."

He frowned. "Good."

In front of my parents, he placed the Sterling family engagement ring on the coffee table.

"Mr. and Mrs. Vance, I'd like to officially transfer the engagement to Melody."

Eleanor gasped, her face lighting up with joy.

Melody's eyes welled with tears. "Julian..."

Julian looked at me. His eyes no longer held any warmth, only a condescending pity.

"Sera, you need to understand your place. Melody is the true Vance. You've enjoyed eighteen years of a life that didn't belong to you. Don't stand in her way now."

The living room fell into a suffocating silence.

I looked at him. He was completely under the system's influence.

I smiled faintly.

"Okay."