When I woke up again, I was in the master bedroom. I struggled to force open my eye, only to see Isaac standing beside me, looking so worried.

“Riley, you’re awake?” His voice was low and gentle, laced with just the right amount of concern and pity. He was acting as if the intense confrontation at the funeral, in the living room and the blood I had spit out had never happened.

“How are you feeling? The doctor has already come by to examine you. He said you had a heart attack due to a sudden surge of anger, so you need to rest and avoid any further stimulation," he explained

He carefully helped me sit up and then tenderly brought a glass of water to my lips.  

I lowered my eyes, staring at my pale, almost translucent fingers.

These hands once held this family together, but now, they didn’t even have the strength to clench.

Isaac watched me in silence. After a moment, he seemed to come to a decision. Carefully, he pulled out a delicate, gold-embossed envelope from the pocket of his robe.

“Riley,” he coaxed, his voice even softer now.

“I know this period has been too painful for you. The matter with Yosef… and the kidnapping… I want to take you away from here, just the two of us, to find some peace and clear our minds," he continued.

Then, he gently placed the gold-embossed envelope on the silk blanket covering me. The envelope featured an abstract design of icy blue glaciers and snow-white auroras, with a line of elegant English text below, “A Romantic Journey to the Arctic.”

As soon as I saw the plane ticket, my heart clenched and a bone-chilling coldness surged through my spine, making my fingertips grow even colder.  

The Arctic? As in the land of ice and snow that symbolizes eternity and exile? How perfect. That's an ideal place for a “redemption” trip.

In a land where life is so fragile, who would question an “accident”? They’d never even find my body.

Isaac did not realize how my body stiffened or the storm churning in the depths of my eyes. He remained immersed in his own “loving” script. He leaned forward slightly with eyes glowing with anticipation toward me and his expression was full of approval.

“Riley, let’s start over, okay?" he pleaded. "Forget about the pain … It's just you and me.”

I slowly raised my eyes to look at Isaac's eyes, which were filled with pretend tenderness.

He couldn't possibly think I'd submit to his every arrangement like I had for the past forty years, including this “recreational trip” to hell, could he?

“Start over?” My voice was eerily calm. “Isaac, without our son, what exactly is there to start over from?”

His tender expression froze in a second, his eyes flickering with surprise and barely concealed irritation. He hadn’t expected me to reject his offer so bluntly.

“But…” I paused deliberately, my gaze lingering on the fake marriage certificate on the bedside table. “I’ve also come to realize that Sofia and her daughter have had it tough. Since we no longer have a son, recognizing you as their godfather is also a good thing.”

Isaac was stunned. He clearly hadn’t expected me to agree to the “adoption” so easily.

“Isaac,” I called out softly, “Although I agree to the adoption, you are still the head of the Braun Corporation. How can the matter of adopting a son that is so important be done in secret, like a thief?”

I met his bewildered eyes head-on and delivered the line that would both thrill him and nail him to the cross of humiliation for good, slowly. “Let’s throw a grand banquet. Five days from now.”

My voice was calm and composed, as if discussing the most ordinary household matter, “Invite every prominent figure, media outlet and business partner you can. I want you to acknowledge Jack as your son in front of everyone, with dignity and honor. Give him his rightful status and everything he deserves.”

“Let the whole city know that Isaac Braun has an heir again.”

Isaac shot up from the bed in an instant. He gripped my cold hand, which was on the quilt, tightly and asked, “Riley, are you serious?”

His voice cracked with excitement. “I knew it! I knew you still understood me the most. You ….”

Isaac was so excited. He acted as if he had been injected with adrenaline. Without saying another word, he turned and rushed out of the bedroom, eager to share this “great news” with Sofia.

He also wanted to prepare for the “reunion banquet” that would become the most glorious and most fateful turning point in his life.

The master bedroom fell silent once more.

I extended my pale, almost translucent fingers and gently traced the Arctic flight ticket that was with the aurora. The banquet was about to begin.

Wrapped in my robe, I stood barefoot by the window, gazing down at the warm and cozy living room below.

Sofia, who was wearing a soft pink loungewear set, occasionally turned her head to whisper a few words to Isaac, who responded to her with a gentle gaze and a doting smile.  

That look, that smile, that effortless intimacy between them … there wasn’t even a trace of the so-called "best friend" and "husband" dynamic left.

They were clearly a real couple who were deeply immersed in happiness.

Meanwhile, Jack, who had been so reserved in my presence just moments ago, was now beaming with excitement and chatting animatedly after learning he was about to join the Braun Family.

Isaac listened intently, his eyes brimming with unhidden admiration and pride. The kind of approval a father gives to a “promising” son.

It was a blindingly nauseating scene of “family bliss.”

I clenched my fists tightly, letting my nails dig into my palms, using the sharp pain to suppress the destructive urge that was about to burst out of my body.

Just then, the screen of the phone on the bedside table lit up silently, flashing the name “Lawyer Wilson.”

I took a deep breath and picked up the phone. Displayed on the screen was a zoomed-in scan of an official marriage certificate.

The groom was none other than the tall and handsome Isaac when he was younger.

However, the woman who was leaning beside him with a shy and sweet smile was not the naïve and innocent me in my early twenties! Instead, it was Sofia … when she was younger!

Below their photo, the registration date was clearly printed. I noticed that the date was three full years before Isaac “pursuing” me and taking me to get our marriage certificate.

The next document was the paternity test between Isaac and Jack and as expected, they were biological father and son!  

Below the document, Lawyer Wilson's brief message read like a cold verdict.

[Miss Harper, after multiple cross-checks and official records verification, we confirm there is no marriage registration record between you and Mr. Isaac Braun in the national database. Mr. Isaac and Miss Sofia Miller are legally married and Jack Miller is their legitimate son. The chain of evidence is solid.]

So that’s it. It wasn’t the marriage certificate between me with Isaac that was forged. It was actually Isaac and Sofia's that was the real one after all.

And I, Riley Harper, have been nothing more than a complete outsider. I was tricked for forty years by a carefully forged lie.

A colossal farce where I had spent my money, youth and entire life to support this genuine couple and their son!

The phone slipped from my hand and landed soundlessly on the thick carpet below.

And I, Riley Harper, have been nothing more than a complete outsider. I was tricked for forty years by a carefully forged lie.

A colossal farce where I had spent my money, youth and entire life to support this genuine couple and their son!

The phone slipped from my hand and landed soundlessly on the thick carpet below.

At that moment, a floodgate of memories burst open ….

In the grand living room, the sound of my father's furious roar and my mother's tearful worry rang out.

It was because I, Riley Harper, the only daughter of the Harper Family, was like a possessed girl. I threw myself recklessly at a poor young man named Isaac Braun, a so-called "talent" from a humble background.

"Dad, Mom, he truly loves me. He’s different! He has potential; all he needs is a chance!"  shouted in defense. I was blind to everything but the man who gazed at me with such “deep affection.”

My father was trembling with rage. "A chance? Riley, his chance is your money! Wake up!"

But I didn’t listen.

I cashed out my trust fund and spent the secret stash of cash my mother slipped me. I even humiliated myself by begging my father’s old connections, just to pave the way for Isaac to start his business.

I remember the way he hugged me when he got that first round of funding, tears brimming in his eyes with excitement. "Riley, I’ll repay you with everything I have. I’ll make you the happiest woman in the world."

In the early days of the company, I stayed up late with him drafting proposals, accompanied him to social events and drinking sessions and used my status and connections as the eldest daughter of the Harper Family to clear one obstacle after another for him.

When the company finally got on its track, I became pregnant.

At that time, Isaac held me tenderly as he said, "Riley, you've worked so hard. Go home, let me take care of you and the child. All you need to do is be the happiest Mrs. Braun.”

I believed him. I joyfully believed this was the most beautiful outcome of love.  

So, I gave up my thriving career to return to the family without hesitation. I cooked, cleaned, cared for Yosef devotedly and managed Isaac's affairs so he could focus entirely on his business ventures without any concerns.

I had given him a son, given up my youth on his side and given him every last drop of my passion and brilliance …

Only to realize that all the sacrifices and efforts I had made for him were only to pave the way for Sofia and their son, Jack.

My money paved the way for Isaac and Sofia’s rise to glory.

My sacrifices gave Sofia the perfect opportunity to take over my home.

I gave up my career to be a housewife and mother, becoming the “fool” that they saw as the easiest person to manipulate and control!

I slowly bent down, picked up my phone from the carpet and opened the chat window with Attorney Wilson. Then, word by word, I typed.

[Proceed according to the original plan. Initiate the recovery of the prenuptial agreement, trace the dowry list and initiate asset preservation procedures for all shares and assets under my name. I will reclaim everything that belongs to me, Riley Harper.]

The corners of my pale, cracked lips slowly curled into a cold, icy smile.

I turned my gaze back to the loving scene unfolding downstairs.

Enjoy it, Isaac and Sofia. Just enjoy this stolen "happiness" that was built on lies and blood. Because soon … very soon … I'll rip away everything you have down to the root.

Not only have I lost forty years of my life, but I have lost a son. I'll make you pay this blood debt for the rest of your life.

My fingers clutched the two thin tickets that were embossed with patterns of icy blue glaciers and aurora. They were the death invitation Isaac had meticulously prepared for me.  

Isaac and Sofia might have thought this place would be my final resting place. That I, along with all my secrets and values, would be buried forever beneath the eternal ice.

Unfortunately, they were wrong.

When I loosened my fingers and let go, the two tickets that symbolized death fluttered gently to the floor

What they didn’t know was that the “family recognition banquet” they were so eagerly preparing … was also the day I would vanish from their lives completely. It was time this farce was finally coming to an end.