: I'll Back You Up

After the real heiress returned, I packed my things and left on my own.

But the next thing I knew, my childhood friend was taking me home with him.

"From now on, this is your home. I'll have your back."

I was stunned and was just about to say that this wasn't really appropriate.

Then he cornered me at the door. "If you feel that's not appropriate, you can just be my wife to pay me back instead."

'Damn, talk about an outrageous demand!'

1

The true heiress, whose life was switched with mine, had returned.

Apparently, over twenty years ago, we were born in the same hospital, and a nurse mixed us up, causing our lives to be completely swapped.

When Mrs. Sterling heard the news, she cried her eyes out in her room.

My brother: "Pause the meeting. I'll go get her."

On the day Charlotte Sterling returned, the family cook pulled out all the stops, preparing a table overflowing with dishes.

The house was scrubbed spotless. Even my dog was sent to the groomer's, and when he came back, he huddled in my arms, looking utterly wronged.

Charlotte Sterling arrived in the evening, wearing clothes Mrs. Sterling had taken her to buy at a mall on the way over.

She looked around at the three-story villa and tugged at her clothes, clearly ill at ease.

Mrs. Sterling took her by the arm, telling her not to be nervous.

"Let me introduce you. This is your father, the one driving earlier was your brother, and this is..."

When she came to me, Mrs. Sterling suddenly faltered, then spoke in a low voice.

"This is your sister."

When I found out I wasn't really a member of the Sterling Family, I'd seriously considered it: should I pack my things and leave the moment Charlotte Sterling returned?

'After all, I'm an adult now and can earn enough to support myself.'

'But my heart ached at the thought. After all, I'd lived here for more than twenty years.'

Charlotte Sterling gave me a long, hard look, tears welling in her eyes. After a moment, she whispered, "Hello, Sister."

But anyone could see the reluctance and hurt in her eyes.

And so, after we all had dinner together that night, I quietly packed my things and left the Sterling home.

All I had was a small suitcase and my dog.

Just me and my dog, shivering together in the cold wind.

Earlier, my brother had even pressed his car keys into my hand.

But then Charlotte Sterling, sitting at the dining table, had suddenly asked my brother if she could learn how to drive.

"Watching you drive today made me so envious, Brother. Back in my village, the whole place only had two cars. I never knew there were so many beautiful cars in the world until now."

My car was a birthday present from my father just last month.

A small, custom-pink sports car.

'A sudden wave of shame washed over me. If it weren't for that nurse's mistake, Charlotte Sterling should have had this life.'

So I put the car keys down, leaving with just a few changes of clothes and my dog.

This was an exclusive neighborhood full of villas, so catching a cab was difficult. While I was still trying to figure out what to do, a car suddenly pulled up in front of me.

My dog instantly shot forward, running in excited circles around the car door. The window rolled down, revealing a familiar face.

"Are you trying to reenact *The Wanderer's Tale* or something? Come on, get in the car."

: I'll Back You Up

2

Zane Donovan took me to his place.

We've known each other since we were kids, so it wasn't a big deal for me to stay the night.

It was just that Zane Donovan said he didn't have a housekeeper and usually lived alone.

With someone else suddenly in the house, he bustled about, cleaning up and making the bed.

The puppy circled his feet. After a moment of thought, Zane Donovan rustled up a beanbag chair from somewhere and fashioned a makeshift dog bed out of it.

"There, this'll have to do for now. We'll go buy you a new one first thing tomorrow."

Zane Donovan looked at me, his expression serious.

"From now on, this is your home. I've got your back."

"I don't think that's appropriate."

Even though we were childhood friends, we actually hadn't seen each other in years. Zane Donovan had only returned from abroad last year.

I casually picked up a glass of water from the table and took a sip, only to notice that Zane Donovan's ears had turned a little red.

'Seriously? Is doing a few chores that tiring?'

"If you think it's inappropriate, then you can be my wife to pay me back."

PFFT.

The next second, the water I'd just sipped went flying right into Zane Donovan's face.

He froze on the spot, his handsome face now splattered with water.

"Sorry."

I rushed to grab a tissue, but Zane Donovan was still standing frozen in place.

"I'm serious, Aria Sterling. Even if your parents kick you out, I'm willing to split my home with you."

As he said this, he pulled a key from his pocket.

Zane Donovan forcefully pressed the key into my hand. Its lingering warmth thawed my frozen fingers a little.

"From now on, if anyone bullies you, just tell me. Just like old times."

His expression was more serious than I'd ever seen it, his usual carefree smile completely gone.

After saying goodnight, Zane Donovan left. I glanced around the empty room.

Amid the cool, monochrome palette of black, white, and gray, a small pink blanket stood out.

If I hadn't seen it again, I never would have remembered that I'd once bought a blanket and left it at Zane Donovan's house.

Back then, my parents were always busy, and our nanny always wore a cold expression.

It wasn't like Zane Donovan's mom, who always loved to bake batches of cookies for us to try.

That's why as a child, I'd often hang around Zane Donovan's house, refusing to leave. After snacks, we would lie down on the sofa and nap together.

Kids catch colds when you least expect it. That very afternoon, I started running a fever.

The doctor said I probably caught a chill during my afternoon nap.

Because I was sick, Mrs. Sterling told me not to go out for the time being.

I was bored out of my mind at home for three days, until Zane Donovan knocked on my door.

"Come with me."

A driver took us to a department store, where Zane Donovan pulled me by the hand straight into a home textiles shop.

"Pick one out yourself."

I looked at him in confusion, then glanced at the dazzling array of blankets before casually picking a pink one.

When it was time to pay, Zane Donovan finally revealed what he'd been clutching to his chest the whole time.

It was a piggy bank. He smashed it right there on the spot and emptied out all the money from inside. It was a pile of crumpled, wrinkled bills and coins that the cashier spent ages counting.

"Where are your parents, little one?"

"They're busy."

"So you came to buy something for your little sister all by yourself? It's so nice to have a big brother."

Zane Donovan, holding my hand, blushed and shook his head. It took him a long moment before he finally spoke.

"She's not my sister."

But when we got back, Zane Donovan confiscated the little blanket.

"Didn't you get it for me?"

"It is for you, but you have to keep it at my place. That way, when you come over next time, you can take a nap here. And you can have some of my mom's cookies, too."

Zane Donovan looked at me and suddenly started to stammer.

"You haven't come over in so many days."

Even now, I can't help but smile when I think back on it. I regret not telling him then.

'You silly boy. It had only been three days.'

: An Awkward Drive

3

The number one rule of childhood sweethearts is living close by.

But today, I was reminded of the downsides.

Like how I can run right into my parents the moment I step outside.

"Aria, heading to work? Hop in, we'll give you a ride."

I glanced at my parents, dressed in their business attire, and suddenly remembered they had an important meeting today.

"That's alright, I can go on my own."

Zane Donovan had offered to let me take his car, but I'd turned him down.

My parents didn't say much when they found out I was staying at Zane Donovan's place. They just said they'd have me move back home after Charlotte Sterling had settled in.

"Alright, I'll give you a ride."

Just then, my brother, Ronan Sterling, sauntered out of the house. He was dangling his car keys in one hand, his tie not even done up.

"Let's go. It's not every day I get the honor of chauffeuring The Young Miss to work."

Ronan Sterling was bantering with me like he always did. I was just about to get into the car when I suddenly saw Charlotte Sterling standing by the front door.

"Brother, are you heading to work? Could you drop me off at the City Center? I need to buy a few things."

"Sure, hop in."

My brother got in the car right away. I instinctively moved toward the front passenger seat, but after a moment's hesitation, I opened the back door and got in.

"Why don't you take the front seat, Sister? That way you can talk to Brother."

With one hand on the passenger door, Charlotte Sterling looked at me cautiously.

"Alright, why don't you two just sit in the back and chat? I'll just play chauffeur for you both."

I have to admit, after years of being a playboy, Ronan Sterling might not have many other skills, but he was a master at keeping the peace.

The car was completely silent. On any other day, Ronan Sterling and I would have been talking the whole way.

Ronan Sterling must have felt the awkwardness too, because he quietly turned on the car's Bluetooth.

A song began to play.

"What more do you want from me, what more..."

The atmosphere grew even more awkward.

Ronan Sterling muttered a curse under his breath and shut off the Bluetooth.

Our eyes met in the rearview mirror.

"Haha, I actually really like this singer."

It did nothing to warm up the atmosphere.

Amid the bizarre silence, Charlotte Sterling spoke up.

"Sister, do you want to go and see Mom and Dad?"

I knew she was talking about my biological parents.

"Are they... doing well now?"

"They died a long time ago, back when I was eighteen. I grew up on my own after that, with no other relatives around. I was just asking if you wanted to go pay your respects."

A wave of complex emotions washed over me at the news.

It meant that the only people in the world I was related to by blood were gone.

At the same time, I felt a pang of guilt toward Charlotte Sterling.

While I had entered adulthood at eighteen surrounded by my family's blessings, Charlotte Sterling had shouldered the burden of her parents' funerals all alone.

'I'm so sorry.'

'You were supposed to have a wonderful, brilliant life.'

"You should definitely go. It's a chance to see the environment you grew up in, right, Charlotte? And Aria can pay her respects, too. When the time comes, I'll drive you both. It's not safe for two girls to go back on your own."

Ronan Sterling had it all planned out in an instant. But Charlotte Sterling, who had been staring at the floor, suddenly snapped her head up.

"I have to go back, too?"