From Mocked Wife To A Sister No One Dares Touch

"Carrie, come to my place right now! Your biological brother is here!" Amanda Murphy's voice came through the phone in a rush. She sounded shaken and uneasy.

The call from her adoptive mother immediately made Caroline Murphy uneasy. Without asking for an explanation, she agreed quickly, grabbed her bag, and headed out at once.

She pushed open her bedroom door and hurried to the top of the stairs.

But she froze the moment she took in the scene in the living room downstairs.

Seated in the main seat was her mother-in-law, Deanna Harvey.

Her husband, Isaac Harvey, and a young woman she had never seen before sat on the nearby sofa.

He was dressed in a custom black shirt. Leaning slightly forward, he held out a glass of warm water to the woman beside him. Every movement was careful and patient.

Three years had passed since their marriage, yet this was the second time Caroline had ever seen her husband in person.

Their connection traced back to a one-night stand three years earlier. Under pressure from his grandmother, Susan Harvey, Isaac married her. Yet soon after, he left for overseas to expand foreign projects and never contacted her since.

Slowly, Caroline's eyes shifted toward the unfamiliar woman.

Holding the glass in both hands, the woman wore a faint smile. His attitude toward her seemed exceptionally warm.

A trace of ridicule appeared on Caroline's face. She immediately figured out who this woman was.

A year earlier, Isaac had nearly died after being targeted overseas. Stories about the incident had spread widely. According to the rumors, a woman named Talia Howard had saved his life and paid a heavy price for it.

And that Talia was now sitting beside Isaac.

"What are you rushing around for? You don't know how to behave at all." The sound from the staircase drew Deanna's attention. The moment she saw Caroline, contempt filled her eyes.

"As expected of a maid's daughter," Deanna sneered. "No matter what you do, you can't hide where you came from. People like you don't belong among high society."

Caroline tightened her hold on her bag. Not a word left her mouth.

Going to Amanda's place was the only thing on her mind right now, and she had no interest in arguing with Deanna.

She had barely made it down a few steps when Isaac's cold voice cut through the room.

"Study. Now."

Isaac rose from the sofa. Without sparing her a glance, he headed upstairs.

Pressing her lips together, Caroline followed him to the study.

The study door closed behind them. The voices from downstairs instantly disappeared.

Standing across the desk, Caroline quietly looked at Isaac before her.

Three years had changed him. The sharp edges of his younger self had faded, leaving him steadier and carrying even more authority than before.

"Read it and sign," said Isaac.

A document landed on the desk. Two bold words immediately entered her sight. DIVORCE AGREEMENT.

Indifference filled Isaac's eyes as he looked at her. "Talia lost the use of her leg because she saved me. I owe her for that."

Caroline had imagined this day more times than she could count during the past three years. Even so, hearing those words still left a dull pain in her chest.

Drawing in a slow breath, she steadied herself. She didn't want this marriage to end in such a humiliating way. More than that, she didn't want Isaac to hate her for the rest of his life.

"Before we end this, can you at least hear me out?" Caroline asked. Her eyes turned red. "What happened three years ago wasn't what you think. I never drugged you that night..."

"I've had enough of this," Isaac said, cutting her off. The look he gave her was filled with irritation and contempt. "Three years have already passed, Caroline. Do you really think pretending now will change anything?"

A chill spread through Caroline's body.

"Let's end this without making things ugly," Isaac continued. "Your adoptive father received treatment through the Harvey family's connections for the last three years. And you've enjoyed three years of prestige as Mrs. Harvey. You should know when to stop pushing your luck."

Caroline pressed her teeth into her lower lip until she tasted blood.

Before that absurd one-night stand, her mother had worked as Susan's maid. She and Isaac had practically grown up together.

For ten years, she had quietly kept her feelings for him hidden in her heart.

She had always understood the distance between them. The difference in status was something she never ignored. Because of that, the thought of using a despicable method to get close to him and force a marriage had never crossed her mind.

Unfortunately, Isaac never accepted her explanation. To him, she was nothing more than a woman chasing status at any cost.

When Caroline noticed the undisguised mockery and disgust in Isaac's eyes, the last shred of hope she had been clinging to finally shattered.

She gave up completely.

"Fine." No more words followed. Caroline reached for the pen on the desk, turned to the signature page, and wrote her name down. Not even a second of hesitation appeared.

Her reaction caught Isaac off guard. He had expected her to burst into tears or cling to him desperately.

"The Harvey family will still handle your adoptive father's medical bills going forward," Isaac said softly. "Consider it repayment for your mother saving my grandmother's life back then."

Caroline set the pen down. Nothing showed on her face.

"Thank you, Mr. Harvey," she said. Her voice remained courteous and distant. After that, she turned around and left.

The moment she entered the hallway, she came face to face with Deanna and Talia.

Deanna's attention immediately landed on the agreement in Caroline's hand. Satisfaction spread across her face.

"So you finally know your place," Deanna said with a snort. "For three years, you held onto something that was never yours."

Without any change in expression, Caroline stepped forward, intending to walk past them and go downstairs.

"Deanna, don't be so hard on Caroline," Talia said. "She must be hurting right now." As she spoke, she lightly touched Deanna's arm. "Weren't you going to help her pack? I'll stay here with her."

"Right. I'll look through her room myself. We can't let her walk away with anything that belongs to this family!" said Deanna. She shot Caroline a hard look before heading straight into the bedroom.

Once she was gone, only Caroline and Talia remained in the hallway.

As soon as Deanna disappeared from view, the weak and harmless look on Talia's face dropped away.

She raised her head and looked Caroline over from top to bottom without any attempt to hide her arrogance.

"So you're the woman who got Isaac into your trap?" Talia said with a sneer. Her eyes were filled with contempt. "I don't see anything remarkable about you. Yet because of someone like you, Isaac has spent the last three years suffering."

Caroline only wanted to see her biological brother. She had no interest in wasting time with a woman who changed faces so quickly.

"Move," she said. Her voice was cold as she tried to walk past Talia and make her way downstairs.

Right when they passed each other, Talia suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"What are you doing? Let go!" Caroline said with a frown as she tried to pull away.

Before Caroline could put any force behind the movement, a strange smile appeared on Talia's lips.

Then Talia let go.

A sharp scream rang through the corridor. Talia dropped backward and hit the floor hard.

The study door flew open. Isaac came out at once.

The moment he saw Talia on the floor, shock flashed across his face. He hurried over, went down on one knee, and gathered Talia into his arms. "Talia, what happened?"

Talia leaned against him as tears ran down her face. One hand gripped her left leg, and her body shook from head to toe. "Isaac, my leg hurts so much... Did I make my old injury worse when I fell? I can't take the pain..."

While speaking, she cast a cautious glance toward Caroline before quickly shaking her head. "This isn't Caroline's fault. I slipped on my own. She didn't mean to push me..."

It was a perfect act of innocence.

A chill settled around Isaac. A furious look crossed Isaac's face as he lifted his head and fixed his gaze on Caroline, who remained where she was.

"Apologize!" he ordered.