On the eve of my wedding, I was kidnapped, humiliated and tortured for two whole days and nights.

When I was finally ransomed back, the doctor told me I might never be able to have children again. My wealthy fiancé immediately turned around and married the switched heiress, Camila Reyes.

Rumors spread like wildfire. I fell into deep depression and attempted to end my life by jumping into the river.

As I was on the brink of death, my fiancé’s younger brother, Tomas Graciani, plunged into the freezing water to save me, nearly drowning himself in the process.

When Tomas regained consciousness, he confessed his love for me—saying he loved me more than his own life. He wanted to marry me, to take care of me forever.

Deeply moved, I accepted his proposal.

Two years into our marriage, I was stunned to discover I was pregnant. Overcome with joy, I hurried to share the news with him.

Just as I was about to share my happiness, I overheard his conversation with my parents.

"Back then, Camila lost her mind and hired people to kidnap Samantha. Thankfully, you paid a hefty sum to silence them and protect Camila. And you even married Samantha, who can’t have children..."

"We’ve thought it through. We can’t let the family line end with you! Camila’s first child will be the rightful heir, but the second heir should come from you."

Tomas’s voice was low and heavy. "That won’t be necessary. This way, Camila and my brother’s child will be the sole heir to the family business. As long as Camila is happy, that’s enough for me."

"And Samantha... I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to her."

***

"Good girl, I know this has been hard on you. If it weren’t for you, the Reyes Family's reputation would have been completely ruined."

"I know this is unfair to Samantha, but this is the best solution we have..."

A chill ran through me, my whole body trembling.

So the one who had kidnapped and tortured me back then… was my own sister—the switched heiress, Camila!

I thought Tomas had saved me out of love, that he had pulled me back from the edge of despair—only to realize it was all just to cover up her crimes.

My biological parents too… they had chosen to sacrifice me to protect their precious family name.

I covered my mouth, holding back my sobs, too afraid to make a sound.

Barely holding myself together, I turned and fled. When I got back to our residence, a message from Tomas popped up on my phone.

[Samita, I have a business dinner tonight. Don’t wait up—get some rest early. Love you.]

I didn’t reply. Instead, my eyes landed on the keypad lock of his study.

When we first got married, I had constant nightmares and could only fall asleep holding Tomas’s hand. More than once, I woke up in the middle of the night to find him gone—always in his study.

He never let anyone inside. It was always locked with a separate passcode.

I hesitated for a moment before inputting in Camila’s birthday. Then, with a soft click, the door unlocked.

After stepping inside, I felt my breath catch. The walls were covered with photos and portraits of Camila, from childhood to adulthood.

The shelves were lined with her old belongings, carefully preserved. Gifts, trinkets—every trace of her life, treasured like a shrine.

I remembered—these gifts were all things Antonio, Tomas’s older brother, had discarded. For the past ten years, Camila had been chasing after Antonio, doing everything she could to please him.

So the gifts Antonio discarded… Tomas had secretly collected them and treated them like priceless treasures.

My heart twisted in pain as I went through each item, tears streaming down my face.

In that moment, everything clicked. When I was thirteen, my parents finally found me and brought me home. They told Camila to call me "sister."

That was when I learned the truth—when I was mistakenly switched at birth, they had taken Camila as their daughter and spoiled her for thirteen years.

For the next ten years, I could never truly feel like I belonged in this family.

With me, my parents acted out of guilt, always trying to make up for their mistake. But with Camila… she was their real daughter in every way that mattered.

Later, when the Gracianis chose me—the real heiress—for an arranged marriage, my parents agreed without hesitation.

I never imagined that Camila had already fallen in love with my fiancé. She hired kidnappers to abduct and violate me, hoping to take my place.

And my parents… and Tomas… they all knew the truth. Yet they still chose to cover for her.

I sobbed so hard I could barely breathe.

Just then, my mother called.

"Your sister had a fight with Antonio. She wants to stay at your place for a while—Tomas already agreed."

"Just go along with it, okay? If not, seeing you will only remind her that you were once engaged to Antonio. You know how she is..."

"But, Mom, why?" I choked up, cutting her off.

"Why what?"

There was a brief pause before my father’s drunken voice came through the phone.

"Sweetheart, I know you still blame us for agreeing to let Camila marry Antonio. But if we hadn’t, the Reyes Family would’ve been finished…"

My chest tightened. I had heard these excuses too many times before.

That wasn’t what I wanted to ask though. I wanted to know—why were they so willing to sacrifice me and hide the truth?

Was protecting Camila, the switched heiress and the Reyes Family’s reputation really more important than their own daughter?

On the other end, my father kept rambling on. It only added nausea to my headache.

"I understand. I’ll do as you say."

The moment I hung up, I rushed to the bathroom and threw up.

Staring at my pale, exhausted reflection in the mirror, I made up my mind. If everyone only cared about Camila, then fine—I would leave.

I went back to the living room and dialed the number of the orphanage director who had once taken care of me.

"Mama Doria, I want to go abroad with you to open a new orphanage."

Then, I responded, after hearing her response, "Yes, I've made up my mind. I can leave with you at the end of next month."

After I was done with the call, I dialed my private doctor's number.

"Don't tell Mr. Graciani about my pregnancy yet—I want to surprise him."

"What surprise?" At that time, the living room door opened just in time for Tomas to hear the second half of my sentence.

"Your birthday is at the end of next month. It's a birthday surprise," I replied calmly.

Tomas's face lit up and he stepped forward to hug me. "Thank you, Samita. You don’t have to do all this. I just want you to be happy every day."

If this had been before, I would have been deeply moved by his words. But now, I just felt cold all over.

"My parents called just now. They told me not to cause trouble during my sister’s pregnancy. Tommy, I’m really upset."

He tightened his arms around me. "Don’t be sad. They mean well. My brother said that ever since Camila got pregnant, her temper has been terrible—he even fled abroad today to avoid her."

I shook my head slightly, my eyes turning red. "I'm not upset about that. I'm just sad… that I can’t give the man I love a child, like my sister can."

Hearing my words, Tomas froze for a moment, a flicker of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Tommy… I've been a burden to you." I bit my lip as my tears slipping down.

Tomas's expression softened again. "Don't think like that, Samita. I told you two years ago—even if you can't have children, I would still love you just the same."

"By the way, I promised my parents that Camila could stay with us for a while. What do you think…?" He phrased it as if he was asking for my opinion, but there was a quiet plea in his eyes.

"Sure, that's fine. I wouldn’t want to put you in a tough spot with your parents."

His face lit up with relief. "Samita, you're amazing!"

I forced down the bitterness rising in my chest and asked, "Amazing how?"

"You're a wonderful wife, a great sister, a good daughter—you’re just good in every way!"

I pulled my lips into a faint, bitter smile.

So, this is what being "good" gets me?

Watching all my family members take Camila’s side? Protecting a criminal? Covering for her while hurting me?

Noticing my slight tremble, Tomas pulled me into his arms, his voice gentle. "Are you tired? Come on, let's get you to bed."

Late that night, after making sure I was sound asleep, he carefully pulled his hand away and slipped into the study.

Tomas had no idea that earlier that afternoon, I had installed a surveillance camera in the study.

On the screen, he held a photo of Camila tightly, murmuring to himself.

"Camila, Anton didn’t leave the country just to avoid you today."

"Why do you only ever have eyes for him? Why do you want to have his child?"

"Today, Samantha told me she wanted to have my child too. I was actually a little moved… She really is a good woman… but she’ll never be you."

"If she could have a baby, maybe I’d love her a little more… But that’s impossible now."

I clenched my phone, my grip tightening as the truth finally sank in.

He did want a child of his own. He did have some feelings for me. And yet, for Camila, he could suppress all of it—even resisting the temptation of having a child with me.

Tomas, since you love her so much, I’d make sure you'd have her.

The next morning, Camila showed up with her people, hauling in bags of luggage as she officially moved into my home.

I glanced toward the kitchen, immediately understanding what was happening. In two years of marriage, Tomas had never once stepped into the kitchen to make me breakfast.

So that was it. Whatever he was making, it wasn’t for me. It was for the woman he truly loved.

At the dining table, Camila took a bite of a shrimp dumpling, then smiled as she held it out to me.

"Sis, how does Tommy not know you're allergic to shrimp?"

She continued after a pause, Ah, well… I guess it’s not surprising. He probably just remembers that I love eating shrimp."

I clenched the spoon tightly, staying silent.

"Here comes the final dish—shrimp and egg omelet!"

Tomas came. He wore heat-resistant gloves while carefully placing the dish on the table.

"Samita, your health has always been fragile. Eat more of this—it’s good for you."

"Tomas, don’t tell me you didn’t know Samantha is allergic to shrimp? Then again, I guess that’s expected. How well can a couple really know each other in a flash marriage?

Camila smirked playfully, while Tomas's face tensed as he turned to look at me.

"I'm sorry, Samita… It’s my first time cooking, so I—"

Before he could finish, a wave of nausea rolled over me. I clamped a hand over my mouth and bolted for the bathroom.

Tomas hurried after me, while Camila leaned lazily against the doorframe, amusement dancing in her voice.

"Tsk tsk, Sis, you look just like I did a few months ago when I was dealing with morning sickness." She continued, "Too bad… that’s not even a possibility for you, is it?"

She was about to continue, but Tomas cut her off.

"Camila, did you struggle with morning sickness too?"

The warmth of his hands on my back suddenly felt uncertain—like at any moment, they might slip away toward Camila instead.

"Exactly! I’ve been through so much for your big brother, yet he doesn’t appreciate it at all. Instead, he picks fights with me!"

Camila huffed in frustration while reaching down to pat her belly.

"Being pregnant is exhausting! So what if I have a bit of a temper? Honestly, I don’t even want this baby anymore!"

Tomas immediately grabbed her hand. "Don’t say that. Once you give birth, this baby will be the future heir of Graciani Industries. Big Brother will be grateful to you."

Hearing that, Camila’s expression brightened and she leaned into Tomas’s arms.

"Samantha, you're so lucky! Tomas is way more caring than Antonio!"

Tomas’s ears turned red and he quickly steadied her. "You’re far along now—you need to be careful."

Noticing my gaze, Camila suddenly clutched her belly and let out a pained gasp.

Tomas panicked, scooping her up without hesitation. "Samita, I’m taking Camila to the doctor."

I said nothing, the weight in my chest growing heavier, more suffocating. Hot tears dripped into the sink.

Tomas, you’re not even trying to hide your feelings for her anymore...

As soon as my parents heard Camila wasn’t feeling well, they rushed over, fussing over her, showering her with concern.

They didn’t ask about me.

Instead, they reminded Tomas and me to take good care of her, even insisting on hiring the best nanny to look after her.