I looked at each of them one by one, and suddenly—everything I’d done over the years felt like nothing more than the pathetic performance of a clown.

Every time my parents were sick, it was always me rushing around, doing everything I could, even fainting from exhaustion on several occasions.

When Vincent’s company faced a crisis, I desperately tried to pull in business partners, even drinking so much I ended up with stomach ulcers more than once.

And as for Louise—my parents spoiled her endlessly all these years. I never tried to compete, never fought her for anything. Yet she always wanted to take what was mine.

I took a deep breath, feeling something in my chest quietly shattered and slipped away.

There was no place for me in this family.

There never had been.

Or perhaps, I never had a family at all.

As I faced their accusing glares—like I was some murderous criminal—I felt nothing but a cold numbness rise within me.

"Are you all satisfied now?" I asked calmly, looking directly at Louise.

Wasn’t this exactly what she had wanted?

Vincent snapped, "Sierra, what kind of attitude is that?! Louise is kind and innocent. She’s done nothing wrong—why are you treating her like this?"

"Can’t you stop being so jealous? The Milton family doesn’t like women who are overly jealous."

I looked at him with distant eyes. "Do you think I need your approval?"

'Vincent, your so-called love is worthless.'

He probably didn’t expect that the usually obedient woman would actually start to argue back. The discomfort this caused him was evident.

My father cleared his throat. "Alright, this matter ends here. Today is a family dinner day, so behave yourself."

In other words—let it go. Pretend nothing happened.

I clenched my fists. When my eyes met the same cold, detached gaze from my father that I'd known all my life, I couldn’t bring myself to say another word.

At the dinner table, Vincent sat beside Louise. I was seated across from the two of them.

He seemed flustered for a brief moment when he noticed my gaze, perhaps intending to explain. But before he could, Louise spoke first with her usual delicate tone, "Sis, my boyfriend is away on a business trip overseas. He and Vince are best friends, so I asked Vince to take care of me. You don’t mind, do you?"

I almost laughed. There was no such overseas boyfriend.

She said that just to show off—to provoke me.

And Vincent played right along. "Yes, Sierra, don’t take it the wrong way. Louise’s injured and still recovering—of course I’d help out, as her boyfriend’s brother."

I looked at him, trying to keep my voice steady despite the ache in my chest. "So everything you’ve done for her up to now—that was all out of brotherly duty to your friend?"

Before he could respond, my mother yanked me up and threw me to the floor, screaming at the top of her lungs, "You damn girl! Have you no shame?! Are you trying to turn the whole house upside down?"

"If Louise weren’t so kind and forgiving, do you think we’d even let you sit at this table after the awful things you've done?"

I lowered my gaze, an overwhelming sense of sadness filling my heart.

When I walked in earlier, I noticed the dishes on the table—every one of them was something Louise liked.

As for me?

There was nothing.

They didn’t know what I liked—or maybe they never cared.

And now my father chimed in again.

"That’s enough. Vince and Louise don’t come back often. Must you be the one to ruin every family gathering?"

I stood up and met my father’s direct gaze.

Suddenly, I understood. He was talking about me.

I let out a bitter laugh in my heart.

Who was the one who truly ruined this family?

Did they really not know the answer?

"Sit down and eat," my father ordered, and my mother didn't say another word.

But the venomous look in her eyes never wavered, as if she was staring at a mortal enemy.

Throughout the meal, Vincent kept his eyes fixed on Louise, not even sparing me a glance.

Halfway through, he finally seemed to notice my presence and picked up a shrimp for me.

I didn’t touch the shrimp, choosing instead to focus on my own food.

Louise furrowed her brows, then spoke in a sweet, teasing tone, "Sis, why aren’t you eating the shrimp that Vince picked for you? Is it because he’s sitting next to me that it upset you?"

"Or maybe Vince should sit next to you, since you’re so upset you won’t even eat the shrimp he offered?"

"It’s all my fault," she said, pretending to feel guilty. "I’ll kneel and apologize to you, Sis!"

Louise feigned kneeling, but as she started to rise, Vincent quickly stopped her.

He looked at me, his eyes flashing with a dangerous glint. "Sierra, how much longer are you going to cause trouble? Are you really going to force Louise to kneel before you? Is that what will make you happy?"

Louise hid behind Vincent, giving me a provocative smile.

I lowered my eyes slightly, "What trouble am I causing? From the beginning, wasn’t it all of you who’ve been talking?"

Vincent stood frozen, momentarily stunned, his face showing hesitation as if deep in thought.

Seeing his reaction, Louise suddenly placed her hand over her chest and gasped, feigning pain. "Vince, my heart hurts so much..."

At the sound of her voice, Vincent stopped thinking entirely, swiftly picking her up and rushing away, never sparing a single glance at me, his wife.

My mother glared at me with eyes full of venom. "Look at you, a jinx! I never should have raised you!"

"Fine. Let’s sever ties then," I said, following the flow of the moment.

If this family couldn’t accept me, then I had no reason to stay.

My mother’s chest heaved with anger, and she pointed at me, unable to speak from the rage.

I looked back at her boldly, meeting her gaze head-on. Meanwhile, my father cleared his throat twice, his voice was stern. "Sierra, this is not the time for your nonsense."

I knew it was a warning.

After leaving the Ainsworth household, I didn’t go to the hospital to treat my injuries. Instead, I returned to the villa that Vincent and I had once called home.

I looked around at the overly warm and cozy decorations, memories flashing through my mind.

I packed up all my clothes, planning to donate them to those in need. I also gathered my toiletries and threw them all away.

Then, I remembered that Vincent and I hadn’t yet divorced, so I took my things and checked into a hotel.

Afterward, I hailed a cab to the hospital to find Vincent. Just as I stepped out of the elevator, I heard a familiar voice coming from the hallway.

"Just say what’s on this paper, and then get Vincent to agree to give me a heart transplant."

It was Louise’s voice.

Wasn’t she supposed to be in the ward?

I pressed my ear to the wall, pulling out my phone to start recording.

Another voice responded, "Ms. Lauren, your heart is perfectly fine. What you’re asking for is—"

Louise interrupted him sharply, "Just do as I say. The rest is none of your business."

The man hesitated. "But the information about Ms. Sierra is missing here. How can we be sure her heart is a match for yours?"

"Ms. Lauren," the man continued, "If this is discovered, both you and I will be in trouble."

Louise gritted her teeth. "Shut up, just follow the instructions on this paper. Don’t worry about anything else. After it's done, I’ll pay you."

The conversation ended there, and I quickly stepped back into the elevator, waiting for a while before I felt it was safe to exit.

When I reached the door of the ward, I heard Vincent’s voice.

"Louise, what’s going on with your heart? How did this happen?"

Louise’s face was pale, and she weakly replied, "I’m not sure. Dr. Beckham said that since they can’t figure out the cause, maybe it’s because of what my sister did..."

She stopped mid-sentence, suddenly clutching her mouth in horror, her eyes wide open. "No... it’s impossible. My sister wouldn’t do this to me."

Vincent looked at her with a pained expression, frowning deeply. He quickly pulled her into his arms and comforted, "It’s okay, I’ll be here with you."

Watching the two of them so affectionate, I couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.

"Excuse me, ma'am, are you here to visit?" A nurse’s voice interrupted my thoughts, breaking the intimate moment between them in the ward.

"What are you doing here?" Vincent turned to me, his eyes full of gloom.

"I came to deliver a document to you," I replied flatly.

Upon hearing this, Vincent frowned. "What document would you need to bring in person? And at such an inappropriate time?"

I knew he’d say that, so I took out the document I had already prepared and handed it to him. "It'she project that Louise wanted. Your assistant couldn’t find you, so he sent it to the house."

"He said the contract needs to be finalized today, or it will cause more trouble later. So, he asked me to bring it."

"Since you don’t want to sign it, I’ll just tear it up for you."

I pretended to rip the contract, but Louise was even more anxious than Vincent. She almost jumped out of bed to snatch the document from my hands, but Vincent quickly held her back.

"Sister, please, don’t tear it up! This project is something I’ve been following for a long time, and I’ve worked hard for it to help Vince."

Louise’s eyes reddened, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. "As long as you don’t tear up the contract, I’ll do anything. Even if you send me abroad again..."

"Sierra!" Vincent’s face darkened with rage as he glared at me. "Give it to me. I’ll sign it."

I walked over and handed him the divorce agreement along with the contract. Vincent, too absorbed in coaxing Louise, didn’t even look at the contract carefully.

"Now, get out, and don’t dirty Louise’s eyes by staying here."

Finally, with the divorce agreement in my hands, I breathed a sigh of relief. "You should’ve signed it sooner."

After I left with the signed document, I had a runner deliver the contract to Vincent’s assistant.

Earlier, I had met his assistant at the villa’s door, and knowing Vincent might refuse to sign, I decided to use the contract as a cover.

With the divorce agreement in hand, I returned to the hotel and booked a flight for tomorrow.

Later that night, my phone buzzed with a message from Louise.

It was a video. The lighting was dim, and there was a suggestive sound of water flowing. I furrowed my brows, feeling disgusted.

I was about to close the video when I heard Louise’s voice.

"Vince, I want to have a baby with you. Is that okay?"

"Of course, Louise, any child you have will be as kind and cute as you."

"But, sister, she’s been trying to do IVF with you, hasn’t she?"

Vincent scoffed. "She’ll never be able to carry my child."

"Why?" Louise asked, sounding curious.

Without hesitation, Vincent replied, "Because her eggs either go down the drain or get fertilized by stray dogs on the street."

"So, Louise, you don't need to worry," he added.