Robin's expression instantly turned cold at Kane's words. He looked down at Elena, his gaze so unfamiliar it was terrifying.

"Elena, I thought you were obedient and sensible. You never fought for anything before, but I guess it was all an act. You should know by now that no one can take your sister's place in my heart.

"You knew that from the moment you married into this family!"

Elena opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Just then, Constance walked in gracefully.

She wore a flowing sea-blue gown. Her long hair was curled like seaweed, and her makeup looked delicate and ethereal. She currently looked so much like Evangeline.

The guests around them immediately began to whisper.

"Oh my god. She looks exactly like her…"

"Ms. Beck is the spitting image of Ms. Evangeline when she's dressed like this…"

Robin's eyes flickered with a moment of daze amid the murmurs. Kane's eyes grew red. A second later, he could no longer hold back and burst into tears as he threw himself into Constance's arms.

"Constance, I wish you were my mom! I don't want Elena to take care of me!"

Constance gently hugged him back, stroking his hair with tender care. Robin stared at her for a long time, as if lost in a trance.

When he finally came to, he rushed forward and pulled her into his arms without hesitation. His every expression, every glance, was filled with affection.

Elena lay weakly by the edge of the pool, her heart turning utterly cold. She had spent six years in the Marsh family, caring for them in every possible way. Yet Kane had never relied on her like that, and Robin had never looked at her that way.

She had never left even the faintest mark on the hearts of this father and son. Constance, on the other hand, had effortlessly gained everything Elena had dreamed of and more just because she had a face that resembled her sister's.

She clutched the suit jacket wrapped around her, letting out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. It would all be over soon, at least.

After the banquet, rain poured down through the night as they drove home together. Elena had changed into a fresh set of clothes and sat silently in the front passenger seat, gazing out the window.

Constance spoke gently to Kane in the backseat, her tone soft and doting. Robin responded now and then, and his voice was low, indulgent in a way Elena had never heard before.

They looked so much like a real family. She lowered her eyes and absentmindedly rubbed the wedding ring on her finger. It had been six years, yet this ring had never truly meant anything.

Suddenly, the sharp screech of brakes tore through the rain. Then, there was a loud bang.

The deafening crash sent the world spinning. The airbag slammed into Elena's face with brutal force. The sharp taste of blood filled her mouth instantly.

She lifted her head with difficulty. She saw Robin cradling Constance as he rushed into the rain through the shattered car window, with Kane trailing right behind them. Not a single person looked back at her.

Rainwater, mixed with blood, slipped into her eyes. Her vision blurred as she opened her mouth, but no sound came out. So it was true—one could truly see one's life flash before one's eyes when they were on the brink of death.

She saw that snowy night six years ago, when Robin had stood in the Larson family's living room. His eyes were colder than the snow outside.

"Our families already agreed. You will take care of Kane and handle my physical needs for six years. You're not to interfere in my personal life outside of that. If you get pregnant, the child must be aborted."

She saw herself locked in the basement for the first time by Kane, and Robin standing at the top of the stairs, saying indifferently, "He's the boy Evangeline gave her life to give birth to. Just bear with it."

…

"She's still breathing! Get the stretcher!"

That was when someone dragged her out of the wrecked car through the haze. The hospital corridor lights were harsh, cold, and blinding.

"They're both Rh-negative. The blood bank only has enough for one!" a doctor shouted urgently.

"Give it to Constance first," Robin replied without hesitation. "She absolutely must survive."

"What about Ms. Larson?"

"She might as well die anyway!" Kane's voice cracked with tears.

"Mom's scared of the dark, so let her die and keep Mom company!"

Elena tried to laugh but ended up choking on her own blood. How ridiculous. It seemed like her life wasn't even worth that of a substitute to them.

When Elena woke again, the hospital room was so empty that her chest tightened with unease. Her right leg was wrapped in a thick cast. Even the slightest movement sent waves of pain crashing through her, leaving her drenched in cold sweat.

While the nurse was changing her dressing, she couldn't help but mutter, "There's another patient here, Ms. Constance Beck. She got sent in from the same accident.

"Her husband and child haven't left her side once. But you—your injuries were even more serious that you almost died. How come your family isn't here to take care of you?"

"That husband and child you just mentioned… they're mine," Elena replied softly.

The nurse's face froze in embarrassment. She quickly finished changing the dressing and left in a fluster.

Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on the white sheets. Still, it couldn't chase away the coldness inside her bones.

By evening, the silence was shattered as the door to her room was suddenly kicked open. Robin stormed in, rage practically radiating off him.

He grabbed her by the chin and yanked her face toward him as he asked, "Was this car accident your doing?"

Elena's pupils shrank.

"Do you know Constance almost got a scar on her face?" His grip tightened, fury boiling in his eyes. "She won't look like Evangeline anymore if she gets disfigured…"

Elena let out a weak cough. "It wasn't me… I didn't do anything. And… can't you see I was the one who got hurt the worst?"

Even so, Robin didn't believe a word she said. He dragged her out of bed, and they went straight toward Constance's hospital room. His voice was like ice as he spat, "Come with me to apologize to Constance."

"I didn't do anything wrong."

Her refusal only enraged him further. "Fine! If you won't apologize, I'll show you exactly what it means to destroy her face.

"I remember… You used to dance, didn't you? Someone—break Elena Larson's leg!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a bodyguard entered the room while holding a baseball bat. Elena's blood ran cold.

"No—please, no…"

She struggled to escape, but two bodyguards pinned her down firmly on the hospital bed. The baseball bat immediately came crashing down on the cast around her right leg.

There was a loud crack as the sound of her bone breaking echoed in the room. As the searing pain tore through her body and shattered her grip on reality, a ridiculous thought suddenly crossed Elena's mind—she didn't even know how to dance.

It was Evangeline who had won the gold medal in the ballet competition. It was her sister whom Robin could never forget. She was nothing more than the illegitimate daughter the Larson family kept hidden in the shadows.

If Evangeline hadn't died, perhaps her father, Paul Larson, would've gone his entire life without remembering he even had another daughter. He would've never known how she and her mother had struggled to survive, relying only on each other.

When the bodyguards finally let go, Elena curled up on the bed like a discarded doll. Cold sweat had soaked through her hospital gown. Robin stood by the bed, his expression frigid as he watched the nurse panic while scrambling to call the doctor.

"Remember how much this hurts. Maybe you'll learn your lesson next time."

Days passed, and not a single person came to visit Elena. Until one afternoon, when Paul burst into the hospital room and slammed a stack of photos across her face.

"This is how you uphold the bond between our families? By letting a fake trample all over you?"

The sharp edges of the photos scratched her cheek, drawing thin lines of blood. When she picked them up and looked, they were all images of Constance with Robin and Kane, smiling and living in bliss.

"These have nothing to do with me. Plus, the six years are up," Elena replied calmly. "It's time for me to leave.

"We had a deal. Once the marriage ended, I'd get to live my life with Mom."

Just as Paul was about to explode, the hospital door flew open with a bang. Robin stood in the doorway, his face dark as a storm.

"Do you mean it?" he asked coldly.