"Didn't Wendel tell you? I already agreed to his request," Iris replied indifferently.

Hearing this, her adoptive mother beamed with delight. "Oh, our Iris is so obedient. How wonderful! You won’t have to suffer through years of schooling, and you get to marry the man you’ve loved for so long. Even though I adopted you, I haven’t treated you badly, have I?"

From as far back as she could remember, Iris had always known she was adopted.

When Wendel was born, he was constantly sick. The village shaman claimed that the only way to ward off misfortune was to adopt a girl to take his place as the family’s scapegoat. And so, the Lancaster family took in Iris.

Back then, many poor families couldn't afford to raise their children, so they simply abandoned them by the roadside, leaving them to starve. With that in mind, Iris had always been grateful to the Lancaster family for taking her in.

That was until she turned eighteen—when she learned the truth.

She hadn’t been abandoned. She had been kidnapped.

Her real parents were wealthy who had never stopped searching for their missing daughter all these years.

Overcome with shock and hope, Iris tried to contact them—only to receive a vicious slap across the face from her adoptive mother.

With a vicious glare, Stella spat, "I raised you all these years, and now you want to run? Look at Esther—why doesn’t she try to run? Did a dog eat your conscience?"

"Look at Esther."

She had heard those words for over a decade.

The year she was brought into the Lancaster family, her adoptive father, Ronald, suffered a near-fatal accident while serving in the army. From then on, her adoptive mother saw her as a bad omen.

But when Esther arrived, it just so happened that Ronald retired from the military and landed a stable job as a store clerk, providing for the whole family.

Stella often praised Esther, saying, "Our Esther is such a blessing to this family. She saved a life and even brought good fortune to us! Unlike some people, but I won’t say more."

Whenever she heard those words, Iris pretended not to hear, enduring them silently.

But now, she didn’t need to endure anymore.

Soon, she would leave this house forever.

For now, though, she didn’t want them to suspect anything.

With a gentle smile, Iris maintained her usual obedient demeanor as she turned to Esther.

"I’ve already made up my mind. I’m not very smart anyway, and I’m not cut out for studying. But Esther is so bright—she’s the perfect choice for school."

Hearing her words, Stella’s joy deepened. She quickly grabbed Esther’s hands in excitement.

"Esther, you must study hard! Having an education will give you a bright future—working in a factory can’t compare to being a scholar!" she exclaimed.

Stella was so elated that she failed to notice Esther’s face turning pale.

"Iris, are you really giving up on school? You’re actually going to work at the factory?" Esther’s voice trembled with disbelief.

Iris nodded. She had long seen through Esther’s thoughts—she wanted everything. She didn’t want to give up her opportunity to study, nor did she want to lose Wendel.

Just then, Wendel stepped out of the kitchen, carrying a plate of food.

"Dinner’s ready!" he called.

At the dinner table, Esther kept her head down, staring at her untouched food.

Noticing her unusual behavior, Wendel furrowed his brows. "Esther, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you eating?"

Tears welled up in Esther’s eyes. She looked up at him, her voice shaking. "Wendel, are you really getting married?"

Wendel stiffened for a moment. Instead of answering directly, he chose to avoid the question altogether.

"Who doesn't get married at a certain age? Don't be foolish—everyone needs to get married, and that includes you, right?"

Esther’s expression darkened.

Suddenly, she shoved her chair back, stood up, and stormed out of the house, leaving her untouched dinner behind.

"Esther! Esther, where are you going?" Stella called after her, but Esther never looked back.

Wendel panicked. He immediately got up to chase after Esther but hesitated for a moment as he passed by Iris.

He sighed and explained, "She's a young woman running out alone. I'm afraid something might happen to her."

Inhaling sharply, Iris chose to say the exact same words she had in her past life. "Do you really not know why she’s upset?"

Wendel frowned and scolded her. "Iris, Esther might be in danger. This isn’t the time for you to be stubborn."

Without waiting for her reply, he bolted out of the courtyard.

Before she knew it, tears welled up in her eyes.

Even after two lifetimes, watching Wendel defend Esther so fiercely still made her heart ache.

So he wasn’t indifferent or unfeeling—he simply never loved her.

Stella was confused. "What’s going on with those two?"

Her adoptive mother might not have understood, but Iris knew all too well. Still, she chose to say nothing.

Quickly regaining her composure, she simply sighed and shook her head.

Stella wasn’t stupid. If things played out like they had in her past life, it would take less than a month before she realized what was going on between Wendel and Esther.

Iris remembered it vividly—when Stella found out, she had actually demanded to not only give up her chance to study, but also to step aside and give up on Wendel.

Blinded by love, she had refused, even to the point of attempting suicide. Only then did Stella finally relent.

But this time, having lived another life, Iris had no intention of fighting for a place in this family. She would put on a good act for now, then disappear the moment her birth parents came for her.

That night, Wendel finally returned, bringing Esther with him.

Her eyes were still red, as if she had suffered some unspeakable grievances.

Gently, Wendel reached out to wipe away her tears, speaking in a soft voice.

"It’s late. You should get some rest."

Esther choked back a sob and clung to his arm. "I don’t want to sleep. I’m afraid that when I wake up in the morning, you won’t want me anymore."

"You don’t have to worry about that," a sudden voice interrupted, startling both of them.

"He won’t leave you. Once summer break is over, he’ll become a teacher in town—he’ll stay right here, in this home, with you," Iris added as she stepped out from the living room, her gaze falling on their tightly clasped hands.

Perhaps out of guilt, Wendel pulled his hand away as if it had been scalded.

He forced an awkward smile. "Iris, why aren’t you asleep?"

She replied calmly, "Oh, I just couldn’t sleep. Esther, you didn’t eat dinner earlier, so Mom asked me to heat up some food for you. It’s in the kitchen."

Esther lowered her head, her eyes still red. "I’m sorry, Iris. I was just feeling a little down today and needed some comfort. I know I was being thoughtless... You and Wendel are getting married, but I still keep clinging to him. You understand, don’t you? I don’t have any family, so I rely on him more than I should. Iris, you don’t mind, do you?"

Iris smiled, but the warmth never reached her eyes. Her mind was racing, her fists clenching involuntarily.

The only emotion she had for the woman before her was hatred.

In her past life, she had been blind—she never realized the secret between them. Not until after she and Wendel were married.

When Stella arranged a marriage prospect for Esther, Wendel panicked. He immediately quit his secure teaching job and eloped with Esther to Nashville.

Iris was left completely in the dark.

Wendel had snuck away in the dead of night, leaving behind only a letter full of lies—tricking Iris into believing he was being sent to Nashville for work.

At that time, she had already been pregnant. Yet he never even returned for the birth of their child.

She had naively believed he only went to Nashville for work, clinging to that illusion to comfort herself. But that fragile belief shattered the moment he returned—he took their two-year-old child away!

Iris sobbed, her heart breaking into pieces. "Your son was born, and you never even looked at him once—now you just want to take him away from me?"

Hearing the accusation in her tone, Wendel ran his finger through his hair, letting out a weary sigh before finally admitting the truth.

"I've always loved Esther," he confessed. "She's fragile and can't have children. So I thought—" He hesitated, then met her gaze. "I thought I could take your child instead."

Iris refused with everything she had, but Stella locked her up in the house. She could only watch helplessly as her own flesh and blood was taken away.

The mere thought of losing her child filled her with a burning hatred. She wanted nothing more than to rip Esther’s face apart.

Seeing the look on Iris’ face, Esther trembled all over.

"Brother, Iris's expression is so scary. Did I do something wrong? I'll apologize, okay? I’ll apologize!"

With that, she raised her hand and slapped herself repeatedly, crying out, "It’s all my fault! I’m the one to blame! I should just die! If I die, everyone will be happy!"

Wendel panicked. He rushed over to stop her. "Esther, what are you doing? Who told you to die? Who can’t accept you?"

Esther said nothing. She just kept crying.

Before Iris could even defend herself, Wendel suddenly shoved her hard.

"What the hell is wrong with you? If you're angry, then just be angry! What’s the point of being passive-aggressive? Haven't you bullied Esther enough over the years?"

His harsh accusations rang in her ears.

Supporting her sore shoulder where he had shoved her, Iris clenched her teeth. "I have never bullied her. You're the one who's always had a bias against me!"

But Wendel wasn’t listening. His mind was entirely occupied by the sight of Esther, crying like a delicate, tragic heroine.

Glaring at Iris, he snapped, "Apologize to Esther right now!"

Iris lifted her head, her eyes stubborn and unyielding. "I won’t apologize. I did nothing wrong. Why should I?"

The dim candlelight reflected in her bright, unwavering eyes.

For the first time, Wendel saw a defiance in her gaze that he had never noticed before.

She stood her ground, her voice steady and clear. "I didn’t say anything wrong. I simply passed on Mom’s words. It was Esther who lost control and started acting crazy. Yet you blindly blamed me without knowing the full story. I’ve done nothing wrong—why should I apologize?"

"You-" Wendel was stunned.

He had always thought he understood Iris best. To him, she was obedient and gentle, always yielding to his demands without a single complaint.

But today, she was like a completely different person.

The tears that had been endlessly streaming down Esther’s face suddenly stopped. She stared blankly at Iris, unable to believe what she had just heard.

Iris glanced at the two of them, let out a cold laugh, and said, "If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going to bed."

"Iris..."

For some reason, an uneasy feeling crept into Wendel’s heart.

He reached out and grabbed her hand, pressing his lips together before saying, "I know I was wrong to accuse you just now, but we’re all family. The way you talk is just too harsh."

Iris pulled her hand away indifferently and asked coldly, "What do you mean? Are you trying to make me apologize a second time?"

Hearing her words, Wendel felt a sharp, piercing pain in his chest.

He had known for a long time that Iris had feelings for him—feelings that were different from simple affection.

But he had never loved her. Let alone wanted to marry her.

Yet she had always been so obedient, so easy to control, never resisting, never questioning him.

Until now.