Autumn had been reading for a while when a familiar wave of stomach discomfort crept in.

She grabbed her cup and headed downstairs to get some water.

At the top of the stairs, she ran into Julian, who was putting on his jacket.

He glanced at her and said, "Something came up at the office. I have to head back in."

Noticing the way she was holding her stomach, her face tight with pain, he asked offhandedly, "What’s wrong with you now?"

Autumn forced a slight smile. "Nothing, just my usual stomach problem acting up again."

Julian frowned, barely perceptibly, then replied, "I’ve got urgent work. I don’t have time to play along with you right now."

Every time he left, Autumn would conveniently complain about stomach pain, as if trying to make him stay.

She’d done it so many times, he no longer believed a word of it.

Autumn froze for a second.

What did he mean by that?

Did he think she was faking it?

She let out a bitter laugh.

Her stomach hurt, but now her heart ached even more.

She should’ve known better than to say anything.

Here she was, nearly doubled over in pain, and Julian still thought she was putting on a show.

This was the man she had loved for all these years.

She wanted to ask—if she really had stomach cancer and was dying, would he feel even the slightest bit of pain for her?

But she already knew the answer.

Judging by the way he treated her now, Autumn was certain that even if she died right in front of him, he’d probably assume she was faking it.

He’d step around her body without blinking, then take Luna out on a date.

Autumn shook her head, trying to push the thoughts away.

It didn’t matter anymore.

The divorce was already in its cooling-off period.

One more month, and she’d finally be free.

Everything was moving in the right direction.

After Julian left, Autumn popped a pill into her mouth and downed a full glass of warm water.

The pain slowly began to ease.

Back in her room, she shut the laptop and climbed into bed.

The next morning was Saturday.

Autumn was jolted awake by her phone ringing.

Glancing at the screen, she saw it was a call from her grandmother, Ginny Gale.

On the other end came Ginny’s slightly weathered voice.

"Autumn, are you coming home today?"

Still half-asleep, Autumn was momentarily dazed.

Oh, right.

She remembered now.

She usually went home twice a month on her days off.

The timing was never fixed, and she only went when she was free, so her grandmother would call every time to check whether she was coming.

But aside from Ginny, the rest of the Lewis family clearly didn’t want her around.

She was well aware of that.

Autumn let out a yawn. "Grandma, I happen to be free today. I’ll come by in a bit."

Hearing that, Ginny’s voice instantly brightened. "Great! I’ll have Irene make all your favorite dishes."

After hanging up, Autumn glanced at the time.

It was only 7:10 a.m.

Thinking it was still early, Autumn ran a hand through her messy hair, then flopped back into bed and dozed off for a bit longer before finally tossing off the covers and getting up.

By the time she washed up and headed downstairs, Zoe had already prepared breakfast.

Seeing Autumn come down, she greeted her with a smile. "Good morning, ma’am. Breakfast is ready."

Autumn nodded faintly. "Morning."

Seeing that only one portion was laid out, she immediately knew Julian hadn’t come home again last night.

Zoe placed the warm milk in front of her and offered an explanation on his behalf.

"Mr. Carter came home very late last night, so he stayed in the guest room.

"This morning, he left early again. He said there was a lot of paperwork at the office. He didn’t even have time for breakfast."

Autumn replied with a simple, "Okay."

She knew Zoe was trying to speak on Julian’s behalf, probably worried the two of them might argue again.

It was better to keep the peace.

But the issues between her and Julian had snowballed, growing bigger and messier until there was no way to untangle them anymore.

After finishing breakfast, Autumn told Zoe she was heading out, grabbed her car keys, and left the house.

At the Lewis residence, when Autumn arrived, Ginny was nowhere to be seen, and the rest of the family wasn’t home either.

Irene Lowe came over to help carry her things, handed her a pair of new slippers, then poured her a glass of water.

"Miss Autumn, you’re back!" she said cheerfully.

"Madam and the others went out shopping. Here, have some water."

Autumn thanked her and took the glass, sipping it slowly.

Just then, a soft, delicate voice drifted down from upstairs. "Is that you, Autumn?"

A slim figure descended the stairs, dressed in a pure white dress.

She looked angelic and harmless, the very picture of innocence.

The moment Luna saw Autumn downstairs, she beamed and hurried over.

Spinning once like a little fairy, she asked sweetly, "Does this dress look good on me, Autumn?"

Autumn gave a faint tug at the corner of her lips.

"It’s pretty."

Truthfully, Autumn couldn’t help but admire her half-sister’s nerve.

Luna was openly stealing her husband yet still acted like nothing was happening, as if the woman sneaking around with Julian wasn’t her.

That sickly-sweet act of innocence made Autumn feel sick.

Luna turned with a bright smile. "Irene, can you bring us some fruit? It’s so hot outside, I’m sure Autumn’s thirsty."

"Of course..."

Irene glanced between them, then turned and headed back to the kitchen.

Luna pointed at the scissors on the coffee table.

"If you think the dress looks nice, then I won’t return it. Autumn, could you help me cut off the tag?"

The scissors were the heavy tailoring kind, bulky but sharp.

Autumn bent down, picked them up, and glanced over Luna’s dress.

"Where’s the tag?" she asked casually.

"I think it’s near the neck. Can you check for me?"

As soon as she looked down, Autumn spotted dark marks across Luna’s porcelain-white neck.

Those were hickeys, and around that same neck hung a necklace.

Her chest tightened.

So that was where Julian had gone last night—not for work, but to be with her sister.

That necklace was a custom piece Autumn had adored.

She had spent half a month working with the designer to create it.

It was something personal and symbolic.

A heart crafted out of true love.

It had meant something to her.

Now, it hung from Luna’s neck like a trophy.

To say Luna hadn’t done this on purpose would’ve been the biggest joke of all—even Luna wouldn’t believe that lie.

Autumn gave a faint smile.

In that moment, she didn’t just want to cut off the tag.

She wanted to slice right through Luna’s delicate little neck.

Luna blinked innocently and looked up at Autumn in confusion.

"Autumn, what’s wrong?"

Autumn smiled at her. "Nothing."

Luna had probably decided Autumn wouldn’t cause a scene, which was why she dared to play her games so openly.

After all, Autumn’s relationship with the rest of the Lewis family was tense.

Every time she came back, it was only to keep her grandmother company, and she barely spoke to anyone else.

But Luna had miscalculated.

No matter what Julian did now, Autumn no longer cared.

With that thought, she held the scissors, pulled the tag into view, and was just about to snip it off when a woman’s sharp voice screamed from the doorway.

"Autumn, what are you doing?"

Susan Rivers rushed forward and slammed the luxury shopping bag in her hand right into Autumn’s face.

Startled, Autumn’s hand slipped, and the scissors jabbed into Luna’s back.

Blood immediately began to seep through the fabric.

"Ah..."

Luna let out a soft cry of pain.

Susan panicked, quickly checking Luna from head to toe.

When she saw the blood staining the back of Luna’s white dress, her face went pale.

Tears welled in her eyes. "Blood? Luna, are you okay? Let me see where you’re hurt."

Autumn raised her hand to block the shopping bag, her eyes turning cold.

In that moment, she fully understood Luna’s intention.

Just then, her second brother, Hector, walked in, carrying several shopping bags.

Dressed in black casualwear, tall and broad-shouldered, he bore a clear resemblance to Autumn.

He placed the bags on the coffee table and looked at Susan. "What happened, Susan?”

Since Susan married into the family when the Lewis brothers were already seven or eight, they had always called her by her first name.

Susan had calmed down by now.

Her eyes were still teary as she looked at Autumn and pleaded, "Autumn, if you’re upset, take it out on me. Please don’t hurt Luna, okay?"

She knew perfectly well that as a stepmother, the only way to survive in this household was to stay small and submissive.

Everything she did was so Luna could depend on the Lewis family, find a good husband, and ensure her own future comfort.

She had no choice but to swallow her anger and play the role of the dutiful daughter-in-law in front of the Lewis family.

Hector frowned, his eyes filled with reproach as he looked at Autumn.

"Autumn, how could you hurt Luna like that? You’ve gone too far. Apologize to her now. Every time you come home, it turns into a scene. Can’t you just behave for once?"

Looking at her second brother, whose features mirrored her own, Autumn froze for a second.

She remembered when their mother was sick, how he had pounded his chest and promised her he’d take care of his sister.

But only a few years had passed, and Hector became someone else entirely.

She didn’t know when it had started, but now, all she saw in his eyes was disappointment and contempt.

Whenever Luna was involved, he would side with her without question and limits.

Autumn’s expression turned cold as she looked at them.

"Ms. Rivers, if your eyesight’s failing, you should see a doctor. Which eye of yours saw me hurting Luna?

"And you, barking without even asking what actually happened. Is being Luna’s lapdog really that rewarding?"

Hector’s face turned red with anger, veins bulging at his neck.

He pointed at her. "You…"

Just then, Ginny walked in, her silver hair neat, leaning on a cane and supported by the driver.

She held a delicate gift bag in one hand.

She tapped her cane sharply against the floor, her tone commanding.

"I was the one who asked Autumn to come home. And every time she does, you people manage to stir up some drama.

“What is it? Do none of you respect this old woman anymore?"

The moment Autumn saw her grandmother, she hurried forward to help her.

"Grandma, I’m fine. Don’t be upset. It’s not worth affecting your health over this."

Every time she came home, it turned into chaos.

She had grown used to it.

If it weren’t for her grandmother, she wouldn’t step foot in this house again.

Hector pursed his lips in defiance and muttered, "Grandma, we weren’t making a scene. Autumn was trying to hurt Luna. I was just upset and scolded her a little."

Ginny shot him a sharp look. "Did you see it with your own eyes?"

Hector fell silent.

She sighed, her tone filled with meaning.

"Hector, Autumn is your sister by blood. Both of you are born from the same father and mother. You can’t let a few words from someone else turn your heart cold toward your own sister."

Hector lowered his eyes, a flicker of guilt flashing across his face.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but in the end, said nothing.

Though Ginny’s words unsettled him, he quickly buried the feeling.

Just then, Luna stepped forward, eyes red as she spoke to Ginny.

"Grandma, it’s my fault. I only asked Autumn to help me cut off the tag. I didn’t expect it to cause such a misunderstanding.

"Mom, Hector, you both misunderstood her. Autumn wasn’t trying to hurt me. This was all my fault."

Ginny gave Luna a cold glance.

"Then why didn’t you speak up earlier? You stood there watching Autumn get blamed and looked quite pleased with yourself."

Luna’s voice trembled with emotion. "No, Grandma, you’ve misunderstood. I really didn’t want her to be scolded. I was just… too scared…"

Before she could finish, Ginny cut her off.

"You were scared, so you let Autumn take the fall? Let her get scolded by her own brother? What exactly were you hoping to achieve?"

Seeing Luna crying harder, Susan quickly stepped forward to defend her.

"Mom, Luna didn’t mean it that way. She really was just scared. It’s my fault. I jumped to conclusions and blamed Autumn without asking first.

"Autumn, I’m sorry. This was my fault. I promise, it won’t happen again."

Autumn’s lips curved into a faint, mocking smile.

She didn’t hold back as she tore through the lie.

"Ms. Rivers, last time when Luna fell into the pool, you said the same thing. How many times have you made a vow by now? You repeat the same mistake every time. At this point, your credibility with me is zero."

"Autumn, is that any way to speak to your stepmother?"

A voice came from the doorway, followed by a middle-aged man stepping into the room, dressed in a sharp suit.

He wasn’t particularly tall, but his demeanor was gentle and refined, giving off the air of a cultured gentleman.

It was Richard Lewis, Autumn’s father in name only.

Autumn pressed her lips together, her eyes meeting his with the indifference one might show a stranger.

"Then why don’t you tell me, Mr. Lewis, which part of what I said was wrong?"

She had left this house with her mother when she was just five years old.

There was no real bond between her and Richard, only resentment.

Having watched her mother struggle after the divorce, Autumn had learned to be self-reliant from a young age.

Over the years, aside from her two older brothers who occasionally kept in touch, the rest of the Lewis family had treated her and her mother as if they didn’t exist.

Richard’s expression darkened. "Autumn, I’m your father."

Autumn curved her lips into a cold smile.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot I had such a wealthy father. Though your wealth doesn’t seem to have anything to do with me, does it?

"Or did you forget how you kicked my mother and me out with nothing? Left us to fend for ourselves?"

If it hadn’t been for two uncles’ help, she and her mother would’ve starved on the street.

Back when they needed him most, Richard turned his back on them.

And now he dared to stand here and remind her he was her father?

What a joke.

Richard's temper flared, and he snapped, "Who says I didn’t care? Every month I…"

Susan quickly stepped in to cut him off. "Let’s not drag up the past, alright? What’s done is done. Autumn, I bought you a dress. Why don’t you try it on and see if it fits?"

She bent down to pick up the shopping bag and pulled out the dress.

It was the same one Luna was already wearing.

Autumn didn’t reach for it.

Her tone was flat. "I don’t like white dresses. You can let Luna have it."

Hearing that, Susan looked a little embarrassed, a flicker of displeasure passing through her eyes, but she still said gently, "I’m sorry. I didn’t know what kind of dresses you liked.

"How about this—we go shopping together this afternoon, and you pick one you like yourself, alright?"

Looking at her fake, smiling face, Autumn pressed her lips together and stayed silent.

Beside her, Hector couldn’t take it anymore.

His face darkened as he snapped, "Autumn, it’s just a damn dress. If you don’t like it, exchange it. What’s with the attitude?

"Susan is already humbling herself just to talk to you. If you had a shred of decency, you wouldn’t still be sulking here."

Richard sighed and tried to persuade her in a softer tone.

"Autumn, your stepmother genuinely likes you. She really wants to get along. Please stop being difficult, alright?

"I know you’ve had issues with her because of your mother, but what’s done is done. Your mother is gone now. What’s the point of holding on to this resentment, don’t you think?"

At the mention of her mother, Autumn’s body visibly trembled.

Her eyes reddened in an instant.

Her expression darkened, her gaze bloodshot as she said coldly, "You don’t have the right to mention my mom. If you hadn’t cheated and had a child with your mistress, Luna wouldn’t even exist.

“My mom wouldn’t have chosen to leave with nothing just to get away from you.

"You ruined our lives. And now you think a few words can cover up everything? You people really are shameless."

She still remembered how, during their worst days, she used to wonder—how wonderful it would’ve been if her father hadn’t changed, if their family of five could’ve just stayed happy together.

But there was no ‘what if.’

Her mom had to raise her alone, waking up before dawn and staying out late just to make ends meet.

After finally putting her through college, she never got a chance to enjoy a peaceful life.

Her body broke down from the years of exhaustion.

Even on her deathbed, she never got to see her two sons again.

She left with regret.

How could Autumn not hold a grudge?

"Autumn!"

Richard’s face turned livid with rage. "What kind of talk is that? You don’t understand anything. Your mother and I already had problems long before.

"Even if Susan hadn’t come along, your mother and I would’ve ended up divorced anyway. Why can’t you let this go?"

Autumn let out a bitter laugh. "Oh? So that’s your excuse for cheating? If you didn’t love her anymore, you could’ve just said so.

“Why sneak around and have a child with another woman? Let’s be real—you’re all just shameless.

“If my mom hadn’t walked away, she and her daughter would still be nothing but the hidden mistress and illegitimate child."

They might think it was all in the past, but for Autumn, it would never be over.

Richard had betrayed her mother, forcing her to leave with nothing.

For years, he never once reached out to them.

And now he dared to stand there and lecture her like this?

How did he not choke on the hypocrisy?

Furious, Richard’s chest rose and fell sharply.

He raised a hand, about to strike her, but Ginny grabbed his arm.

Her tone was cold. "Have you all had enough? If you want to fight, take it outside. Do you enjoy turning this house into chaos?"

She cast a sharp glance at Susan. "You’ve been Mrs. Lewis for years and still haven’t learned restraint.

"If this dress was meant as a gift for Autumn, why would you buy the exact same style Luna’s wearing? Who were you trying to provoke?"

She had never liked Susan and her daughter.

They were always playing innocent and fishing for sympathy from the family, especially every time Autumn came home, all they ever did was maintain a fragile peace on the surface.

However, behind her back, they were always scheming and trying to set her up.

Ginny knew this well.

But she also knew Autumn wasn’t the type to suffer in silence.

There was no way she’d let herself be bullied.

Now that Ginny had spoken, Richard could only awkwardly rub his chin and clear his throat.

"Alright, enough. Everyone just go do what you need to do. Stop with all this nonsense.”

"Autumn doesn’t come home often. Look at the scene you’re all making. Honestly, what does it look like?"

After getting scolded, Susan’s expression soured, but she could only nod.

"Mom, I really didn’t know Autumn wouldn’t like that style of dress.

"She and Luna are about the same age. I assumed they had similar tastes, so I didn’t think much of it and just bought the same one."