Carter pressed his lips into a thin line and said nothing.

Leila took that as her cue. She rushed forward and slapped me across the face, just as she'd been itching to do.

"Amanda, shut your mouth!"

"Don't forget—he's your sister's husband now. What right do you have to say something like that?"

I laughed.

But the tears spilled before I could stop them.

"What right do I have?" My voice cracked. "My sister stole my husband. Mom... I have more right than anyone."

Carter's tone went cold. "She's Nora's mother. Not yours."

I cut him off, my eyes locked on Leila's bloodless face.

"She is mine."

Leila screamed like a woman unhinged. "Stop talking!"

I let out a quiet laugh, even as something inside my chest tore. "After her one-night stand, she gave birth to me and dumped me with my grandmother. She didn't marry Morgan Henson until the following year. It wasn't until Nora went missing at five that she brought me home as a replacement."

Leila's eyes went wide. She stared at me, stunned.

She hadn't expected me to know any of this.

Her composure shattered. She lashed out, shrieking: "Don't listen to her nonsense! After we kicked her out of the family, she lost her mind!"

"She's just a girl I adopted from an orphanage—we have the paperwork to prove it!"

After my grandmother died, I'd been sent to the orphanage.

I never had enough to eat. The older kids beat me daily. I was seven years old but so malnourished I could've passed for four. My body was covered in bruises, every shade of purple and green.

I still remembered the first time my mother saw those marks.

She cried the entire day.

I felt her guilt, her regret. After that, she tried to make up for everything at the Henson house. For years, I truly believed she loved me.

But that love was too fragile.

Too fragile to survive even a few whispered words from Nora.

"Mom." My voice was steady. "This is the last time I'll ever call you that. From here on out, you're on your own."

Leila couldn't meet my eyes.

I smiled bitterly at myself. What did it matter, saying all of this out loud? She didn't care. She never had. She had Nora, and that was enough.

Carter opened his mouth but said nothing.

The moment he wavered, Nora collapsed into his arms.

"Carter, I'm so dizzy... Am I dying?"

Leila's face went ashen, her voice sharp with panic. "Nora has a heart condition—she could have an episode at any moment! Get her out of here, now!"

"This new drug we've been developing targets exactly her type of congenital heart disease. Why do you think her father and I have been bending over backward to secure this partnership?"

"Nora is supposed to join the project team. She absolutely cannot have a setback right now."

In that instant, whatever sympathy had flickered in Carter's eyes vanished. He whipped around and glared at me with pure venom.

"Amanda, you knew damn well Nora was sick, and you deliberately provoked her. If anything happens to her, I will bury you. Do you understand me? I will make sure there's nothing left."

He scooped Nora into his arms and tore down the hallway like a man possessed, searching for a doctor.

The man who once swore he'd protect me for the rest of his life now wanted to destroy me.

I smiled faintly. Calmly wiped the tears from my face.

Then I pulled out my phone.

"If you still want to marry me, be at City Hall in thirty minutes."

On the other end of the line, I heard a voice tight with restraint.

"Done."

Carter Gilbert, this time I'm the one walking away from you.

After we registered at City Hall, I went straight into the sealed lab for the new drug trial. Carter called repeatedly. I didn't answer a single one.

It wasn't until the first phase of testing was complete that I finally stepped out of the laboratory.

And found the Hensons and Carter standing in the lobby of DM Biotech's research center, every one of their faces dark as a storm cloud.

I'd made myself clear—neither the Henson family nor the Gilberts would ever receive our cooperation again. So why the hell were they here?

I swallowed my irritation and was about to call security to have them thrown out.

But Carter spotted me from across the lobby.

"Amanda Henson!" He ground the words through clenched teeth. "I knew it was you hogging Nora's spot!"

I had no interest in getting tangled up with any of them. I turned and headed for the elevator bank on the opposite side.

I wasn't fast enough.

Carter seized my arm and slammed me against the wall. The back of my skull cracked against the surface, and a sharp ringing flooded my ears.

"The Hensons already wired you a million dollars. What more do you want? Why are you still stealing Nora's chance?"

"Do you have any idea—she can only get on the first trial list if she's part of this drug development project. Her heart can't wait any longer. Are you trying to kill her?"

Nora had congenital heart disease, yes. But she was nowhere near as fragile as they made her sound. It didn't take a genius to figure out she'd exaggerated her condition on purpose, just to wrestle the project away from me.

She leaned against Leila now, limp and doe-eyed, the picture of harmless innocence.

Carter's face was all tender concern—for her. The moment his gaze swung to me, it hardened into pure accusation.

"This project is a collaboration between DM Biotech and the Hensons. Have you no shame? You said you wanted nothing from the Henson family, and yet here you are, shamelessly stealing Nora's slot just to pad your medical credentials."

"One phone call. That's all it takes for me to have you thrown out."

My assistant rushed over, face tight with apology. "I'm so sorry," she said to me. "I had no idea this would happen."

Carter assumed the apology was meant for him.

He cut her off, bristling with fury. "Perfect timing. Get your director—Anna—in front of me within ten minutes. Otherwise, the Gilberts pull every cent of funding from this project."

Leila swept me with a venomous glare and snapped, "And if you don't remove Amanda Henson from the premises, the Hensons will withdraw our investment too!"

Nora watched me, a smug little smile curling her lips. Triumphant. Taunting.

As if she'd already won everything.

I couldn't fathom what she thought she was celebrating. The new drug development didn't need the Hensons' or the Gilberts' money. It was the other way around—they needed the social influence that a successful drug launch would bring.

Because of me, the Hensons and the Gilberts had been DM Biotech's strategic partners for years. This time, to demonstrate their commitment before the deal was even finalized, they'd sunk the bulk of their liquid capital into purchasing production equipment.

Keep pushing, Nora. Please.

The more they overplayed their hand, the clearer their true colors became. Once their capital was locked up with no way out, bankruptcy wouldn't be far behind.

My assistant stood in rigid silence. Carter's face had gone ashen. He forced the words out between his teeth.

"So you've even bought off a lowly assistant. Impressive, Amanda. Fine—I'll call Anna myself."

"And when I do, you can all get thrown out of this project together!"

My assistant moved to stop him. I held her back.

"Let him call."

Carter pulled out his phone. A few seconds passed.

In the quiet corridor outside the lab, a crisp ringtone echoed off the walls.

It was coming from me.