The whole family favors the fake daughter

chapter 3

I watched Luca's retreating figure as he rushed out, my heart aching as if cut by a knife. My eyes burned, but no tears would come.

When he was born, I hemorrhaged severely and nearly died on the operating table.

But the moment I woke up and saw him, I felt all the pain had been worth it.

From when he first started learning to speak, to holding my hand as he learned to walk, to when he would throw himself into my arms with his sweet little voice saying "Mommy, I love you."

These memories are deeply etched in my heart.

But now, he's given all his love to Raegan.

When he looks at me, there's only coldness and resentment in his eyes.

This realization chills me to the bone.

Wyatt and Sienna snapped back to reality and quickly helped me tend to my wound.

Wyatt frowned and said, "Austin, you should go check on them. I'm worried something might happen. We'll take care of Ariana."

Austin hesitated for a few seconds before nodding and leaving.

While wiping away the blood, Sienna said softly, "Don't hold it against Raegan. She grew up without parents and lacks a sense of security. And Lucaafter all, Raegan raised him. Don't blame him."

I hadn't said a word, yet they all assumed I would hurt her.

I abruptly pushed Sienna's hand away, my voice hoarse: "I'm going to the restroom."

Just as I walked out the door, I heard Sienna complaining to Wyatt behind me: "Ariana isn't sweet and understanding like Raegan at all. She doesn't even know how to act cute with us."

I thought bitterly: "But Mom, have you ever considered that during the years when I should have been able to act cute, I was suffering in the mountains? The slightest mistake would earn me beatings and scolding from my foster parents. And Raegan? She grew up surrounded by your love, like a little princess, traveling the world by plane. How was I supposed to learn to act cute?"

I walked to the restroom door, only to see Raegan pinned against the wall by Austin, kissing her.

His eyes burned with an almost manic intensity, his movements rough yet possessive.

In our four years of dating and six years of marriage, Austin had always been gentle and restrained with me.

I had never seen him look so passionate.

My feet seemed glued to the spotI couldn't move.

Like a masochist, I watched their intimate embrace, my stomach churning violently.

It wasn't until they left hand in hand that I rushed into the restroom and collapsed by the toilet, retching violently.

Tears mixed with blood from the corner of my mouth, falling into the water without a sound.

At eighteen, Austin promised to love me forever and never cheat.

At twenty-eight, Austin brought that adopted daughter who had taken my place into his bed under the guise of "taking care of his sister."

I don't know how I made it back to the private room. When I pushed open the door, it was already empty.

The server said, "The guests at this table already paid and left."

My fingers clenched suddenly, then I smiled.

They had completely forgotten about me.

Without my phone and penniless, I could only walk home step by step.

By the time I reached my front door, my feet were covered in blisters.

As the door opened, I heard laughter and cheerful voices from the living room.

Wyatt was pouring water for Raegan, Sienna was peeling oranges for her.

Luca was lying on her lap, making funny faces to make her laugh.

She was nestled against Austin's side, looking like a loving couple.

They were a complete family, and I was the extra one.

Only when they heard the commotion did they notice me standing disheveled at the doorway.

Raegan immediately stood up, her face full of apology: "Ariana, I'm sorry. I didn't see you and thought you had gone home first, so I came back with Mom and Dad. It's all my faultyou can hit me or scold me, whatever you want!"

Sienna quickly pulled Raegan over and had her sit down on the couch. "It's okay, you didn't do it on purpose."

Wyatt chimed in as well: "Yeah, Ariana, why didn't you call to let us know you were coming?"

Before I could explain, Raegan let out a soft sigh.

All eyes turned to her once again.

The butler couldn't stand watching any longer and called for a doctor to examine me. Only then did they remember I was there.

Perhaps out of guilt, Wyatt and Sienna hurried to prepare some gifts for me.

But Raegan received double portions of everything.

Love versus indifferenceit was crystal clear.

The next day, I told Wyatt and Sienna that I wanted to return to work at the company.

Wyatt looked somewhat embarrassed and cleared his throat: "You just recovered. Don't rush back to work yet. You'll still get your dividend paymentswe won't shortchange you."

I paused for a moment and instinctively looked up, only to see Raegan in a crisp business suit slowly descending the stairs.

She said, "Ariana, I'm heading to the office now. Please take care of Mom and Dad for me."

Her smile was radiant, but her eyes held nothing but provocation as she looked at me.

Wyatt and Sienna had once told me that everything they had would be mine.

But now, everything they'd promised had likely changed hands long ago.

Seeing my continued silence, Austin gently took my hand: "I made dinner reservations. Let me take you out to eat, okay?"

The warmth of his palm made me involuntarily recall the image of him holding and kissing Raegan.

I pulled my hand away almost instinctively.

He froze for a moment but said nothing, simply leading me to the car in silence.

At the upscale restaurant, Raegan happened to be entertaining clients.

Several clients were taking turns toasting her when Austin immediately stepped forward: "Everyone's here! What a coincidencewhy don't we all have a drink together?"

With that, he began drinking glass after glass in Raegan's place.

Austin had always had stomach problems.

During countless business dinners in the past, I was the one who drank those harsh liquors for him.

But now, Austin, who never touched alcohol, was drinking until his face turned paleall for Raegan.

I couldn't take it anymore and grabbed his arm: "Stop drinking! Your stomach can't handle this!"

He was already somewhat drunk and pulled me close by the waist, whispering in my ear: "Don't worry, Raegan. I'm hereno one can hurt you."

Raegan?

My entire body went rigid, as if I'd fallen into an icy abyss.

Raegan raised an eyebrow at me provocatively and mouthed: "You lose. This family is happier without you."

My hands trembled as rage surged through me like a tsunami.

But I knew that everything that had happened these past few days was telling me the same thingI no longer mattered.

I bit down hard on my teeth and stubbornly lifted my head: "You're nothing but a fake. What's there to be proud of?"

With that, I helped the swaying Austin toward the exit. Raegan slowly stood up and followed us.

She glanced outside and smiled slightly: "Is that so? Then let me show you who's really the unloved fake."

The next moment, she grabbed my hand and yanked it forward, making it look as if I had pushed her as she tumbled down the restaurant stairs.

She let out a pained whimper: "It's all my fault. Dad, Mom, please don't blame Ariana."

Before I could react, a sharp slap struck my cheek.

Wyatt and Sienna had appeared at the restaurant entrance at some point.

Sienna's eyes were red with fury as she pointed at me and screamed: "Raegan is pregnant! How dare you still bully her? If anything happens to her, you get out of this house immediately!"

Wyatt's hand was still trembling, his face filled with anger and disappointment: "How did I raise such a vicious daughter? I wish Raegan were my real daughter instead."

Austin instantly sobered up from his drunken state. He rushed forward in a few quick steps and carefully lifted Raegan into his arms.

Before getting in the car, he turned back and shot me a vicious look.

The hatred in his eyes nearly consumed me entirely.

Watching their car disappear into the distance, my heart ached unbearably.

My last shred of hope was crushed to dust beneath their wheels.

I collapsed onto the cold stairs, letting the wind and rain soak my hair, unable to tell whether what streamed down my face was rain or tears.

After a long while, I said wearily: "System, send me back to the mission world. I don't want to stay here anymore."