Chapter 1
The day was Charlotte Spencer's birthday.
Her husband, Alexander Forbes, booked a fancy restaurant and took it upon himself to invite her stepsister, Sabrina Spencer.
He said, "It's more fun with the whole family together."
But as soon as Sabrina walked in, she grabbed Alexander's sleeve and started acting all sweet and clingy. "I really miss Charlotte's home-cooked meals," she said.
Alexander immediately canceled the restaurant reservation and decided to celebrate at home instead.
Charlotte couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Here we go again.
Since Sabrina returned to the country, this had happened way too many times. She always managed to find a way to force herself into their lives.
And Alexander just went along with it.
If you didn't know better, you'd think Sabrina was his wife.
Just like today, it seemed like it wasn't Charlotte's birthday, but Sabrina's.
Because her husband and son were currently in the living room laughing and chatting with Sabrina. Meanwhile, she—the birthday girl—had been busy in the kitchen all day.
As she thought about this, she looked down at the soup pot in her hands and gave a self-mocking smile.
This was the soup Alexander had repeatedly reminded her to make specially for Sabrina to help her recover.
Back when she wanted to help her family stay healthy, she spent over a year studying recipes and got up early every day to make soup herself.
But she never expected that after Alexander found out Sabrina had been seriously ill abroad and came back to recover, he would tell her to make soup for Sabrina every day too.
After all, these days, he treated Sabrina better than he treated her, his own wife.
Looking back now, it was really ironic.
As Charlotte thought about this, she carried the soup pot out of the kitchen.
Sabrina, who had been sitting at the dining table like the lady of the house, chatting and laughing with her husband and son, finally got up when she saw Charlotte come out. "Charlotte, be careful, it's hot. Let me help you."
"No need. I don't want you to get burned or drop it and then blame me."
Charlotte tried to step aside as she spoke, but because she was holding the soup pot, she was a step too slow.
Sabrina's fingers barely touched the pot when she suddenly pulled back as if shocked, screamed, and fell backward.
Watching this scene, Charlotte immediately felt a headache coming on.
Here we go again!
Fortunately, she had been prepared. When she saw Sabrina coming, she immediately gripped the pot tighter, so the hot soup wouldn't spill.
Just as she was feeling relieved, a familiar figure rushed past her and caught the falling Sabrina, his voice filled with concern Charlotte had never heard before. "Sabrina! Are you okay?"
Sabrina's face went pale, and her eyes immediately reddened with tears as she shook her head pitifully. "I'm fine..."
She deliberately hid her hands behind her back.
Without hesitation, Alexander grabbed her hands and held them carefully in his palms, examining them closely before breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, it's not too serious."
Five-year-old Owen Forbes also put down his toys and ran over, puffing out his cheeks to blow on Sabrina's hands.
Sabrina smiled through her tears, with a teardrop still hanging on her eyelashes, looking absolutely pitiful.
She turned to Alexander and carefully pleaded, "Alexander, don't blame Charlotte. She really didn't mean it."
Only then did Alexander's gaze finally fall on Charlotte, who had been completely ignored the whole time.
But his eyes held no warmth, and his voice was cold as ice. "Charlotte, apologize."
Owen immediately looked up with his little face and chimed in a sweet voice. "Mommy, you burned Sabrina. You need to say sorry."
Here we go again.
Every single time there was any conflict with Sabrina, Charlotte was always the one who had to apologize.
When the food didn't suit Sabrina's taste, she had to apologize.
When the soup was a few minutes late, she had to apologize too...
At this moment, Charlotte seemed unable to feel the burning heat, only gripping the pot tightly.
A flash of triumph crossed Sabrina's eyes, "Alexander, just forget it. Don't make things difficult for Charlotte."
Alexander frowned. "Charlotte..."
Before he could finish, Charlotte suddenly set the pot down heavily on the table.
She looked up, staring directly at Alexander, her eyes full of disappointment. "I'm the one who's been holding the hot pot this whole time. Shouldn't I be the one who got burned?"
Alexander froze, his gaze involuntarily sliding to Charlotte's hands, his lips moving slightly.
"It's all my fault!" Sabrina immediately swayed, and her eyes reddened again. "It's all my fault! I shouldn't have asked for soup."
With one sentence, Alexander instantly forgot what he was going to say to Charlotte. "Sabrina, this isn't your fault."
Owen also slid down from his chair and hugged Sabrina's leg. "Don't cry! Grandma said my mom isn't afraid of getting burned."
Watching this scene, Charlotte suddenly felt powerless; even standing felt exhausting.
It turned out that no matter what she did, she was still the one who ended up losing completely.
"There are more dishes in the kitchen."
She took a deep breath, then turned and walked back to the kitchen without looking back.
The door closed, instantly shutting out everything outside, including Alexander and Owen's comforting words to Sabrina.
Only then did Charlotte's trembling hands finally release their grip.
Her palms showed a frightening red swelling, and the burning pain only now began to spread belatedly.
She put her hands under the faucet, letting the cold water rush over them. The pain in her hands seemed to ease, but her heart still ached with a dull pain.
She was clearly the one who got burned.
But her husband and her son both rushed to care about Sabrina first.
As for her, she didn't even get a glance or a word of concern.
But whatever.
In the six months since Sabrina returned to the country, this kind of thing had become so common. Shouldn't she be used to it by now?
Alexander always said that Sabrina had always been weak and had suffered so much abroad, so they, as a family, should make it up to her.
But she didn't want to at all.
Because Sabrina was her half-sister, but was only one year younger than her.
When her mother was pregnant with her, her father was having an affair.
Later, when the affair was exposed, her mother died of grief and anger, but the very next day, Sabrina and her mother moved into the Spencer Family home.
What made her even angrier was that at her mother's funeral, Sabrina actually came up to her with a smile."Great! Your mom is finally dead." She whispered.
For the rest of her life, she could never forget that malicious smiling face.
As for Alexander, he was their childhood neighbor.
When her mother passed away, he stayed quietly by her side—he was her only warmth during that time.
Later, her grandfather took her back to the Talbot Family, and they were separated, only keeping in touch through letters.
But gradually, the letters became fewer.
It wasn't until later, when the Forbes Family and the Spencer Family arranged a marriage, that they met again.
But then, Alexander insisted on taking care of Sabrina against her wishes.
His reason was that her father had entrusted Sabrina to him before he died, and he believed Sabrina was also a victim.
He even got Owen to join his side.
Considering Owen, and for the sake of Alexander's rare warmth from the past, she temporarily gave in, just waiting for the right moment to expose Sabrina's true nature.
After all, she was the only one who knew if Sabrina was innocent or not.
But things went beyond her expectations.
Six months passed, and not only did Alexander favor Sabrina.
Gradually, even the child she had fought so hard to bring into the world became increasingly cold toward her, only following Sabrina around all day.
Perhaps it was time to make a decision.
Charlotte turned off the water, hastily dried her hands, and walked back toward the dining room.
Just as she reached the corner, she heard Owen's voice. "Why isn't Mom coming out yet? She's so dramatic!"
But Sabrina tapped his nose. "Owen, you can't talk about your mom like that."
Nearby, Alexander quietly watched the gentle and refined Sabrina, a hint of approval showing in his eyes.
Sabrina just pretended not to notice and continued teaching Owen.
But Owen remained defiant. "That's what Grandma says! She also says Mom is just a useless housewife who only knows how to spend Dad's money!"
Alexander scolded quietly. "Owen!"
But there wasn't much real reproach in his voice.
Sabrina immediately defended Owen, "Alexander, you can't treat Owen like this. You need to let children express themselves , otherwise they can easily develop psychological problems."
Alexander immediately fell silent.
With someone backing him up, Owen got even louder, "Sabrina's right. Mom is too strict, she's so annoying."
"Sabrina is so much better. She lets me do whatever I want."
Suddenly, he pulled out a drawing, "I was going to give this to Mom, but she bullied you and won't apologize. I hate her!"
With that, he stuffed the drawing into Sabrina's arms. "Sabrina, this is for you. Will you be my mom?"
Charlotte's heart suddenly felt like a huge chunk had been carved out of it, leaving an empty, aching void.
The son she had risked her life to bring into the world actually wanted someone else to be his mother?
And that person was Sabrina!
In the dining room, Sabrina was smiling and about to speak when she suddenly caught sight of the figure at the corner.
Her eyes shifted, and she smiled as she patted Owen's head. "Owen, why don't we ask Dad about this question?"
Owen nodded eagerly with excitement.
Sabrina turned and grabbed Alexander's arm, shaking it playfully, her voice soft and sweet, "Alexander, can I ask you a question?"
Alexander seemed to anticipate something. He turned his head away, coughing uncomfortably, but his voice carried an indulgence and tenderness Charlotte had never heard before. "Go ahead."
Sabrina bit her lip, her watery eyes gazing at him as if she had gathered all her courage. "If Grandma hadn't forced you to get married back then, and I hadn't gone abroad, would you have chosen me?" She asked.
The air instantly froze.
Charlotte held her breath, listening to her own thundering heartbeat. She didn't even know if she was anticipating or dreading the answer.
Finally, she heard that familiar voice, low and clear...