Chapter 2 Who Truly Belonged In This Family

"Albin!" A gray-haired elder's voice cut through the room like a whip, his cane slamming against the floor with a resonant thud.

Slowly pushing himself upright from the sofa, he fixed Albin with a piercing glare, his features carved in stone. "By now, don't you think it's time you gave me an explanation?" he demanded, his tone heavy with authority. "I've long kept my distance from the private matters of the younger generation, but this-this is not something I can overlook. Our family has stood firmly behind you all these years. Without the financial lifeline extended by Dawson Group's bank, your family would've crumbled into bankruptcy long ago."

Albin's complexion went ashen with fury, but the weight of the situation forced him to lower his head in bitter submission. "We'll always remember the Dawson family's generosity, but..."

His eyes darted to Evelina, burning with silent blame. If looks could kill, she'd have vanished on the spot. She was the one who'd ruined everything.

With no other option, he had to swallow the humiliation of being the one to end the engagement.

But Gerald Dawson, Cole's grandfather, slammed down his decision before Albin could speak. "The engagement will not be dissolved," he pronounced, his tone final-leaving no room for debate.

Worried Gerald would coerce him for the family's benefit, Cole blurted out, "Grandpa, I won't marry a woman who's betrayed me. She's mute and has slept with someone else. How am I supposed to face anyone after this? Everyone will think I'm a joke."

At first, Cole had only agreed to the engagement because Evelina's beauty was unmatched in all of Uclard-no one could deny that.

Still, every time he remembered her muteness, a wave of discomfort rose in his chest. The idea of a wife who couldn't even gasp his name in bed unsettled him in ways he hated to admit.

What gnawed at him most was his obsession with Tessa, who was bold and free-spirited where Evelina was guarded and distant.

Tessa was the girl he'd grown up with. That reckless night when he finally gave in to temptation and slept with her had left them both reeling-Tessa had sobbed in his arms, insisting he take responsibility for what they'd done.

Cole relented at her pleading and agreed to marry her.

If marriage was inevitable, he'd rather settle for someone less striking but easier to control than Evelina, who always seemed impossible to please and kept everyone at arm's length.

The night before, he'd orchestrated the whole fiasco himself, scheming for a way out of his engagement to Evelina.

If only Tessa hadn't been keeping an eye on him, he would have spent a passionate night with Evelina himself and made it look like she'd betrayed him-instead of letting another man sleep with her.

Now, he had no idea which lucky man had gotten her laid.

His gaze slid shamelessly over Evelina, taking in the curve of her bare shoulder. His mind drifted, imagining her groaning and moaning beneath another man, wishing he were that man.

Catching the direction of his thoughts, Tessa's lips twisted, jealousy and resentment flashing in her eyes. Deep down, she vowed she'd see to it that Evelina's reputation was shattered for good.

Suddenly, Tessa's honeyed tone pierced the tension, yanking everyone back to the present. "Evelina, hurry up and apologize to Cole."

A deep shadow settled over Gerald's features. He finally spoke up. "The engagement stands. The Quinn family, after all, has more than one daughter to offer."

Instantly, all eyes in the room drifted to Evelina and Tessa, who stood side by side.

The defiance on Cole's face evaporated. He clamped his mouth shut, suddenly as docile as a scolded child who'd been handed a treat.

A rosy flush crept up Tessa's cheeks, and she shrank behind her adoptive mother, Joanna Quinn. Her gentle, bashful act only heightened the guests' disdain for Evelina's supposed shameful behavior.

Evelina, rooted in place, felt all color drain from her face. She watched helplessly as Cole's gaze lingered on Tessa, the two exchanging sly, knowing glances that spoke volumes.

Low murmurs rippled among the guests.

Years ago, the Quinn couple's world had shattered when their daughter vanished. Joanna's grief had nearly broken her, until the family adopted a girl from an orphanage-a gentle, timid child who quickly became the new center of their lives.

That girl was none other than Tessa.

After a decade, the police had shown up out of the blue, clutching a DNA report-a perfect match for the long-lost Quinn daughter.

Whispers swept through the city, fueling speculation. Desperate to protect their reputation, the Quinn family publicly welcomed back their biological daughter, Evelina, a girl who had weathered years of hardship. They even declared both Evelina and Tessa part of the family, refusing to send Tessa away even after finding their lost child.

Yet, Evelina's life in the past few years had been anything but charmed.

At seventeen, she'd lost her adoptive mother in a devastating car crash, and the shock had stolen her voice-leaving her with a silent world she couldn't escape.

In every way-her grace, beauty, and bearing-Evelina eclipsed Tessa, save for one cruel detail: she couldn't speak.

A few years ago, when the Quinn family's business teetered on collapse, the Dawson family's bank swooped in with a lifesaving investment.

Their help had resurrected the Quinn family's fortune.

Business ties had pulled the Quinn and Dawson families closer, making a marriage alliance feel almost inevitable. The families' elders soon settled on the idea, seeing it as the best way to secure their mutual interests for years to come. At first, the plan was simple: Tessa, raised in the Quinn household, would marry Cole, her childhood companion.

But stability mattered more than sentiment. The Dawson family insisted on Evelina instead.

After all, she was the Quinn family's true daughter by blood. That way, there could be no question of loyalty, no last-minute denial of the connection.

With Evelina's reputation now in ruins, her chance to marry into the Dawson family vanished overnight. Yet family interests still took priority. Gerald reluctantly accepted Tessa as Cole's new bride, seeing no other way to keep the alliance intact.

"Maybe we can talk about this another time. I'd rather not rush Tessa into marriage," Joanna burst out, breaking her silence as she tried to shield Tessa from the marriage plans.

Evelina watched the scene unfold with a numb, frosty detachment. No one had bothered asking if she wanted this marriage. She'd only ever been a bargaining chip-nothing more than a pawn for the Quinn family to trade away for profit. If marriage was possible for her, why was Tessa any different?

Her lips twisted in a bitter, mocking smile as she glanced around the room, searching for a single sympathetic face. None met her eyes. Even her own blood family regarded her as a burden, treating Tessa as if she were the trueborn daughter.

To those who didn't know any better, it seemed that Tessa belonged here, not her.

Evelina's icy gaze lingered on Tessa. She remembered those first days after being brought home-the careful way everyone tiptoed around Tessa's feelings, the endless gifts, the gentle reassurances, the way the Quinn family poured all their warmth into a girl who wasn't even theirs by birth.

In contrast, the Quinns had not shown even a trace of affection toward their biological daughter, Evelina.

Tessa was bright and charming, a natural favorite, while Evelina's silence made her easy to overlook. Seventeen years old and thrust back into a house that never truly welcomed her, Evelina learned quickly that her parents had no love left for her since Tessa absorbed all of it.

At the Quinn family estate, Evelina's bedroom was barely more than a broom closet tucked beside the maid's quarters, cramped and windowless, while Tessa's was a sprawling, sunlit suite fit for a storybook princess.

Evelina's monthly allowance was a meager five hundred dollars-barely enough to cover necessities. Each day, she squeezed onto a crowded bus just to get to school.

Meanwhile, Joanna fussed endlessly over Tessa's safety, insisting on a private driver and assigning a dedicated maid to serve up elaborate meals. If Tessa grew tired of home-cooked meals, she could simply call for a reservation at any luxury restaurant in the city. Her spending money? An unlimited credit card.

While Evelina packed her bags for a crowded public boarding school, Tessa was chauffeured each day to Uclard's most elite academy.

Evelina rotated through the handful of worn clothes she'd salvaged from her old life. Meanwhile, Tessa's closets overflowed with dazzling dresses and luxury handbags, every item carefully curated and never worn twice.

When Tessa turned eighteen, the driveway sparkled with a cherry-red sports car topped with a velvet bow. Evelina's own eighteenth birthday slipped by in silence-no cake, no cards, not even a whispered acknowledgment.

Their birthdays were only two days apart, but each year Evelina stood at the edge of Tessa's lavish celebration, watching from the shadows as the family gathered to shower Tessa with gifts and affection.

No one ever seemed to notice when Evelina's day arrived, let alone mark it with a simple wish.

The family worried constantly about Tessa, terrified she'd be sacrificed in some marriage alliance, but not once did anyone pause to wonder what Evelina wanted-her engagement to a total stranger decided without a whisper of concern for her.

Sometimes, Evelina questioned who truly belonged in this family.

She stood invisible in her own home. Ignored by her parents, betrayed by the man she was supposed to marry and her adoptive sister, she was left with nothing but silent humiliation.

Her entire life felt like a twisted punchline to someone else's joke-her very existence a mistake no one wanted to acknowledge.