Chapter 1

At my engagement party, my sister announced that she would recite my vows for me because I couldn’t speak.

I failed to stop her.

All I could do was watch her gaze at my fiancé, her eyes brimming with love and wounded longing.

“We were never meant to be. I only hope you and my sister can be happy…”

I gave a derisive huff. Since no one could hear my thoughts, I mentally cursed out everyone in the room.

But when I got to that bastard of a fiancé,

he frowned and glanced at me.

“So noisy.”

Ever since returning to the Bennett family, I’d felt like I’d accidentally wandered onto the set of some trashy soap opera.

Barely a month after finding their long-lost biological daughter, the Bennetts had already found me a fiancé.

Meanwhile, Vivian Bennett, who had spent twenty-two years living the life that should have been mine, only had to say,

“Nora, you may not be able to speak, but from now on, I’ll be your voice.”

And just like that, she got to stay.

No one asked what I thought.

Instead, Vivian’s little speech moved them all to tears.

My mother took my hand, her voice full of relief.

“Nora, look how much Vivian cares about you. Don’t worry. We’ll let her speak for you from now on.”

And Vivian certainly kept her word.

At the engagement party, the moment the host started to hand me the microphone, she snatched it away.

“Our Nora can’t speak, so I’ll do it for her. That’s what big sisters are for.”

Anyone watching would have thought we were incredibly close.

We weren’t.

Vivian’s gaze was tender and adoring, but it was fixed entirely on my fiancé, Ethan Sterling.

She even drifted past me to stand at his side.

Her announcement sent a wave of whispers through the guests.

“Well, that explains why the Bennetts never held a party to introduce their real daughter. She’s mute. They must be embarrassed.”

“The adopted daughter is so sweet and considerate. I heard she and Ethan are in love, yet she’s still willing to speak for her sister.”

“So the real daughter’s a nasty piece of work. Stealing Vivian’s parents wasn’t enough. She had to steal Ethan, too.”

Listening to them, I was speechless. More than usual.

You think I wanted this? Why are you blaming me instead of Vivian’s unreliable boyfriend?

Before I could finish grumbling, I met Ethan’s eyes. He was studying me.

What? You can do it, but no one’s allowed to call you out?

If you two are so in love, why did you agree to get engaged to me?

Keeping my expression neutral, I glared right back at him.

Ethan looked away.

I returned my attention to Vivian’s performance.

Her eyes reddened, and her voice caught. “Ethan, I know you can’t go against your parents. This is where our story ends… But please don’t blame Nora. You have to treat her as well as you treated me.”

The guests looked at me with even more disgust, as if I’d personally torn two devoted lovers apart.

Under all those contemptuous stares, my face remained calm. Inside, I was losing it.

What bullshit. Since when can anyone force Ethan Sterling to do anything? Are you two acting out some second-chance romance fantasy?

Vivian, you manipulative little snake. Did you say that just to make me sick?

And Ethan, you absolute bastard. If you love her so much, why agree to marry me?

The more I ranted, the angrier I got. I shot Ethan a resentful glance and screamed inside my head.

Am I just a toy to you people?

To my surprise, Ethan suddenly turned and met my eyes.

“So noisy.”