Chapter 1

Five years after my sister Gemma and I swapped marriages, she died in an accident.

After Gemma passed away, my husband, Julian, brought home an AI robot that looked exactly like her.

The robot had Gemma’s habits, her memories, her hobbies, and would even whine in Julian’s arms just like she used to.

Even my ten-year-old stepdaughter, Lily, whom I had raised for five years, constantly protected the robot. Lily even gave the custom gown I had spent a month making to the robot, screaming at me:

"Why are you so jealous? Gemma is already dead!"

Julian, too, slept with the Gemma robot in his arms every night, whispering, "After all these years, only you can cure my insomnia."

They even forced me to stand by the bed and watch them be intimate, telling me to "learn the correct positions." It wasn’t until I caught the smug, mocking glint in the robot’s synthetic eyes that I realized—she didn’t just have Gemma’s memories. She had Gemma’s malicious soul.

But what they didn't know was that five years ago, it was Gemma who had forced the marriage swap by threatening suicide. Yet, this father and daughter had hated me for five long years.

Fine. If that was the case, I would correct the mistake. I was going to marry the man I was always meant to be with.

I stood frozen in the hallway. The bespoke gown I had spent an entire month hand-sewing for Julian’s birthday gala was now draped over the Gemma robot. Anger flared in my chest, but Lily, the girl I had raised with all my heart, held the robot’s hand and gasped in awe.

"Gemma, you look so beautiful in this dress! No wonder Daddy has always loved you."

"Unlike that other woman. She only knows how to steal things. She tried to steal my dad, and she even tried to steal me."

Hearing those words, my nails dug deep into my palms.

Before Julian and I got married, Gemma was already pregnant. Yet, she insisted on marrying my billionaire fiancé, Sebastian.

To hide the timeline of her pregnancy and cover up the scandal, Gemma wept to Julian, claiming I was the one who used dirty tricks to force her out. In the minds of Julian and his daughter, I was the villain—the greedy sister who ignored Gemma’s pregnancy and forced Julian to marry me, leveraging my parents' guilt.

My heart ached for a split second, but I quickly snapped out of it. I looked at the robot and gave a cold command, "Take off my dress. Now."

But Lily pulled the robot’s hand and walked right past me into the banquet hall. "Attention, everyone! This is my mom!"

The Gemma robot stood gracefully in the center of the crowd, her eyes locking onto Julian, who was standing not far away. "Julian, honey, come on. It's time for the family photo."

Her eyes were ripe with artificial desire, mimicking human tenderness perfectly.

Julian was clearly captivated. He walked over and tightly gripped her hand.

This was the first family photo our household had ever taken. But the leading lady wasn't me. No one even remembered that I was the actual wife, the one who had kept this family together.

I let out a self-deprecating laugh and turned to leave. But the robot called out behind me, "Jade, aren't you going to join the photo? Are you too shy, or do you just not see us as family?"

Only then did Julian look at me, his eyes freezing cold. "Stop acting. Haven't you been begging for a family photo for years? Get over here."

The surrounding guests, taking cues from Julian’s attitude, began to sneer at me.

"So that’s the Miller girl who forced her way into Julian’s bed. Looks like she’s living worse than a robot now."

"I don't get her. Why would she dump Sebastian for a man who doesn't even love her..."

Hearing their mockery, my heart felt completely numb. My biological parents, seeing that I wasn't moving, barked at me in front of everyone.

"Jade! Get your ass over here right now! Stop embarrassing us!"

Disgust boiled up inside me. I slammed my wine glass onto the floor, shattered glass spraying everywhere. I turned on my heel and walked away. "Being in the same photo as you people makes me sick."

I walked out onto the bustling streets, the cold night air hitting my face as the bitterness finally overflowed. My biological parents knew exactly why I was forced into this marriage. Yet, they never said a single word to clear my name, letting me bear the reputation of a greedy, husband-stealing gold digger for five years.

These five years of hell... I would consider them payment for the debt of giving birth to me.

My high heels were killing me. I kicked them off and walked barefoot, wandering aimlessly down the sidewalk.

A sudden car horn snapped me out of my thoughts. A sleek black Bentley pulled up beside me. The window rolled down, revealing Sebastian—the man I was originally supposed to marry.

"Get in," he said, his voice deep and calm. "Let's talk."

Five years ago, Julian’s family business was on the brink of bankruptcy. Gemma set her sights on my wealthy fiancé, Sebastian, and forced our parents to coerce me into breaking off my engagement so she could marry him instead.

Because of that, I had always felt a deep sense of guilt toward Sebastian. "Is there something you need, Sebastian?"

I climbed into the passenger seat, trying my best to hide my misery. But Sebastian saw right through me.

"You don't have to force a smile if you're unhappy," he said softly.

"I came today to correct a mistake made five years ago. Marry me, Jade. Let's make the Millers and the Vances pay for what they did."

"Jade, you were always meant to be my wife, weren't you?"

I looked at Sebastian. There was a gentle, unwavering light in his eyes. Five years ago, when we were arranged to be married, I had genuinely agreed. Not for money, but because during our brief time together, I had truly fallen in love with him.

"Yes," I whispered. "I will."