The heavy iron gates of Haishi Prison creaked open slowly, and the harsh sunlight spilled over Lara Wills’ thin, pale face. The clothes that used to fit her just right now hung loose and baggy—she looked so frail, like a gust of wind could knock her over.

Five long years behind bars, finally over. She was free.

Lara limped forward awkwardly, every step a struggle. She wasn’t trying to be dramatic—her leg was injured, and she genuinely couldn’t walk any faster.

A sleek black Bentley was parked by the roadside. The window rolled down, revealing a sharp-featured man with a cold, emotionless face. His eyes landed on her leg, and his lips curved into a mocking smirk.

“Five years in prison and you’re still putting on a show. Some things never change.”

That jab hit her like a punch to the gut. Her eyes stung, and her throat tightened.

Ethan Wills. Her biological brother.

At fifteen, she had left the orphanage to join the Wills family. From the start, she had tried so hard to win his approval. In the end, he chose to lie in court, falsely accusing her of attempted murder—all for a foster sister who wasn’t even related by blood.

Five years had passed, and Ethan’s disgust for her hadn’t waned. If anything, he seemed to hate her more.

Lara bit back the bitter taste in her mouth and ignored him, struggling to keep moving forward.

The cold shoulder clearly caught him off guard. He froze in place.

The Lara he remembered had always clung to him, trying every possible way to please him. She’d bring his slippers, massage his shoulders, make calming teas. Rain or shine, she’d wait at his office with a thermos in hand.

During the three years she'd lived with him, her care had greatly eased his chronic stomach problems. But ever since she’d gone to jail, the old pain came back—so bad it often woke him up at night.

He’d even skipped an important international meeting today to pick her up, half-expecting her to throw herself at him crying. He’d mentally prepared himself for her to vent her grievances. What he didn’t expect was this—her cold indifference.

The admiration that used to fill her eyes was long gone. Now, they were nothing but ice.

Watching her deliberately distance herself made something churn uncomfortably in Ethan’s chest. He gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white, veins bulging on the back of his hand.

“Get in the car,” he barked, the words slipping out before he could stop them. His tone was harsh.

Instant regret flashed in his eyes. He frowned and quickly softened his voice just a bit. “Mom and Dad made dinner for you. There's a welcome-back dinner at home.”

Mom and Dad?

Just hearing those words made her chest ache.

Back in the orphanage, she used to dream that maybe—just maybe—if she had parents, she’d be their precious little girl, someone truly cared for.For fifteen whole years, she clung to that one dream — day in, day out, it was all that kept her going.

And now, finally, here it was.

She got what she'd always wanted — a real home and a handsome, powerful CEO of a brother.

But life loved its little jokes, didn’t it? Because the one treated like a real-life princess wasn’t her — it was April Wills, the fake daughter their parents had raised since forever.

Those two? They were Ethan and April’s parents, sure. But to her? Just strangers who happened to share her DNA.

Lara Wills gave a bitter little laugh and shook her head.

In the three years she lived with the Wills family, she’d been on the receiving end of side-eyes and cold shoulders every single day. She knew they never truly accepted her — so what was the point in humiliating herself further?

Without looking back, she kept walking forward, her limp steps firm.

That mix of indifference on her face and the stubborn line of her back hit Ethan like a slap in the face. A spark of anger flared up in him.

He flung his car door open and stormed over, grabbing her wrist and yanking her back. "What are you even trying to pull?!"

The sudden force knocked Lara off balance — she hit the ground hard. Pain shot up from her injured leg, the one that had once been broken, and her face went ghostly pale.

Ethan scowled, clearly pissed. "Still playing the victim? Seriously?"

"Quit pretending you forgot. Five years ago, you shoved Victoria Shaw down the stairs and tried to blame it on April. And now you act like you’re innocent? Five years in jail clearly wasn’t enough for you."

He yanked her off the ground, not even pretending to be gentle, and barked, "You think one prison sentence wipes everything clean? Dream on. As long as Victoria's stuck in that hospital bed, you carry that label. Like it or not."

"And that apology you owe April? When were you planning on coughing it up?"

"Get in the car, now. Don’t make me say it twice."

Lara stared at him, feeling like life was one big cruel joke. Because how many times had she told them the truth — that it was April who shoved Victoria down the stairs? Not her.

But truth didn’t matter when everyone already picked their side.

It was laughable. She, the actual biological daughter of the Wills family, tossed aside in favor of someone who wasn’t even related to them by blood.

She was done fooling herself. Coming back had been a mistake. Thinking she could ever have a place in this “family” was an even bigger one.

She’d learned her lesson, the hard way.

And she wasn’t making that mistake again.

From now on, she’d keep her distance — no more fighting April for attention, no more forcing herself into a family that never wanted her there.

But of course, Ethan just had to show up again.

Lara quietly shook off his hand and took a step back, putting some space between them. Her cold, detached demeanor clearly hit a nerve with him. He remembered the Lara from before — the girl who once trailed after him like a shadow, eager to please. Back then, one word from him and she’d move the world.Now that Lara was acting all indifferent, it really got on Ethan's nerves.

He swallowed his frustration and tried to soften his tone. "Come home with me."

Lara kept her head down, her expression blank as her eyes stared off into the distance. She didn’t even bother acknowledging him.

The deadpan look on her face completely pushed Ethan over the edge. Five years in prison and she didn’t learn a damn thing—except how to ignore people, apparently.

Just as he was about to explode, a calm voice suddenly cut through the tension.

“Lara.”

She froze on the spot. That voice—gentle, familiar—it sent a shock straight through her chest. Even after five years of silence, she knew instantly who it was: Colin Young, her childhood best friend.

She stared at the polished leather shoes in front of her, that deep voice from above drifting down:

“Lara, welcome back.”

If those words had come from anyone else, she might’ve thrown out a quick “thanks” just to be polite.

But coming from Colin? It was a slap in the face.

The same Colin who’d grown up with her, side by side since they were kids. The same hotshot lawyer who, right out of law school, chose his very first case as defending April Wills—and sent her to prison.

She still remembered what he said before the trial: “Lara, April’s always been delicate... She’d never make it in there. Could you take the fall for her, just this once?”

Why? Just because April couldn’t deal with hardship, Lara had to suffer for her?

Was it her fault she’d had a tough life? Did that make it okay for her to be the scapegoat?

Thanks to that case—putting the real Wills daughter behind bars—Colin became an overnight sensation in Haicheng’s legal world.

Back then, fresh out of university, he still had that rookie look.

Now, he was a full-blown star attorney, every inch the rising elite, sharp suit and all.

They’d grown up together in the orphanage, closer than actual siblings. Whenever she got bullied, he’d always stand up for her, promising, “As long as I’m around, no one’s gonna mess with you, Lara.”

He even used to say he wanted to be a lawyer—so he could lock up anyone who hurt her.

But when April humiliated her, Colin? He’d just brush it off with a “You’re overthinking—April’s not that kind of person,” like it was nothing.

In the end, he not only protected the person who hurt her—he personally handed her the sentence.

…

The three of them stood there, the air thick with silence.

Colin’s forced smile was beginning to fade, though he managed to lift a hand toward her. “Lara, I’m here to take you home…”

Before he could even finish, Lara turned to Ethan.

“Aren’t we going home? Let’s go.”