One month after I was taken back into the Sterling family, my private nudes got leaked online.
My brother Liam promised whoever was behind it would paybig time.
I showed him the proof that Chloe, the fake heiress, was the one setting me up.
But instead of backing me, he slapped me across the face.
Youre shameless, trying to hurt Chloe? How can you be so cruel?
Then he stripped me and locked me in a freezer at minus twenty degrees to make me think about what Ive done.
I wish you werent my sister. Id rather you disappear and never come back.
But in the end, they all came crawling back, begging for forgiveness.
The day I left the Sterling family, I was running a high fever.
My body was already frail. I’d been running on empty for a week, and then Liam had slapped me.
Drained and aching, it was only natural I’d gotten sick.
Even as I walked towards the river, Liam’s accusing words echoed in my ears.
“Is that you in those pictures?”
“Aubrey Sterling, have you really slept with that many men?”
“Do you have no shame?!”
While he interrogated me, Chloe, the fake heiress, was right there, twisting the knife even deeper.
“Liam, you don’t think Aubrey has… you know, one of those diseases? I heard they can be contagious.”
Liam’s face darkened, his brows furrowing in displeasure.
“Stop spouting nonsense. Go back to your own room, Chloe.”
Chloe clicked away on her heels, but Liam just pursed his lips and headed to the bathroom.
When he came out, he was wearing gloves, and he meticulously disinfected every surface I’d touched.
My pupils trembled. I clenched my fingers, humiliation burning through me.
I watched him patiently sanitize the entire villa, then toss the gloves away.
Only then did he turn to me, his voice cold.
“Have you gotten tested?”
I tried to keep my voice steady.
“I’m not sick.”
He clearly didn’t believe me, but he wouldn’t discuss it further. His face was a mask of cold fury as he warned me.
“Don’t let Mom find out about this. I’ll handle the PR. Just stay home for a while.”
As he spoke, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, but didn’t answer. He grabbed his jacket and started to leave.
At the door, he paused and added.
“Stay in your room.”
The front door clicked shut, and a sharp pain squeezed my chest, like it had been slammed shut on my heart.
Liam hadn’t yelled at me once.
But his silence hurt more than a hundred insults.
For the next week, I listened to Liam and didn’t leave my room.
I spent all my time in my bedroom, trying to find out who had leaked those photos.
Was it someone from the old town?
No way. That would be a crime. They wouldn’t.
Was it a rival company to Liam’s?
Also unlikely. I’d only been back for a month. Many people didn’t even know about me. It couldn’t have been that fast.
Finally, I zeroed in on one person.
Chloe.
Just two days ago, Mom had talked to Liam about sending Chloe back now that I was home.
The person who hated me most had to be her.
I stayed up day and night, using all the money Liam had given me to hire hackers.
Liam, on the other hand, wasn’t idle either.
He was swamped, frantically trying to suppress the scandal.
But fifty million dollars just vanished into thin air, like water splashed on a stone. Nothing worked.
Within three days, the company’s stock crashed, wiping out hundreds of millions.
Mom still saw the photos, collapsed on the spot, and was rushed to the hospital.
The scandal exploded, becoming the talk of the town. Under the manipulation of malicious individuals, the Sterling family’s reputation and finances suffered immeasurable losses.
The internet was filled with vile insults aimed at me.
Thankfully, a week later, I found the original ID that leaked the private photos.
It was Chloe.
I held my phone out to Liam.
“She’s the one who leaked them, Liam. You need to make her clarify immediately and cut our losses!”
“Just, just say they’re AI-generated. We can still salvage the damage!”
I desperately racked my brain for solutions, completely missing the chilling rage that had settled on Liam’s face.
He asked, his voice cold, “Isn’t that you in those pictures? Aubrey, are you asking me to lie for you?”
I froze. “Right now, the most important thing is to salvage our losses.”
“I can’t believe you’re this kind of person!”
Liam’s face was grim as he cut me off.
“Aubrey Sterling, you being swapped at birth was a mistake by the hospital staff.”
“But I truly regret ever finding you!”
With that, he delivered a brutal slap.
And just like that, he shattered what little fragile connection we had.
The river in November was freezing.
I walked into the water, shivering uncontrollably, Liam’s words replaying in my mind.
But inside, a profound calm began to settle.
Maybe I should have died years ago.
Back when those monsters crawled all over me, one by one, that’s when I should have just given up and let myself disappear.
I used to cling to life, always believing I still had a family.
But now, I had nothing. No family left.
Liam wouldn’t even listen to my explanation. No one in this world would believe me, would understand me.
I forced a bitter smile, letting the icy water engulf my head, my body slowly sinking.
But through the haze of suffocation, I heard a raw, tearing cry.
“Aubrey!”
Then, someone grabbed me.
When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital bed.
Liam sat beside me, soaked and pale from the cold.
Seeing me awake, his voice was a mix of anger and urgency.
“How could you jump into the river? If I hadn’t found you in time, you would have died!”
“You’re the one who messed up, aren’t you? I just slapped you, and now you’re trying to punish me by taking your own life?”
My chest tightened. I suddenly didn’t know what to say.
After a long moment, I managed to ask,
“Is not wanting to live… wrong?”
His brows furrowed. His eyes locked onto mine, scrutinizing me, as if trying to discern if I was telling the truth.
Finally, he sighed.
“I admit I shouldn’t have hit you. But you really have no self-respect.”
“Aubrey Sterling, from now on, you’re not allowed to be involved with any men. When Mom wakes up, apologize to her properly!”
I suddenly felt so tired. My gaze drifted emptily to the ceiling, and I stopped talking.
Perhaps worried I’d run off again, Liam didn’t leave.
His phone rang constantly. He handled work nearby, looking utterly exhausted.
We sat there, not exchanging another word, not bothering each other.
Two hours later, Chloe pushed open the door and walked in.
She was wearing a mask, as if I were some kind of plague.
Standing a safe distance from me, she whispered to Liam.
“Liam, the photos are still trending. A lot of people are trying to dox Aubrey.”
“The company’s lost so much, and Mom isn’t awake yet. What are we going to do?”
Liam glanced at her, his fingers still rapidly typing on his phone screen.
“You don’t need to worry about any of that. I’ve already arranged to send you away in three days.”
Chloe’s eyes widened in shock. She gasped in disbelief.
“You still want me to leave? With everything happening, how can I possibly leave?”
“Aubrey caused such a huge mess, the family needs me right now!”
Liam’s fingers paused.
“I know you don’t want to go, but Aubrey is my biological sister. Having you here will always affect her.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll still provide for your expenses as before. You won’t be mistreated.”
Chloe’s eyes stared, wide with alarm.
She instinctively glanced at me, then pleaded urgently.
“Liam, I really don’t want to go back! All my family and friends are here. I won’t have anyone to talk to if I go back!”
“Can you really bear for me to be alone?”
“But Aubrey spent twenty years living like that.”
Liam was growing impatient.
“That’s where you were supposed to be. She lived your life for twenty years.”
Liam’s impartial words made Chloe despair.
Her eyes reddened, and after a long moment, she said,
“Fine, I’ll go back. But I want to wait until Mom wakes up to say goodbye!”
“And the company’s problems still need to be solved. I want to help you!”
A flicker of relief passed through Liam’s eyes, and he agreed.
“I know you’re caring and sensible. You can stay for now.”
With just a few words, she stayed.
I watched, expressionless, interrupting the tender moment between them.
“Chloe, why did you send those pictures?”
“Did you want to kill me, or destroy this family?”
Chloe faltered, then stammered softly.
“I… I sent them out by accident.”
I scoffed, “Why didn’t you ‘accidentally’ fall off a cliff then?”
In her haste, Chloe ripped off her mask, revealing her pale face.
“Aubrey, it really was an accident! Someone sent them to me, and I meant to delete them!”
“Besides, if you hadn’t actually done those things, how would those pictures even exist?”
I stared at her, about to press her further, but Liam cut me off, his voice low and firm.
“The priority now is to find a solution. The company’s predicament is a minor issue. The most critical thing is your reputation!”
“I believe Chloe wouldn’t do it on purpose. She’s not that kind of person.”
“I’ve already discussed it with the PR department. You’ll go live and explain everything. Just tell the truth.”
“Say you were young, naive, uneducated, and didn’t understand the seriousness of it all. Issue a public apology.”
The words struck me like a physical blow, and the blood in my veins turned to ice.
From start to finish, the creation and spread of those photos had made me the victim.
But now, the victim was expected to stand before the cameras and apologize to everyone.
It was laughable. Utterly, sickeningly laughable!
I clenched my fingers, my eyes burning as I asked,
“What if I don’t apologize?”
Liam’s face turned icy.
“Then you’re no longer my sister. The Sterling family cannot have a daughter like you!”
I could almost taste blood in my throat, and tears streamed down my face.
“Fine. Then I won’t be your sister. I won’t be a Sterling.”
He froze, then grew even angrier.
“It’s just an apology! Is it really that big a deal?!”
“This whole thing is your fault to begin with, and you still want to-”
“Yes! It is a big deal! I am not apologizing!”
My emotions erupted. I was trembling all over, like a cornered animal.
“I didn’t do anything wrong! I’m the victim here! I absolutely will not apologize!”
Liam hadn’t expected me to lose it like this. His eyes widened.
Chloe, with chilling composure, dropped to her knees.
“Aubrey, it was my mistake to accidentally send those photos, but the company is the Sterling family’s lifeblood, and it’s on the brink of collapse. They really need you to step forward.”
“I’m begging you. Go live. Apologize!”
Her calm demeanor only made me seem more like a lunatic.
As Liam’s disappointed gaze fell upon me, I felt a bone-deep sense of powerlessness.
My nails dug deeply into my palms, and I heard my own voice, devoid of all hope.
“Then let it all burn. I’ll die with the Sterling family.”
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