Fake Heiress Took My Place, Now They Regret It

###Chapter 6

Kristen's POV

Faint voices drifted in and out as I slipped in and out of consciousness.

Somewhere nearby, William's voice pierced through the fog.

"Couldn't you have handled this behind closed doors? Did you really have to make a scene and embarrass our family like that?"

Michael shot back, his tone sharp. "I told you already, it wasn't me who called the reporters. You're the one who staged the whole thing to force Kristen out."

William sounded indignant. "Don't be ridiculous. Sure, my sister has been a problem lately, but she's still a Lawson by blood. You think I'd stoop that low?"

Their performance made me want to laugh. How noble they sounded, pretending to be innocent while standing over the ruins they helped create.

But it didn't matter who made the call.

What mattered was that the cameras had already captured everything they wanted.

From now on, I'd be branded as the town's whore and the disgraced heiress.

They'd torn me down to protect Courtney's delicate image.

And now, here she came, gliding into the room like a porcelain doll with her head bowed just enough to look virtuous.

"Because of what Kristen did," Courtney murmured, voice full of trembling innocence, "people are laughing at me. I'm too ashamed to go outside."

William immediately reached out, gently stroking her hair.

"Don't be upset. I had that custom ruby necklace made just for you. It arrived this morning. Come on, I'll show you."

Hand in hand, they left the room, a perfect picture of harmony that hollowed me out inside.

Through tear-blurred eyes, I caught Michael at my bedside.

"You get it now, don't you?" he said, voice as cold as ice. "That's who you really were, Kristen. And now you're just facing the consequences. If you'd been more like Courtney, maybe you wouldn't be everyone's favorite punching bag."

I said nothing. Just let him rewrite the story in whatever way helped him sleep at night.

Because as long as I was the villain, he could justify marrying his sweet, spotless princess.

A knock sounded.

The butler entered, sneering at my bedraggled face.

"Miss Lawson, Sir William says you're to work off your sins. You've dragged the family name through the mud, and thanks to you, the Lawson stock has tanked."

Michael looked like he wanted to say something, but I was already sitting up.

I didn't wait. Didn't argue.

I got out of bed and went to work.

Cleaning, scrubbing, and dusting every inch of the estate like I wasn't the daughter of the house but just another servant.

Eventually, I made it to William's room.

That's when I saw his phone lying face down on the carpet.

I don't know what made me pick it up.

Maybe curiosity. Maybe desperation.

Then, I typed in Courtney's birthday.

It unlocked instantly.

The lock screen lit up with a picture of William and Courtney, shoulder to shoulder, with her beaming like a flower in bloom. It looked more like a picture of real siblings than anything he ever took with me.

I tapped into the photo gallery.

There were thousands of images.

All of them were William, Courtney, and Michael.

Trips. Birthdays. Dinners.

Even casual selfies at home.

In one video, Michael stood in the kitchen with a pink Barbie cake he'd made himself. He smeared a bit of frosting on Courtney's nose, laughing softly.

In the background, William held a sparkly plastic crown and cooed, "My baby sister's going to be the happiest princess in the world."

Every picture from my childhood, from our vacations, our school days, the movies we watched huddled on the couch together, and everything he once promised to treasure forever was all in the trash folder.

Gone.

Tears blurred my vision. I thought I'd already cried myself dry.

How did we go from being inseparable siblings… to this?

Just then, I tapped a folder I hadn't noticed before.

Inside was a document.

It was a kidney transplant agreement.

My stomach twisted as I read the names:

[The recipient: William Lawson]

[The donor: Courtney Lawson]

My eyes widened in disbelief.